However, Cunningham is a positive guy. Within 30 minutes of tearing a ligament in his ankle after a dunk attempt in the final seconds of a victory at Alabama on Nov. 15, he was laughing at a joke from teammate Scoochie Smith outside the locker room. That same attitude has carried him during seven weeks of rehabilitation.
“I was positive through the whole thing,” Cunningham said. “You’ve got to stay positive in situations like this in order for the outcome to be great.”
RELATED: Cunningham intends to play this season
MORE COVERAGE: New technology helps Cunningham
Eleven games remain in the regular season. Cunningham doesn’t know when he might return. He just knows he wants to play and that he’s getting closer.
Cunningham completed a 20-minute skill session Tuesday, working on post moves and building his conditioning. He’s not dunking yet, but said he’s close to returning to practice with the team.
“Playing has been on my mind since I got hurt,” Cunningham said. “I haven’t really thought about not playing this season.”
One reason for that is Cunningham doesn’t know if a medical redshirt is an option. That would be up to the NCAA. The NCAA does sometimes grant athletes a sixth year of eligibility but not often when one of the lost years is a redshirt year. Typically, an athlete has to lose two years to circumstances beyond his control to be eligible for a sixth season.
Cunningham could argue he would have missed his redshirt year anyway because he underwent knee and shoulder surgeries after leaving Bradley and arriving at UD in the summer of 2015. All that is a question for later.
“It’s nothing you do during the season,” Dayton coach Archie Miller said. “It’s always something you do after the fact. I don’t know all the details, but Josh definitely has an injury that could not allow him to play from the second game on to the end of the season. I think he’d have a good case if we sent an appeal to the NCAA for a medical. That all happens at the end.”
Cunningham has made the most of his time on the bench. He'll be there at 9 p.m. Friday when Dayton (15-4, 6-1) plays Virginia Commonwealth (15-5, 5-2) at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va.
“I’m my teammates’ biggest cheerleader,” Cunningham said. “I just try to have positive vibes.”
Davis update: Senior guard Kyle Davis has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle and bruised foot and likely will be a game-time decision Friday.
“Kyle’s doing a little bit better,” Miller said Wednesday. “Slowly but surely, he’s starting to test his foot out on the practice floor individually. He hasn’t done any competitive stuff with us yet. Today will be our first live workout. We’ll see what he can handle and what he can do.”
FRIDAY’S GAME
Dayton at VCU, 9 p.m., ESPN2, FM 95.7, AM 1290 WHIO
About the Author
