Dorsey out after basketball accident

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, March 26, 2003 | 9:53 a.m.

UNLV's logjam at tailback got a little thinner even before the first snap of spring practice took place Tuesday afternoon.

Junior Dominique Dorsey, expected to share time with seniors Larry Croom and Deon Burnett and highly touted junior college transfer Alvin Marshall, will miss spring practice after having surgery to repair torn ligaments and a broken bone in his left elbow.

Dorsey, 5-6, and 170 pounds, was the Mountain West Conference freshman of the year in 2001 and one of the nation's most dangerous return men. He said he was injured playing basketball during spring break last week in his hometown of Tulare, Calif.

"I was off-balance and I tried to dunk," said Dorsey, who watched Tuesday's practice with his arm in a cast and sling. "I dislocated it falling down wrong and a couple of ligaments were torn. I also had some (bone) fragments removed from inside my cartilage."

"We just found out about it," UNLV coach John Robinson said as his team went through warm-ups Tuesday. "We haven't had a chance to have our doctors look at it yet."

Dorsey said it would be two weeks before his stitches are removed. His elbow must remain in a cast for four weeks.

"I think my basketball playing days are over for a while," he said with a smile.

It's the second consecutive year that Dorsey has missed spring practice. Last year he sat out for personal reasons.

Dorsey wasn't the only Rebel to show up Tuesday with a cast. Starting inside linebacker Adam Seward practiced despite breaking his left thumb last month in informal passing drills.

"I've got another week before they take (the cast) off, but I'm fine," Seward said.

Spring drills resume Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m.