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Show WESTMINSTERFORUM.NET Blair Prowse returns to men's basketball Year long absence due to blood clot gives Prowse new reason to play Forrest Bennett Staff Writer C 22 One year ago, Blair Prowses basketball season was cut short because of a sprained ankle. This year the 64 senior and management major returns as a forward for the Westminster Griffins mens basketball team. Eight games into the 2008-200- 9 season, Prowses second season at Westminster came to a standstill because doctors found a blood clot in his ankle. Prowse said he had to take blood thinners, which prevented him from participating in contact sports. This included basketball, which he had played competitively since he was a student at Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah. Prowse said watching his teammates play from the sidelines was hard. They did great but there were times where I wish could have taken pressure off of Geoff (Payne) or I helped out in many instances, he said. Mens basketball Coach Tommy Connor said he was very disappointed at the time of the injury. You dont expect a blood clot at age 23, but were happy that hes healthy and hes back, he said. Prowses teammate, guard and junior Michael Stockton, said in a phone interview that the injury came as a big hit for the team. According to Prowse, the clot took six months to heal and the ankle took a year to heal. For rehabilitation he spent seven to eight months working on his upper body strength and started running in Being out for a year, Prowse said the injury motivated him to play harder. When you go a year without playing, you get hungry. You start craving to play better than before. Prowse said he now plays knowing that he may not make it at any time. Until something like this happens, you just take things for granted, he said. While Prowse said he was in pursuit of doing better after being out for a year, he also said that he did not feel pressured despite the Griffins three consecutive losses this season. You just try to fulfill a role whether youre getting double or triple teamed, he said. xJ 2 CD O mid-Augu- st. Blair Prowse Prowse also observed that the team felt different offense upon his return. Its a more guard-orientlast I this year compared to year, but will just play my part. In reaction to Prowses performance upon his return, Connor said, Hes a great force. Nobody plays as consistent as he does. Stockton also praised Prowses recent performance. Hes the best player on both ends of the court and were glad to have him back, said Stockton. Hes just shooting the heck out of the ball ed sets up for afree throw shot. and he plays with a lot of heart. I respect that. After graduating from Westminster, Prowse plans to attend the Officers Candidate School and join the United States Marine Corps. Off the court, Prowse said he continues to stay active. He enjoys wakeboarding, boating and skiing in his free time. Prowse and the the Griffins will return to defend home court on Nov. 27 against the College of Idaho. Ive been wanting to do this for a long time, he said in regard to getting back on court, which he said is like being reborn. f Intramurals Continued from page 6 The 2009 season is over for this year, but the 2010 season begins with indoor soccer on Jan. 20. Diverse sports are offered for the upcoming season. HANDBALL Handball is a sport played indoors and is similar to racquet ball. It can be played in singles, doubles or cutthroat, which is where the players rotate in a setting. The ball is bounced off the walls of the court and points are rewarded to players when a player fails to return the ball against the wall successfully. The games are played to 21 points. two-against-o- ne FLAG FOOTBALL football. Flag football is played exactly like regular Except instead of tackling each other, players wear flags that are pulled to represent a tackle. Its a safer and less competitive way to play the game. ULTIMATE FRISBEE Frisbee combines the movement Ultimate fundamentals of basketball with the scoring system of football. It is a team sport played on a field. The goal is to pass the Frisbee into the opposing teams end-zon- e. The rules are that the Frisbee can only move by throwing it. Once a player catches the Frisbee they must stop and use one foot only as a pivot foot to move. They have 10 seconds to pass the Frisbee to another player. This game is extremely fast paced. WALLYBALL Wallyball is volleyball played on a racquet ball court. The game applies the same rules as beach volleyball with small two or three person teams. But the rules allow the walls of the racquet ball court to be used for INNER TUBE WATER POLO Inner tube water polo is the same regular water polo. Players, with the exception of the goal keeper, are required to float in inner tubes. The inner tubes allow the players to experience less contact and exert less energy than in traditional water polo. This allows casual players to play without having to undergo the conditioning that most water polo players go through to compete. Some other sports that are being offered are racquetball, indoor soccer, traditional basketball, kickball, table tennis and billiards. Anyone should play who wants to play, said Stusek. The main thing is that everyone who comes to play comes to have fun. as I play. ssazsosE 7 NOVEMBER 24, 2009 |