Panther fans may have to wait for the debut of junior college transfer Aaron Harrison during the 2003-2004 basketball season.

The 6-foot-9, 290-pound forward suffered a Jones fracture to his left foot over the summer in a playground game after he signed a national letter of intent to play with Eastern.

Harrison transfered from Trinton College where he was named First Team North Central Community College All-Conference. He scored 14 ppg with eight rebounds in 2003.

A Jones fracture is a fracture of the fifth metatarsal of the foot. The fifth metatarsal is at the base of the small toe, and the proximal end. However, the Jones fracture occurs in the midportion of the foot.

The Chicago native said his hometown doctor declared he was completely healthy before he came to campus.

“The doc told me I was healed but it’s plagued me a while since it happened,” Harrison said.

Harrison finally announced the pain to the Panther training staff who decided to take another X-ray for precautionary measures.

“I went to the trainers when it started bothering me,” Harrison said. “Once the X-ray came back, it was clear that it never healed.”

Harrison has already had surgery to correct the ailment but the procedure required a screw being inserted into the foot to secure the bone.

Although, Harrison is allowed to continue in his conditioning with the team in hopes of lowering his playing weight by five pounds, the power forward will have to sit and watch his treammates during the first month of practices.

“Im allowed to weight train and ride the stationary bike because the coaches want me to get down to 285 pounds,” Harrision said. “But the trainers say I won’t be ready to start practicing until Nov. 17.”

The mystery involves whether or not Harrison will be ready to suit up for the Panthers season opener Nov. 22, as Eastern travels to Dekalb to take on Northern Illinois in the NIU Convention Center.

Harrison has said his rehibilitation is going ahead of schedule and all signs point to him being ready to start the season.

“All the things the trainers are saying is positive so I hope to completely healthy and playing when I get the screw taken out,” Harrison said.

However, Eastern head coach Rick Samuels isn’t as optomistic.

“He won’t be ready by the season opener that’s for sure,” Samuels said.

Samuels was hoping that Harrison would provide an immediate presence in the paint for a Panthers sqaud that has lacked interior scoring and rebounding in recent years.

“Aaron will be the huge post presence that we’ve lacked,” Samuels said when Harrison signed his national letter of intent in May.