After overcoming foot fracture, Gabe Bealer determined to provide scoring punch for Utah

All the thoughts that swirl as your final year of college approaches swirled for Gabe Bealer this summer. This is the last go, he remembered. This is where he has to capitalize on his final season, to prove that he can be the player Utah recruited. This could be it.

Then he heard an audible snap July 10.

Utah’s senior wing was on the court, making a normal cut on the floor when a bone in his left foot just popped. It was the same kind of instinctual move Bealer had done thousands of times during his career. This one, however, proved different. The foot fracture kept the 6-foot-6 forward in a walking boot for two months. Surgery was needed to insert a screw to help the healing process.

His final year of college basketball suddenly was clouded.

“It was,” he said, “especially just because being a senior, it’s my last year, so when you have something like that happens, it sucks.”

In all, Bealer was off the court for three months. He routinely hit the weight room but only could work on upper body strength. He had one summer class to help take his mind off the monotony of rehabilitation, but it was an online course, so he didn’t even have to show up to a classroom to take his mind off the frustration. Bealer eventually decided the best way to get through the days was to just take a seat courtside and watch his teammates play basketball.

“The way I got my mind off it was just focusing on my teammates and just take the focus off myself,” he said. “I found when I would focus on myself, I would get down.”

Bealer got through those three months and now estimates he’s “about 90 percent” to full health. When he practices, his left foot is still a bit sore, but he said nothing worth worrying about. It took some time to forget about the injury, though. At first, Bealer said he was apprehensive to shuffle his feet in defensive drills, worrying a similar quick step might result in another pop.

“I think he’s conditioning, he’s making some progress,” Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said. “When he’s been out as long as he has, it’s normal to be a little bit uncomfortable to get things started, but each practice he seems like he’s settling in.”

Bealer played in 28 games a season ago, started six and averaged less than four points per game. If the new-look Utes are expected to compete in the Pac-12, they undoubtedly will need Bealer to raise his game in this, his final go at Utah. The Utes must replace the scoring punch of forward Kyle Kuzma, drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of this year’s NBA Draft, and transfer Devon Daniels, now at North Carolina State.

“[He] has a lot of experience,” junior guard Parker Van Dyke said about Bealer. “To get him back healthy, he’s just a great asset for us as a team. He’ll help us win a lot of games. He makes a lot of good plays — just a good overall player.”

Krystkowiak said Bealer remains a reliable 3-point shooting threat but must improve defensively and help Utah rebound more this year. That’s fine with Bealer, who is happy that such a senior-year scare came the summer before.

“I haven’t even thought about [my personal goals],” Bealer said. “I’m just taking it day-by-day. I remember talking to coach K about that before, and I was telling him some of my goals for the future, and he said, ‘You need to focus on now.’”