Al Nolen dribbled, took a few playful shots and chatted with his teammates during Saturday's practice. Earlier this week, doctors removed the boot from the right foot that the senior point guard broke in January.
He said he has been cleared for light workouts but can't run. But he said he's still pushing for a return during next week's Big Ten tournament. He will not play Sunday against Penn State, the team's last regular-season game and Senior Day.
"I think [cutting] will be the toughest thing for me since I'm really an energetic guy out there," he said. "I'm just trying to get my cutting down and straightforward running. As of now, I haven't gotten into all of that yet. Doctors have said light exercises for now, so we'll see how it goes."
The Gophers haven't been the same team since he suffered his injury Jan. 22 in a victory at Michigan. They've lost eight of their past nine games.
As much as Nolen wants to help, he said he will not play unless he's confident that he can contribute.
"Mentally, I want to play, but then I don't want to go out there and be sloppy ... out of shape and possibly reinjure my foot," he said. "But I really do want to play with the guys. But I wouldn't be any good to them if I went out there and wasn't ready to go so that's really where I'm at. I've just got to make a decision on what I can do and talk to the [doctor]."
Gophers coach Tubby Smith said he's not sure he'll get Nolen back in time for the conference tourney.
"He won't play [Sunday]. I don't know about the Big Ten tournament," Smith said.
