Gonzaga signee Corey Kispert sidelined after foot surgery

Corey Kispert’s senior season hasn’t gone as planned.

The Gonzaga commit’s decorated prep career is over after undergoing foot surgery Feb. 10. He’s on crutches for six weeks, followed by 2 to 3 more weeks in a walking boot. He hopes to be back playing without restriction in May.

“Especially with the year we were having, it’s really hard to swallow being the competitor that I am,” said Kispert, who led King’s High to a pair of Washington 1A state titles. “But it’s also my job to shift my focus to being a fan, manager and assistant coach. I’m not going to sit around and feel sorry for myself. I can still be a leader on the bench and give guys a point of view they might not see.”

Kispert started feeling pain in his right foot following a Christmas tournament in Arizona. He was told he had a stress fracture and to take it easy for a month.

In his first game back, Kispert pushed off his right foot on a drive to the basket, felt a pop in each foot and “my right foot just kind of lit up with pain.” He made the layup but his foot was throbbing on the bus ride home.

An X-ray showed a “Jones fracture,” a broken fifth metatarsal. An X-ray on his left foot revealed an old fracture that is being treated with rest and a bone stimulation machine.

“The way he did the surgery was a little non-traditional,” said Kispert, whose surgery was performed by a foot specialist who also works with the Seattle Mariners. “They bored a hole, took the fractured portion out and took healthy bone from my heel and plugged the hole. They think it’ll be much faster healing.”

Kispert was only healthy for about a month of the season. King’s, No. 4 in Washington’s new RPI system, has qualified for state in Yakima. The Freeman Scotties are No. 1.

His spirits have been lifted by watching Gonzaga games on television.

“That is like Christmas every single day,” said Kispert, who plans on attending summer classes at GU and beginning workouts in July. “The more time goes on, the more I’m so pumped to be part of that.”