Coach Connell Maynor of Winston-Salem State was hoping for worry-free spring football. He didn't get it.
A week into camp, it was discovered that starting quarterback Kameron Smith has Crohn's disease. He has been laid up at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center since last week.
"He's doing well," Maynor said Wednesday. "He's in the hospital and I'm going to go see him a little later. His mom is there as well, so he's doing OK. He's lost a little weight, but he's a tough guy."
Smith, 20, had surgery Sunday and will miss the rest of spring practice.
"He didn't just get this, he's had it for a while, and they thought it was under control, but it just got a lot worse," Maynor said.
The disease causes inflammation of the digestive tract that can lead to severe abdominal pain.
Kameron's mother, Joyce, said that her son is doing much better since the surgery.
"He's progressing very well," Joyce Smith said by telephone. "He wants to be out there playing with the guys, but he also knows he needs to heal up from the surgery. A lot of the players have been here to see him, and they've been giving him the play by play of what's been going on in practice."
Joyce Smith said that Kameron complained about abdominal pain when he was home in Garner over Christmas break.
"It was about five weeks ago when we took him to a gastrointestinal specialist, and they did the tests and determined what he had," she said.
Smith kept an eye on his diet — a way to control his disease — and was cleared for spring drills. But a week into practice, he again started experiencing extreme abdominal pain. This time it led to surgery.
"His spirits have been good, and he tells me to tell the guys all the time to keep working hard," Maynor said. "He'll make it back.
"He'll have to gain 10 or 15 pounds once he gets back, but he'll be the same old Kam."
Joyce Smith said that her son, a 6-footer who played at about 190 pounds last fall, has lost a lot of weight but that he'll be able to gain it back.
"He'll get some of my home-cooked meals this summer, and he'll get that weight back on," she said.
Smith, who will be a junior next semester, won the starting job the third week of last season. He completed 106 of 169 passes for 1,458 yards and 20 touchdowns, with eight interceptions, and led the Rams to an 8-2 season.
In his place this spring are Jamie DeGeare, who will be a senior in the fall, and Vernon Brandon, who will be a sophomore. Another quarterback, redshirt freshman DeSean Townsend, broke his foot in a conditioning drill and also is out for the rest of the spring.
"Jamie and Vernon just have to be more consistent," Maynor said. "They have to increase their knowledge on pre-snap reads and know their personnel. That's just one of several things you have to know as a quarterback."
The Rams have five more practices before their spring game, scheduled for noon on April 9 at Carver High School.
"We're satisfied," Maynor said of the eight full practices the Rams have had. "You never want to say you are too happy with how spring ball goes, but we're satisfied.
"We're getting to look at some young kids."
727-4081
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement