How Duke basketball’s Cassius Stanley returned so quickly
Even after an injured left leg meant two teammates had to help him of the court last Friday night, Duke freshman Cassius Stanley vowed he’d be available to play when the next Friday arrived.
That worked out for the 6-6 guard, who after straining a hamstring muscle on Nov. 29 returned to start when the No. 10 Blue Devils won 77-63 at Virginia Tech in ACC play Friday night.
“I was really aggressive with it,” Stanley said. “I was really shooting for this date, how ever I could get back on the court. I feel good that I went at it aggressively.”
After missing Duke’s 87-75 win at Michigan State on Tuesday night, Stanley started for the ninth time in Duke’s 10 games this season. He played only six minutes and 30 seconds, all in the first half, against Virginia Tech missing his only two shots to go scoreless. He grabbed two rebounds and handed out two assists.
Stanley said he didn’t suffer any re-injury to the leg and he was ready to play in the second half if the team needed him.
Though Stanley put in hours of rehabilitation with Duke athletic trainers Jose Fonseca and Nick Potter, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said his lack of practice time left him unable to play his normal amount of minutes against the Hokies.
“He’s ok, I just didn’t think he was ready,” Krzyzewski said. “Emotionally, physically, he hasn’t had to go through a practice where you are sweating. We only practiced an hour on Thursday before leaving. It’s not enough time. He didn’t do anything wrong. He’s going to be healthy. He just needs more prep time.”
Stanley suffered a hamstring injury during the first half of Duke’s 83-70 win over Winthrop on Nov. 29 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. He had to be helped from the court after he told team medical officials he felt a pop above and behind his left knee. Krzyzewski’s initial thoughts that night were that Stanley would be out until around the Christmas holiday.
But Stanley’s leg improved quickly through rehabilitation and physical therapy. He traveled with the team but wasn’t in uniform at Michigan State.
After he went through the short practice Thursday without any setbacks, he was cleared to return to game action at Virginia Tech.
Stanley started Duke’s first eight games before missing the Michigan State game, averaging 12.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He made 50 percent of his shots overall, including 47.4 percent of his 3-pointers.
Following the win at Virginia Tech, Duke doesn’t play again until a Dec. 19 home game with Wofford. The Blue Devils then scatter for Christmas before returning to campus to play Brown on Dec. 28.
That gives Stanley plenty of time to get practice and game work in and be at 100 percent ability before the Blue Devils resume ACC play on Dec. 30 at home with Boston College.
This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 6:08 PM.