By
Keith Carmona
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Something is wrong in the world of Gene Edgerson and he just can't seem to figure it out why.
The senior forward returned for his final season as a Wildcat after redshirting 1999-2000 with hopes of being a main contributor to a national championship squad, but now has been asked to spend a week away from Arizona basketball for some "self-evaluation."
Acting UA head basketball coach Jim Rosborough said yesterday that he has asked Edgerson to take the rest of the week off - including this weekend's upcoming road trip to Washington and Washington State - so that the team captain could re-evaluate his role on the squad.
"Something is not right with me, I am not the individual of previous years and I don't think that this week could have come at a better time," said Edgerson, who has lost 15 pounds since the beginning of the season. "Anybody that has been watching us play can tell that I am not the normal Gene. Now is the time that I need to find out why."
Edgerson said that he expected to have an "amazing" senior season, but feels that the 4.5 points and 4.2 rebounds that he's contributing over average of 10 minutes per game isn't exactly what he had in mind. Nor is the fact that Arizona, the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, has fallen to No. 21 due to an 8-5 record.
"I am a competitor, but it is hard to sit on the bench and watch my team keep losing games," he said. "I want to help the team by energizing them and getting the crowd into it, but I am not getting a chance by only playing one quarter of the game."
Rosborough also noticed that something wasn't right with Edgerson. He said that giving him a week without basketball would allow the senior to decide if he wanted to finish the season with the Wildcats.
Edgerson said that he hasn't given any thought to quitting the team.
"There is no chance that I wouldn't return to the team," he said. "If I left the team, that would make me a selfish person and I don't want to be known as a selfish person. In games, I am the type of player that would set a screen before posting up for a shot.
"There are no hard feelings on my part towards 'Coach Roz.' He is giving me a needed opportunity to clear my mind and clear my soul."
When Rosborough approached Edgerson unexpectedly before the team's practice Tuesday, Rosborough said that Edgerson didn't take the news too well.
"Initially, he didn't necessarily like (being asked to take the week off), but I think that it is something that he needs to do right now," Rosborough said. "Unless there's an injury or something else, the minutes for Gene are not going to change. Loren is going to play, Mike Wright is going to play. They need to be out on the floor, too."
Rosborough cited that Edgerson has expressed interest in playing overseas following his tenure at Arizona and suggested that Edgerson's frustrations may stem from the lack of minutes he's had to showcase his talents to scouts.
Although Edgerson agreed with Rosborough's assessment, he said that he is more bothered by the problems facing the team.
Before Edgerson can help the team right itself, the senior said that he must rediscover his own passion for the game of basketball.
"In order to be the best leader and captain of my team, I need to find out what's bothering me and correct that problem," he said. "I would never have imagined that we would have lost so many games and that I would be so mentally drained.
"I have traveled down a road that I don't want to travel, but this week is going to allow me to straighten things in my head. This week off really is to the benefit of me and especially my team."
