That must have been one sprained ankle.

“It’s definitely frustrating, especially when I come out here and watch these guys play,” [Gilbert] Brown said. “It’s tough.”

Brown sprained an ankle at the LeBron James Basketball Camp in late June and has had a difficult time coming back from the injury. He attempted to play one summer league game earlier this month and had a setback. His goal is now to be back at full strength by early September.

Over 2 months to recover from it. Wow. Whether Gilbert Brown starts at small forward or even at shooting guard is still up for some question since there is another player still working to get back from injury. Not to mention just waiting to find out if he will play this fall.

Mike Cook is still in his own limbo with the NCAA.

Cook’s rehabilitation has been going well, but it is a long and arduous process. He is spending between one and four hours a day with Pitt trainer Tony Salesi and strength coach Tim Beltz. On the weekends, he is allowed to shoot a few jumpers.

There is some hope that he will be allowed to begin playing competitive basketball by September, but he first must demonstrate that his knee is completely sound.

“I really don’t know when I’m going to start playing,” Cook said. “Right now, it’s about me getting my knee stronger. I really can’t jump off my one leg. But once I can do that, I’ll be out there playing. But I don’t know when that is.

Cook also gave advice and support to A.J. Price of UConn who is going through the same thing.

Price has had some encouragement from other players who’ve gone through ACL surgery, including Tony Allen of the Boston Celtics (set up by ex-UConn great Ray Allen) and fellow Big East brethren Mike Cook of Pittsburgh and Eric Devendorf of Syracuse.

It was Cook’s words that resonated the most with Price, if for no other reason than the two suffered their respective injuries on virtually the exact same type of move.

“He said he knew it as soon as it happened to me because it was the same move,” Price said. “When I looked at it, I said, ‘You’re exactly right.’ He said the first couple of days are the hardest, but once you get through it, the thing about the ACL is you feel improvement every single day, which is true.”

One thing that all three players have stressed to Price: The hardest thing is the mental aspect of coming back, having that trust in your knee that it’s as good as before.”

I’m just trying to imagine Jerome Lane giving Alonzo Mourning a friendly phone call of encouragement or support after an injury.