Gophers star Mara Braun: ‘I just want to play, I just want to be healthy’
Gophers' Mara Braun provides update on foot injury
Gophers junior guard Mara Braun said on Monday's Gopher Coaches Show with Ahmad Hicks, Justin Gaard and Dawn Plitzuweit that she is day-to-day with a foot injury that required surgery for the second straight season and didn't have a timetable for a return. The Gophers have three regular games left and the Big Ten Tournament.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Mara Braun, a junior guard on the Gophers’ women’s basketball team, spoke Monday on the FOX 9 Gopher Coaches Show for the first time since suffering another foot injury that put a stop on her season.
Just five games into the season, Braun suffered a similar injury to the one that derailed her sophomore season. This time, it happened during morning shootaround before they hosted Eastern Illinois in late November. Despite missing the last 22 games, Braun remains the team’s leading scorer at 13.4 points per game.
She gave an update of sorts on Monday, talking with FOX 9’s Ahmad Hicks and KFAN’s Justin Gaard, with coach Dawn Plitzuweit sitting beside her. It’s not clear if she’ll return to the court this season.
"Honestly it might not be the answer you want, but day-by-day is really what it is. Whenever that is, I’ll be looking forward to that. I just want to play, I just want to be healthy," Braun said.
‘At first it was a lot of anger’
Why it matters: Braun missed 14 games last season after suffering a foot injury at Illinois, landing on a defender’s foot after a 3-pointer. She was able to return to play two games in the WNIT.
This year, it happened much earlier. She had another procedure to fix the issue, and is still rehabbing but is back on the court.
"At first it was just a lot of anger. Obviously doing it a second time, back-to-back seasons wasn’t ideal. Just kind of frustrated because I thought I had done everything I could," Braun said. "Ultimately I have a strong faith, so just knowing there’s a plan regardless of all this that’s going on. After dealing with my emotions a little bit, just going and attacking it like I have the first time. It’s been a battle and a rollercoaster, as is any injury, but doing alright."
Plitzuweit was asked about not having her star guard for a second straight season. She said Braun has handled it like a true professional, and she has aspirations to play professionally.
"Is it wrong to say depressing? It’s really hard. It’s especially challenging for Mara because this is two years in a row. This is not easy," Plitzuweit said. "It’s really special what Mara is able to do from a positivity standpoint."
What’s next
The schedule: The Gophers are 19-8 on the season and 7-8 in Big Ten play. They have three regular season games left before the league tournament, and a chance to build on an NCAA Tournament resume.
If their name gets called on Selection Sunday, Braun will do everything she can to be back on the court by then, if not the Big Ten Tournament.