Langel out with injured left foot

Men's basketball co-captain Amatt Langel will miss at least 10 days of practice. Penn senior shooting guard Matt Langel has a sprained arch in his left foot that will keep him sidelined for at least 10 days. Langel and his doctors think the injury occurred in the Quakers' 67-50 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats last Wednesday. "Last Friday he was looked at by a doctor. They put a cast on, which will stay on for 10 days. We'll re-evaluate after that 10-day period," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. The Quakers co-captain attended practice yesterday but is unable to do anything more than shoot around. Waiting is all that can be expected until doctors remove the easy-to-miss blue cast on Langel's foot and ankle. The Quakers obviously hope that Langel will be healthy enough to return for Penn's December 3 home opener against Army and the Palestra showdown against Big Ten challenger Penn State on December 4. "My plans are to be back that weekend," Langel said. "Hopefully, I'll be healthy and get a couple of days of practice in before then." Langel first experienced inflammation (plantar fascitis) in his foot two weeks ago. Pain forced him to sit out practice the day before Penn's scrimmage with the Nantucket Nectars on November 12, but he was well enough to excel in that contest. Throughout most of the Kentucky game, Langel was virtually pain-free. "I couldn't feel it at all during the Kentucky game," said Langel, who along with freshman forward Ugonna Onyekwe, led all scorers with 14 points. "Right before I came out with a couple minutes left in the game, I went to make a move past a guy and I just felt a pop in my foot." Kentucky doctors spotted the injury right away, but he got his cast after he returned to Philadelphia. Having never had a serious athletic injury or any calamitous childhood mishaps, this is the first time that Langel has ever been in a cast. A deep thigh bruise kept Langel on the bench for five games during his sophomore year, and he hopes this injury will not force him to miss extended action. "It was a real bad experience," Langel said. "Sitting out is about the worst thing that can happen." Dunphy and his coaching staff desperately want the sure-shooting Langel -- who hit three first-half three-pointers against Kentucky -- to return in time for the Army-Penn State homestand, but they will have to wait until next Monday to find out if he will be available for those games. In the meantime, Langel -- a Moorestown, N.J., native -- will return home for a restful Thanksgiving. "I'm a local guy, so I'm going to go home. My mom's cooking some dinner, and maybe one or two of the guys that aren't local will come too," Langel said. "I'll have my cast on, and I won't be walking around too much."