This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Right now, Nate Bendall's season is in doubt.
Nobody believes that Bendall, Utah State's senior starting center will miss the entire year with a pre-stress fracture in his foot that's sidelined him for most of the first two weeks of practice.
But it's becoming apparent to those in the know that Bendall will have to play in sigificant pain this season, something that will almost surely have him missing the first few games of the year, and something the training staff will be forced to watch all year.
"Right now, it's all about how much pain Nate can manage," A source told Aggieville.
Bendall played last week in the annual Blue-White scrimmage. But was said to be in extreme pain afterwards. With his availability in question over the long haul, the rest of Utah State's frontcourt will be tested. Morgan Grim, the transfer from Utah, will be counted on to provide quality minutes, as will Matt Formisano. Brady Jardine will see many minutes as well.
For the Aggies, Bendall may not practice much this season, as the staff tries to preserve him for the games. Frankly, Utah State needs him as he represents quality size at 6-foot-9. He can shoot, rebound and he plays extremely well off Tai Wesley.
But his health is a major concern this season, and will be a major subplot to USU's fortunes as the year progresses.
Tony Jones