CHRIS CODUTO Arizona Daily Wildcat Isaiah Fox looks on during a Wildcats win earlier this season in McKale Center. Fox, injured in the team's second game of the season, is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation schedule after undergoing knee surgery.

Injury rehab moving faster than planned

Two games into the Arizona men's basketball team's season, the Wildcats lost twice in the same night.

Before the final whistle could blow on Arizona's loss to then-No. 8 Florida, Arizona lost a leader.

It's been almost three months since Isaiah Fox's season came to an end because of a torn meniscus in his left knee. Now, the forward is taking steps toward returning to the court and stepping into the future.

"Do we miss him this year?" asked assistant coach Josh Pastner. "You're darn right we miss him."

After successful surgery Dec. 1, Fox has begun the long process of recovery. Now off crutches the Santa Monica, Calif., native has begun to rehab his injured left knee using the team's facilities.

The good news for Arizona is that Fox has continued his dedication toward bettering himself, a trend that the junior began last summer.

After a rigorous offseason regimen helped the 6-foot-9 Fox add muscle and slim down, he returned last summer in what he called the best shape of his life and seemed poised to take on a bigger role within head coach Lute Olson's system. As a Top 100 recruit of Crossroads High School in Santa Monica, Calif., Fox was known from the start as a big, wide defender, weighing in at a robust 262 pounds as a freshman.

After an impressive preseason, Fox's 2003-04 campaign lasted all of two games. But he's moving down the road to recovery quickly.

"He's doing really well," said UA basketball head trainer Justin Kokoskie, of Fox's progress.

Kokoskie said Fox's rehab includes daily cardio workouts, strength conditioning and a variety of exercises designed to keep his heart rate up and weight down. Couple those exercises with twice-weekly visits to his physician for monitoring, and Kokoskie said he sees Fox coming along quite nicely.

"He's right where he should be," Kokoskie said. "If anything, I'd say he's ahead of schedule."

Kokoskie said the biggest help in Fox's recovery has the use of Arizona's newest technology, one of the new Eddie Lynch Pavilion's advantages ÷ an underwater treadmill. Fox runs on the treadmill, equipped with a camera to closely monitor his movements, for up to 20 minutes at a time.

"With the underwater cameras, we watch the way he runs and walks in there and correct his gait," Kokoskie said. "In the water, we can correct that before he gets on the court."

With an injury like Fox's, full recovery depends on the athlete. Generally, after three months, the athlete can resume jogging and light jumping exercises, Kokoskie said.

The trainer, in his second year with the Wildcats, expects to have Fox doing rehab work on the court within the next couple weeks.

Rehabbing his knee in the McKale facilities is only part of Fox's recovery. The rest is up to Fox; to maintain his weight while away from the court. With a diet especially designed for him through UA's campus health nutrition department, Fox has been able to cut down on the fat in his diet.

"He's really working hard on trying to get bigger and stronger ÷ not only lower body but upper body," Kokoskie said. "He's going at it every day, keeping at his workouts and his weightlifting."

Kokoskie expects Fox to make a full recovery and doesn't foresee any reoccurring injuries with the knee.

Fox, a strong and popular influence in the locker room, has been sorely missed this year.

"We miss his energy, the intensity that he brings," center Channing Frye said.

Frye said he especially misses going up against his teammate in practice.

In his place, Olson's squad brought in Ivan Radenovic from Serbia. Through 15 games, Radenovic has proven a worthy replacement of Fox, averaging 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Though slightly undersized, Radenovic brings a new dimension that Fox lacks.

"Ivan can step out and do some more things in the perimeter, where Isaiah's an enforcer," Pastner said.

The Serbian sharpshooter still has a way to go before replacing Fox.

"We need him to break out of his shell," Pastner said of Radenovic.

Though declaring a redshirt season won't come until after Arizona's season concludes in March, Fox won't be returning to the court anytime soon for the Wildcats. Olson's squad is looking forward to having Fox healthy for two more full seasons. Until then, Fox is prohibited from working out or traveling with the team.

"He's got to be ready to go and he knows that," Pastner said. "The expectations and the demand for excellence will be there again for him next year."