The men's basketball team approaches the beginning of the season with a good balance of both experienced veterans and young, exciting talent. One of the brighter aspects of the Jumbos' preseason roster comes in the form of the imminent return of sophomore Jeremy Black.
The high school All-State point guard entered the 2004-2005 season with high expectations placed on his shoulders. But Black's season ended before it even started as the then-freshman tore his ACL in preseason and spent the entire season on the sidelines.
Although it's been a difficult and gruesome road to recovery, Black feels he is ready to be back on the court.
"It has been a long recovery and I've been doing rehab for the better part of a year now," Black said. "It was definitely hard. I'd been playing basketball basically everyday for my whole life and all of a sudden I couldn't. But I was able to do a lot of things last year that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise, so I'm looking forward to being out there."
Coach Bob Sheldon is confident that his point guard is ready to return to the team and make a strong impact.
"I expect him to come in and compete," Sheldon said. "He won't start the year in the starting five, but I expect by the end of the year, he will be running the point with [junior] Dave Shepherd playing the two."
Returning from a major injury is always a daunting task, made even more difficult by the mental setback that often accompanies it as frustration builds on the sidelines. But Black's positive attitude, in addition to the abundance of support from coaches, trainers, and teammates has made his transition much easier.
"My teammates were unbelievable," Black said. "They treated me like a member of the team and coach was really supportive. My captain even drove me to one of my MRIs."
With one of his main players injured, Sheldon played a major role in helping Black gain the confidence and motivation to work hard through rehab.
"I made him come to practice," Sheldon said. "I talked to him a lot and after games we would go over what we did right and wrong. He was kind of like an assistant coach."
With a solid core of returning players, Black's contributions will definitely bolster an already talented squad. While in reality it might take a few weeks to dust off his game, the team expects Black to eventually return to his dazzling high point-scoring form.
"It'll take time," Sheldon said. "But once he gains more confidence in his leg and gets more competitive, he'll definitely have a big impact."
