MENSAH BACK FOR NCAAS?
Big man could be cleared to play in first round March 20
Nathan Mensah’s regular season is probably over.
His postseason might not be.
So says San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher, who provided a timeline for the return of the 6-foot-10 sophomore center sidelined since late December with what the
Union-tribune reported was a pulmonary embolism, or a blood clot in his lung.
Dutcher said Mensah likely won’t play in the final three games of the regular season or the Mountain West tournament that begins
March 5 in Las Vegas, but he could be available for the opening game of the NCAA Tournament two weeks later. The Aztecs are expected to play their first game March 20 in Sacramento.
“I’m still hoping to have him for the NCAA Tournament,” Dutcher said. “I really am. I’m not just saying that. I’m hoping to have him, but he’s got some (medical) hurdles to clear to get there. We’re still a long way from that. There’s a lot that has to be done to make sure he’s healthy. But hopefully we’ll have him back by then.”
That’s a more optimistic prognosis than Dutcher offered in mid-january, when he gave Mensah “an outside chance” of playing again in the 2019-20 season.
A pulmonary embolism, a blockage in one of the arteries carrying blood from the heart to lungs, is typically treated with anticoagulants. Patients are often encour
aged to exercise to increase blood f low but are precluded from participating in contact sports, given the risk of bruising and internal bleeding from the blood-thinning medication.
For the past month, Mensah has accompanied the team on road trips and worked out by himself at practice, running, dribbling, shooting, stretching, lifting weights. Occasionally, he’ll participate in full-court conditioning drills with teammates that do not involve contact. When they go fiveon-five, he watches from the side.
SDSU has never confirmed the specifics of his condition, saying only that it is a “respiratory issue.” Mensah has declined comment through a team spokesperson.
In standard cases involving a pulmonary embolism, or PE, the American College of Chest Physicians recommends a minimum of three months of anticoagulant medication to prevent more clots from forming while the current ones are dissolved. A 2017 study published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, which tracked incidents of PE or similar clotting issues in pro athletes, found the average time away from playing was 6.7 months, although it varied based on the severity of each condition.
Three months would roughly fall on the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, but it is conceivable a doctor could clear Mensah for contact before that. The university’s risk management office may have a say as well.
The next question would be how much practice time he needs before pulling on a jersey in an NCAA Tournament game.
“I don’t think a whole lot,” Dutcher said. “I think he’s going to be fine. I mean, he’s in great shape. Game timing will be a different thing. But with his ability, you throw him out there, no matter what, if he’s available.”
Before complaining of shortness of breath in a Dec. 28 game against Cal Poly, Mensah had started alongside 6-10 senior Yanni Wetzell, averaging 6.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in 20.2 minutes. Matt Mitchell, a 6-6 wing, replaced him in the starting lineup, and Dutcher indicated that wouldn’t change; Mensah, if cleared, would come off the bench.
“He’d probably be a backup to Yanni,” Dutcher said. “And if we ran into a team that was trying to play bully ball on us, you could put Yanni and him out there together like we did at the start of the year. We could go big for a stretch. It gives us a luxury and added depth where maybe you’re not as worried about foul trouble for Yanni.”
NCAA tickets
SDSU issued a release Thursday basically telling fans if they want to see the Aztecs in the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament, they should buy tickets themselves instead of going through the school.
The Aztecs are almost certainly headed to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on March 20 and 22, along with seven other teams, and each school receives an allotment of only 400 tickets. “Similar to when Duke or North Carolina play NCAA Tournament games in their home state or Kansas plays NCAA Tournament games in Kansas City,” Athletic Director John David Wicker said in the release, “the limited number of tickets the university receives from the NCAA will fall short of fulfilling requests by our passionate fan base.”
Those 400 tickets will be distributed using a priority points ranking from Aztec Club membership based on donation levels and seasonticket seniority. Everyone else is on their own. If the Aztecs reach the second weekend, the allotment rises to 1,000.
Tickets are available via Ncaa.com/tickets. For the games in Sacramento, they start at $50 for each of two Friday sessions (with two games each) and $80 for the lone two-game Sunday session. Prices rise steeply from there, the closer to the court you get.
It won’t be known until the bracket is unveiled March 15 whether SDSU plays in the first or second session Friday. A strip of tickets for all three sessions starts at $240 for seats in the upper level.
mark.zeigler@sduniontribune.com
Young had a career-high 50 points and the Atlanta Hawks scored the last 10 points of the game to beat the Miami Heat 129-124 on Thursday night.
Young made 18-of-19 free throws and 8-of-15 3-pointers to set his scoring high in his first game after starting in the NBA All-star Game.
“I’ve always had confidence in myself,” Young said when asked if he was boosted by the All-star Game experience.
Young scored 20 points in the final period.
“A big game from our leader,” said Atlanta’s John Collins. “We got some big plays from our big-time guy.”
The Heat had no answer for Young’s barrage of 3pointers, many from well beyond the line.
“He just got into such an incredible rhythm,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. “He’s pulling up from six feet behind the line. There’s not a lot of things you can do about that.”
Bam Adebayo had 28 points and a season-high 19 rebounds for Miami. Adebayo added seven assists.
Miami couldn’t hold a 124-119 lead. After De’andre Hunter’s tying 3-pointer, Cam Reddish scored with 31 seconds remaining following his steal from Goran Dragic to give the Hawks a 126-124 lead.
Bucks 126, Pistons 106: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 16 rebounds to help Milwaukee rout host Detroit. The Bucks led 70-41 at halftime and by 34 points in the second half.
Hornets 103, Bulls 93: Malik Monk scored 25 points, Miles Bridges added 22 and visiting Charlotte hung on to beat cold-shooting Chicago.
76ers 122, Nets 104: Joel Embiid had 39 points and 16 rebounds, Alec Burks and Shake Milton added big baskets in overtime and host Philadelphia extended its dominance at home. Playing without All-star point guard Ben Simmons (lower back tightness), Philadelphia improved at the Wells Fargo Center to 26-2 on the season.
Kings 129, Grizzlies 125: Harrison Barnes scored 32 points and De’aaron Fox added 26 for host Sacramento.
Rockets 135, Warriors 105: James Harden had 29 points and 10 assists, leading visiting Houston past Golden State.
Notable
Warriors guard Klay Thompson will not play the rest of the regular season, the team said.
It was expected that Thompson would miss the entire season as he recovers from a torn knee ligament, and the Warriors said it definitively before their game against Houston.
• More than three weeks have passed with no announcement of a makeup date for the postponed Clippers-lakers game as the league deals with an uncooperative calendar. The game was scheduled to be played Jan. 28, but after the death of Kobe Bryant, it was pushed back.
The Lakers and Clippers don’t have an obvious, mutual opening over the remaining regular season.
A league spokesman told the L.A. Times that no date has been finalized.
Neither team would comment.
• Kyrie Irving will have arthroscopic surgery and miss the rest of the season, Nets General Manager Sean Marks said.
• In a move the Clippers hope will reinforce an oft-injured roster entering the regular season’s stretch run, the team signed Reggie Jackson shortly after the veteran guard cleared waivers. Jackson, 29, joins on a deal that runs through the rest of this season two days after Detroit bought out of the final year of his five-year, $80 million contract.