Rutgers basketball player's painful road from dentist's chair to court
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Mawot Mag has undergone so many dental surgeries, he can’t remember the number.
“I’ve lost track,” he said.
It’s reached the point where the Rutgers men's basketball sophomore takes precautions at mealtime.
“I can eat anything, but I’ve got to break it down,” Mag said. “I can’t really bite down on hard food anymore.”
The problem began in high school, when he took an elbow to the face with such force that numerous teeth shifted. He was wearing braces at the time, so there was extensive gum damage as well. Then, right before this past November’s season opener, he needed more surgery on his gum line. And against Michigan on Jan. 4, just as the forward was establishing himself as a staple in the Scarlet Knights’ rotation, another elbow to the chops knocked out an upper tooth and rearranged a lower one.
“I was in a lot of pain,” Mag said.
Fitted with a temporary tooth, he returned to action with an eight-minute appearance in Saturday’s victory at Maryland. He played five in Wednesday's win vs. Iowa.
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Mag’s focus is defense and rebounding. The 6-foot-8 sophomore averages an offensive board per 12 minutes played, Rutgers' second-best rate, behind only 6-11 center Cliff Omoruyi (who averages one every 11 minutes). The role requires aggression. It requires Mag to forget about his teeth.
“I just try to play the game without thinking about it, go with your instincts and hope nothing goes wrong,” he said. “Sometimes I try to avoid getting hit in the face, but it’s basketball. I can’t really worry about that.”
Mag was not a highly rated recruit, but Rutgers’ coaches were impressed with his preseason performance in 2020. Then he sprained an ankle, and due to a COVID-truncated non-conference slate, he never was able to catch up.
This season he’s shown impact potential. There was a 12-point outburst against top-ranked Purdue and an eight-point, four-rebound effort at Seton Hall.
“We haven’t been able to get him in a groove,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “Every day in practice I’m like, ‘Where’s his mouthpiece?’ I just don’t want him to go through that again.”
Even a mouthpiece can only do so much. Mag was wearing one against Michigan.
“I feel awful,” Pikiell said. “I know what it’s like to go to the dentist once or twice a year.”
After the season, Mag will undergo yet another surgery — this time to install a permanent implant for the tooth he lost against Michigan.
In the meantime, it’s full speed ahead and fingers crossed.
“He’s a guy you really root for,” Pikiell said.
Think about it: Mawot Mag can’t bite into a steak, but he’s playing Big Ten basketball.
“Adversity is either going to make you or break you,” he said. “It’s definitely made me. I haven’t come this far to stop.”
Follow Jerry Carino on Twitter @NJHoopsHaven or email him at jcarino@gannettnj.com