World News – USA – Nathan Mensah returns to action after a health problem

. . San Diego state men's basketball will face UCLA on Wednesday night to open the 2020-2021 season with a defensive presence they deeply missed last season: Nathan Mensah. Last season the Aztecs pulled off a historic 30-2 run but they missed the presence of Nathan Mensah to prove it

CAMEROON MAGAZINE - GM26/11/20205 Mins read43 Views

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Second striker Nathan Mensah tries a shot over a Texas Southern defender in the Aztecs 2019 season opener against the Tigers in November. 5 in the Viejas Arena. The game resulted in a 77-42 SDSU victory.

San Diego state men’s basketball will be on trial against UCLA on Wednesday night to open the 2020-2021 season with a defensive presence they deeply missed last season: Nathan Mensah.

Last season the Aztecs pulled off a historic 30-2 run but missed the presence of Nathan Mensah to build strength at both ends of the pitch. Mensah protects the rim with a 7ft5 wingspan that allows him to do things for the Aztecs that others simply cannot.

« Nathan is a differentiator, » said head coach Brian Dutcher. « He’s been in our program for two years, apparently only played 13 games last year, but he’s a direct hit in practice at the moment. « . ”

Mensah missed the last 19 games of the season last year due to a health issue that SDSU consistently reported as a breathing problem. Others reported that the 6-foot-10 starter suffered a pulmonary embolism or a blood clot in his lungs.

Before taking a break, Mensah led the team in blocks (22), offensive boards (27) and overall rebound (6). 8th).

Mensah had some of his biggest performances early in the 2019-2020 season. He had 12 points and 12 rebounds against San Jose State on December. 8 and 14 points in the 6-of-8 shooting against Utah in December. 21st. He brought a strong defensive performance with 62 defensive rebounds last season.

The turning point for Mensah was the Aztec game against Cal Poly in December. 28 where he only lasted four minutes in the game before being pulled out for shortness of breath.

The following months consisted of Mensah seeing specialists and following the recommendations of SDSU staff for sports training. Mensah was resilient and hoping to return for the NCAA tournament in March. The tournament was canceled due to COVID-19, which gave Mensah more time to recover instead of returning to the peak basketball season.

Mensah received full medical approval in early October. He is returning for his junior season with the Aztecs, where he is expected to be one of the top five again.

Throughout the recovery process, Dutcher said he wanted to proceed with caution to ensure Mensah was completely healthy before returning to court.

« The most important thing for all of us is Nathan’s health, » said Dutcher. « So we wanted to be extremely careful with him and make sure the doctors gave their ratings and recommendations, and with that, it’s great to have Nathan back on the ground. ”

Mensah made further improvements after returning to court. After watching him do five-on-five exercises, Dutcher said that he believed that Mensah’s shot blocking skills will be key to defending the Aztecs.

« He’s looking good, he’s improving and I think he’ll anchor our defenses, » said Dutcher. « He gives us the ability to block shots that you have to be a good defensive team. So it’s great to have Nathan back and see his progress on the floor. ”

Senior striker Matt Mitchell said he thinks Mensah will be a player Aztec fans can expect this season.

« Last year he proved to be a very important factor for us on the defensive, » said Mitchell. « I think his offensive game is progressing very well too and he will try to dominate on both sides of the floor and I see he can’t do less. « . ”

The Aztecs have played against each other to prepare for their season opener against the UCLA Bruins, who finished in 1st place. 22 in the AP preseason poll. Dutcher saw potential in Mensah in these scrimmages and expects him to have a strong junior season.

« In our crush last Saturday, I saw something from Nathan that I hadn’t seen before. He stepped off the offensive and played his game in it, « said Dutcher. « So what I’m saying is that most guys go from A to B to C and they do well. Nathan finally went from A to C.. . He saw opportunities for attack that we hadn’t worked out for him, and he made those pieces. If he continues to do this, he will have a great junior season. ”

Mensah is good with no limits for the Aztecs’ season opener against UCLA. Dutcher said that when it comes to a minute limit, Mensah is treated no differently than any other player.

« Just (how long) he can walk without being tired, » said Dutcher. « And that’s all on the team. We haven’t played a full game yet where we’ve played two 20 minute halves that you could get in an exhibition game or scrimmage in camera. In that regard, I don’t know if anyone will really have extended minutes. ”

Having a healthy season this year is key for Mensah. In addition to his breathing problem, hand injuries have stunted Mensah for the past few seasons.

In his freshman year, Mensah missed preseason training after straining his middle finger on his left hand. Last summer, Mensah missed time because of an operation on an injury to his right thumb. The ligament injury occurred in the summer and the operation took place in August.

Despite everything he had to overcome to reach this moment, Mensah is poised to take his place this season and contribute to another winning season for the Aztecs.

« I think the sky is the limit for Nate, » said Mitchell. « I think people are holding him in their rearview mirror and I think it’s time for him to show some light and come out. ”

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