Arizona forward Stone Gettings has returned to non-contact drills in practice but won't play Saturday against St. John's because of his concussion, UA coach Sean Miller said Friday.
Gettings suffered a concussion and facial fracture on Nov. 29 against Penn. He returned to practice this week while wearing a mask to protect the fracture, though it is the concussion that has been holding him out of action.Β
"His face, his cheekbone, his eye, is not 100% but it looks a lot better," Miller said. "The swelling's down. ... When get back from Christmas he'll be a month, and he's moving in the right direction."
Gettings appears likely to return for UA's Pac-12 opener on Jan. 4 against ASU and wear a mask for that game, but Miller said he probably wouldn't have to wear it past the six-week mark following the injury, which will occur during UA's trip to Oregon and Oregon State from Jan. 9-12.
"He clearly wants to play," Miller said. "It's just with a head injury and concussion, it's really not up to him, you know. It's up to his symptoms and giving him the most time to recover and being smart, making sure that our medical staff OKs him, that he's comfortable and has enough activity under his belt before he returns to the court.
"I believe all that will really be in place and our hope is that when we get ready to play in the Pac-12 that he'll will be fully recovered."
St. John's coach Mike Anderson said Friday that injured guard Mustapha Heron has made the trip to San Francisco but is still "day to day" with a sprained ankle that kept him out Wednesday against Albany.
Anderson said before the Red Storm practiced Friday in San Francisco that he would see at practice later on Friday if Heron could do much but said it would still likely be a game time decision.
Regardless, Miller said Arizona is preparing for Huron to play.Β
Heron is St. John's second-leading scorer and is shooting 40.8% from 3-point range.
