PROVO — Unable to overcome severe foot injuries, BYU guard Michael Vranes will not return to the Cougar basketball team.
The 6-foot-3 guard, who sat out last season, will forgo what was supposed to be his senior year, said BYU coach Steve Cleveland. Therefore, Vranes' career as a Cougar is over.
As much as Vranes loves hoops, life without basketball is not his biggest concern right now. "He is having a difficult time walking without pain," Cleveland said. "It's a quality of life issue. It's a matter of maintaining a normal life."
Vranes has experienced a long history of foot injuries. The Taylorsville High product received a medical redshirt in 1996 after injuring his right foot as a freshman at BYU. Then he seriously hurt his left foot during a pickup game in the spring of 2000. Last fall, he underwent surgery because his foot did not heal from ligament and nerve damage in his ankle. He took off the 2000-01 season to rehabilitate.
In July, Vranes decided he would not be able to play this season. His inability to recover remains a mystery to doctors.
"He's gone to foot specialists in Seattle and Houston," Cleveland said. "The doctors are at a loss. It's a complex issue. He has been to the best foot doctors in the country and they're still trying to figure it out. He can't put any pressure on his foot. He has nerve damage and bone damage. The nerves and tendons in his foot are not responding."
The loss of Vranes is a blow to the Cougar basketball program. Cleveland had been counting on him to make a major impact this season as a point guard.
"It's very disappointing," Cleveland said. "We were expecting him to run the team after sitting out last year. It's a real step back for us. I feel really bad for Michael because he is so passionate about the game. He'll probably never play basketball again."
So intense is the pain for Vranes, Cleveland explained, that he has been attending classes at BYU's Salt Lake extension because he can't get around to classes at the large, spread-out Provo campus. Vranes is expected to graduate either in the winter or spring.
Vranes averaged eight points and 2.7 assists as a junior during the 1999-2000 season, when he helped lead the Cougars to their first postseason appearance in five years. "He had a big role for us," Cleveland said.
With Vranes unavailable, Cleveland is left with senior Matt Montague and freshman Shawn Opunui at point guard.
"Matt has a lot of experience, but he's not a scorer," Cleveland said. "And Shawn has never played at this level. We'll just have to move forward and make the best of the situation."
E-MAIL: jeffc@desnews.com