Garcia: "It's all or nothing"
Husky center Juan Garcia just concluded his meeting with reporters here today and said he "went for the miracle healing" in deciding to not have surgery now and see if his injured left foot will begin mending on its own in the next month.
As he explained it, he will have his foot in a cast and be on crutches until May 23, when the cast will be removed and it will be determined whether the foot has begun to heal. If it has, then he will continue on that course of rehab with the possibility that he could be able to play in the first month of the season. He said doctors will look at that time to determine if tendons in the foot have begun to heal.
If the foot shows no healing on its own on May 23, then he will have surgery, and as he said "that's the end of that." Having surgery then would mean his college career would be over, and he indicated he'd likely pack up and move on to begin post-college life at that point.
"That's why I'm saying it's all or nothing," he said.
He said he has been told there is a 40 percent chance the foot will heal on its own.
Garcia said the rehab option gave him the best chance to play meaningfully next season.
Unlike Tuesday when Garcia met with reporters and teared up at one point, he was in good spirits today, joking that he's a believer in all religions right now because there's got to be one that's right and will answer his prayers.
Garcia said one thing that has improved his mood is the page on GoHuskies.com on which fans can comment about his career and their best wishes for his recovery.
"I was overwhelmed," he said. "I didn't realize how many people cared about me. … After seeing that, it kind of gave me hope. That's why I'm calling it 'the last comeback."'