Fewer than three weeks from the official opening of practice, Rand Chappell's University of Central Arkansas Bears are spending more time in the training room than on the practice floor.
Five of UCA's 16 roster players are battling injuries, with one surgery already performed and another scheduled for this week.
"This is probably the worst stretch of injuries I've ever gone through as a head coach," said Chappell, who is beginning his sixth season at UCA. "It's kind of slowed our progress in our individual workouts, and our team workouts that the NCAA allows us to have the last couple of weeks. It's definitely put us behind a little here at the beginning.
"The upside is, most of these guys have a chance to be back by the start of the season. We're hopeful that all of them will be back and healthy by then."
The injured include four returnees and one newcomer. Guard Mike Pouncy, a junior transfer from Jacksonville College, has a broken foot that required surgery last week. Junior forward Mitch Rueter (6-6, 220), who missed all but two games last year with an ACL injury, will have another minor surgery on the same knee this week.
Senior 6-8 center Landrell Brewer has missed the past month with a separated shoulder and hopes to be back on the floor in the next couple of weeks. Junior guard Andrew Silverman (6-1, 180) has missed most of the fall workouts after suffering a stress fracture in his foot this summer. Chappell said he will visit the doctor on Oct. 10 with hopes of being released then.
Forward Chris Brown (6 -8, 210, Searcy), who sat out last season after transferring from Wichita State, is out indefinitely with a back injury.
"For the Mitch Rueters and the Andrew Silvermans and the Landrell Brewers who have really been in our program for awhile and gone through everything," Chappell said, "they are going to have a chance to catch back up quickly.
"It's a little more disappointing for Mike Pouncy, and Chris Brown if he has to be out an extended amount of time because they are really newcomers that we are counting on a lot."
UCA opens the season on Nov. 16 at Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. The first home game for the Bears is Wednesday, Nov. 19 against Bacone.
UCA will play in the Cancun Challenge over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, facing Vanderbilt in Nashville on Nov. 26, then taking on The Citadel (29th) and South Dakota State (30th) in Cancun.
