UNLV basketball athletic trainer Dave Tomchek tapes up a player’s ankles before practice. Foot and ankle injuries are the most common Tomchek treats. “The shoes are the biggest problem because they’re losing their support,” says Tomchek, who once told Michael Jordan, “Your shoes stink.”
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Tomchek says that in the course of a season, he uses about 1,400 rolls of athletic tape, stretching about 13,000 yards.
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Dave Tomchek prides himself on the health of the UNLV men’s basketball team and so far this has been a good year. The team is averaging less than a practice lost per injury, he said. The Rebels’ athletic trainer is in his 12th year.
What’s the most common injury you treat?
Foot and ankle. The shoes are the biggest problem because they’re losing their support. One year at Michael Jordan’s fantasy camp we had about 15 guys with blood built up under their toenails. Jordan asked me what the problem was. I said, “Your shoes stink.” Everyone looked at me like I had a death wish. But I told it to him straight.
What do you hate the most?
Bloody noses and vomit. One time I had a kid vomit on me in the middle of overtime and that just about ended it for me that night. You can cut your thumb off and it wouldn’t bother me a bit. But if you threw up on top of it I’d probably be done.
How many rolls of athletic tape do you go through in a season?
I tape 10 of the players for practice and games. In the season that’s about 1,400 rolls of two different types of tape, totaling about 13,000 yards of tape.
That’s enough tape to line the Las Vegas Strip down and back. What advice would you have for a mid-30s washout playing in a men’s league?
I get that question all the time. For anybody 35 and up the biggest problem is their energy level and I attribute it 100 percent to diet and body weight.
What’s on the horizon in terms of athletic training?
The mental factor. To be a premier athlete you have to have the mental ability to handle everything that’s thrown at you. No athlete is 100 percent for every game. But you can’t let a nagging injury consume your thoughts. A strong mental person will heal considerably quicker than someone consumed by the injury.
Why don’t we hear more about basketball players taking steroids?
Basketball is a natural ability sport, so the development of musculature is not always totally beneficial. The guy who jumps the highest or runs fastest isn’t going to be the best player because there are so many other variables.
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