Fields still recovering

Levance Fields and his oft-ailing left foot will be ready to go when the Pitt men’s basketball… Levance Fields and his oft-ailing left foot will be ready to go when the Pitt men’s basketball team begins its season. The Pitt guard is on schedule to recover from the Aug. 22 bone graft surgery he underwent on his left foot, according to a spokesman for the men’s basketball program. Doctors originally said the rehabilitation time for a procedure like Fields’ is six to eight weeks, and the spokesman said Fields’ foot is healing normally. But late last week, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said that there might be some minor setbacks. ‘There has been some infection where [doctors] did the surgery,’ said Dixon. ‘It doesn’t slow down the healing, but it may slow the rehab part of it.’ But after meeting to talk about it with doctors and the coaches last week, Fields appears to be right on time. ‘He’s on schedule,’ said the spokesman. ‘We expect him back before the first regular-season game.’ Pitt’s first regular-season game is set for Nov. 14 against Fairleigh Dickinson. Barring any more setbacks to his foot, Fields should return to the team by late October. The team will hold its first practice Oct. 17. Fields first fractured his foot Dec. 29 last season in a game at Dayton. It was Pitt’s first loss of the year. After missing 12 games because of the injury, Fields returned as a major contributor, helping lead Pitt to the Big East Championship title. He averaged 21 points per game in the postseason. This most recent surgery came after Fields reinjured the foot during the offseason. He played in the Pittsburgh summer league but began feeling pain in his foot and had it checked out. He then realized it was once again fractured. That’s when he underwent a procedure to further stabilize it, although he did have other options. Fields is now off crutches and wearing a walking cast. If everything continues as planned, Fields will be the starting point guard Nov. 14. Pitt senior forward Sam Young, recently seen walking in a boot, is also said to be healthy. People have seen Young wearing a boot both around campus and when the basketball team received its Big East Championship rings at a Pitt football game two weeks ago. The spokesman said that it was just the result of a slightly tweaked ankle. Never considered serious, Young has since recovered and will be ready to play. ‘Sam’s fine,’ said the spokesman. Dixon confirmed this, saying that even though Young was slightly banged up, it’s nearly impossible for anyone to keep him off the court. ‘You can’t get him to stop playing,’ said Dixon. ‘We told him to take a couple days off, but we found out he was at Trees Hall playing over there. [The ankle] doesn’t seem to affect him. He’s better now.’ Young averaged 18.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last season en route to numerous accolades. He was the Big East’s most improved player and a first-team All-Big East selection. He decided to return to Pitt for his senior year, after considering entrance to the NBA Draft after his junior year.