Aug. 24—David Mirkovic underwent surgery at the beginning of this month to insert a pin in his left foot to fix a fracture suffered in one of Illinois' final summer workouts. While he spends most of his time now with his left in a boot, the 6-foot-9 Illini sophomore's rehab and recovery efforts with strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher and athletic trainer Justin Games are underway.
"He's in the underwater treadmill rehabbing," assistant coach Tyler Underwood said in a recent appearance on Illini Pella Saturday SportsTalk on WDWS. "He was joking with coach Cam Crocker the other day. They had him doing defensive slides underwater, and his shoulders were tired. He's doing everything right. That's the goal is to come back and that foot be stronger than ever, be stable, and be one of the best players in the country."
Mirkovic, Underwood continued, remains "in good spirits" after the injury and surgery. It's been a challenge, certainly, but one the Illinois staff is familiar with having dealt with similar issues heading into last season where both Tomislav Ivisic and Andrej Stojakovic were also working their way back from illness and injury, respectively, in the preseason.
"I think it's why having high-end professional people like Coach Fletch, like Justin Games, they understand the stressors of high-level athletics," Underwood said. "They understand the mental, the physical, of it. They have a plan for everything. When you get around high-level athletes they like plans. They're very process-driven and routine based.
"They do a great job of making these guys comfortable and making them understand why sometimes we have to go slow to go fast. David's a great listener. He loves to learn, and he's attacking it great and is in good spirits."
Leave a Comment