The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

HE HAD little impact on the stat sheet on his return to the floor but the Michigan State Spartans are willing to accept their floor general in a limited role in an effort to provide a lift to the team.

One month after he was sidelined due to injury, Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr made his return to the court for the No.8-ranked Spartans on Sunday in his team’s 88-69 win over the Indiana Hoosiers.

Nairn and the coaching staff have decided to control the minutes of the sophomore point guard and attempt to play him as he continues to manage the pain of plantar fasciitis.

Following the win over Indiana, in which Nairn appeared for just two minutes, Spartans head coach Tom Izzo discussed how both parties will attempt to deal with the injury.

“I said we’re going to try and play him a little bit and we did. I think he wanted to turn into a shooter there for a minute and we had talked about that. Not that we don’t want him to shoot ever but we need to get him back.

“He hadn’t even practiced really, half a practice in a month. He probably won’t practice tomorrow or the next day, very little. We’re hoping it’ll be back to how it was in December, painful, won’t practice as much, but can still play. It’s not going to be where he’s practicing every day and playing, that’s not going to happen. If we can get something out of him, 10 minutes a game, he’s willing to do that for us.”

The inflamed foot became such a burden that Nairn was forced to walk with a boot around campus when not on the basketball court and was eventually forced to the sidelines with an injury.

Nairn told mlive.com that while the injury has not progressed he is prepared to return to the court in slot duty to assume the play king responsibility from senior leader and co-captain Denzel Valentine.

“I’m just going to do what I can do. I feel fine. “It was basically the same for me. It didn’t feel no different at all,”  he said. “I think that would be big because he’s getting dogged all up and down the court now, so whatever I can do to help out I’m going to do.”

The fan’s favourite point guard reportedly received a “roar from the crowd” and immediately started co-ordinating Michigan State’s defence. That included himself defending Hoosiers point guard Yogi Ferrell, the team’s best perimeter offensive player.

The Spartans had dropped four spots in the poll and had gone 4-3 in the previous seven games without Nairn in the lineup.

Prior to the injury, Nairn started all 18 games at point guard and averaged 4.1 points and 4.5 assists in 24.1 minutes per game.