AMES — Xavier Foster has been in and out of Iowa State’s lineup the last two weeks while tending to an injured right foot.
Foster missed Iowa State’s most recent game against Texas Tech and missed the game against Baylor on Jan. 2.
On Monday, ISU Coach Steve Prohm said he was going to shut Foster down for the rest of the season so the 7-foot freshman from Oskaloosa can have a second surgery on his right foot.
“We’ve been trying to work through that the last couple of weeks with some load management to see if that would work and help,” Prohm said Monday. “He had surgery in high school and he’s had some issues with the recovery and rehab process and just couldn’t get to 100 percent.”
Prohm could see the eventual surgery coming because the load management and extra rehab wasn’t working.
“The more doctors and specialists we talked to, this felt like the right thing to do for his long-term health and well-being,” Prohm said. “This gives Xavier the best opportunity going forward.
“Him and his family have handled everything terrific but we have to get him healthy for him and his future.”
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Even in the limited time Foster got, he showed what made him the crown jewel in Iowa State’s 2020 recruiting class. In eight minutes per game, he averaged four points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and was 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
“The best part about having the surgery now is he can rehab through the spring and hopefully be healthy to have a really good summer to take the next step,” Prohm said. “If you’ve seen how he’s played — he obviously has some high-level skill that can translate in a lot of ways.
“He just has to get healthy. Hopefully the surgery is a great success this week and we’ll go forward from there.”
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