Broom tries to rebound from injury to play hoops at UA

"I was in the second half of a game against Phoenix North (High School) and I was excited because I was on pace to break the state rebounding record," said Broom, a senior at Mesa Westwood High School. "But I went up for a rebound and a 4-foot-8 point guard pushed my left knee out. I still played for a bit, but it collapsed when I tried to make a cut."

The next day Broom found out that he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, ending his senior season at Westwood. He would need at least six months of rehabilitation.

The initial thought of never playing basketball again was something that made his injury even harder for the 6-8 forward to deal with.

"When I had first found out what happened, I was pretty distraught," Broom said. "But my trainer and doctor both said that I could play again, it would just take a lot of work."

Another problem for Broom was his weight situation. At 270 pounds, Broom was told by the UA coaching staff that he had to slim down to the 250 pound level if he wanted to play. Yet with the extent of the injury, Broom knew reducing his weight was not going to be easy.

"I was hoping that they wouldn't lose interest in me as a player," he said. "So that gave me even more incentive to work my knee out and get back before the summer."

Starting on Dec. 12, Broom was determined to regain his top form by the end of the season. He worked out four times a week for three hours each session, with a regimen consisting of running, swimming and lifting weights.

After four months of rehab, Broom's discipline began paying off. Earlier this week, Broom was told he will be given his release to begin playing in about two weeks.

"One thing Dion has really been concentrating on during his rehab was watching his weight," said Broom's high school coach Buddy Doolan. "He looks even thinner than he was prior to the injury and is beginning to mature and fill out a little bit more."

Broom has lost 15 pounds and now says he is at 255 pounds, just five pounds off the target. Broom said he is beginning to shoot around and is starting to dunk again.

Yet with all of his accomplishments, rumors of redshirting are still surrounding him.

"We are pleased by his progress, but we will have to see how much of an impact he can make when he plays with the team over the summer," said UA assistant coach Phil Johnson. "It's too early to know about redshirting. We'll make that decision after we see him play."

"I want to come in and play first and foremost," Broom said. "If I sit out next year, that will be two years without playing basketball. And I don't think I want to do that."

Broom feels that once he returns from the injury this summer, he can make a significant contribution to the defending national champions.

"I bring a nice outside shot for a big-man, but my intensity is a big factor that I bring to the court," he said. "I am not afraid to battle inside and I don't think anyone has ever questioned my emotion.

"All I want to do next year is come in and make a significant contribution. I don't care if I don't score a point. If I can say after the season that I made the team a little better, then I'll be happy."

In addition to Broom, Arizona has also received good news from two injured players that missed last season. Freshmen Justin Wessel and Ortege Jenkins have both returned to the practice floor. Wessel broke his leg midway through his redshirt season, while Jenkins tore his anterior cruciate ligament early in the season.

Jenkins, who also plays quarterback for the football team, has just been cleared by the team's doctor to practice again.

"(Jenkins) is a guy that we've been high on since we first saw him. We were hoping that he could have played this year, but we think he can still make an impact next season," Johnson said. "We know he will have demands for football, so we will have to wait and see what type of role he will play for us."