Men's Basketball

Grinding In Silence

Jordan Opp/Nebraska Communications

I’ve jumped up into the air thousands of times in my life with little thought of ever getting injured in the process.

However, on this particular day — December 7, 2021 — in a game against the Michigan Wolverines, I went up the same way I had so many times before but came back down to the sound no athlete ever wants to hear.

POP!

It didn’t take long for it all to register in my head that something just went horribly wrong. Once I heard that pop, I was certain this was pretty serious.

I had torn my meniscus in the same knee in a previous injury, and this was just a case of things building on top of one another and the leg just giving out. 

And yet, the first thought in my head was that maybe it wasn’t that bad after all. I figured I could probably rehab my way back just like I did with the meniscus injury before.

You know, you’re playing the game, and the adrenaline is still flowing and everything. You think you can take on the world in that moment. And then, of course, I saw the MRI scans and realized this wasn’t something I could just bounce back from.

I realized it was the most serious injury I’d ever experienced.

An athlete's worst nightmare


“A torn ACL.”

Just hearing those words from my doctor hit me hard. This obviously wasn’t something I was going to be able to just rehab and recover from. 

In the moment, honestly, it was pretty discouraging.

I built myself all the way back up from the meniscus injury just for this to happen a couple of months later. It was basically like having the reset button pressed and being told you had to do it all over again, but this time, it’s going to be even harder.

That was tough, man.

I haven’t really ever been hurt for an extended period of time before. So to have this as the first thing was pretty heartbreaking, you know?

You go from playing in the games to sitting and watching from the sidelines — from competing with teammates to just being able to provide emotional support. I could go on and on, but eventually, there comes a time when you have to stop feeling sorry for yourself. There comes a point when you just got to deal with the hand you’re dealt.

I went back home to have my surgery, and I stayed until I could safely fly back to school. They repaired both the ACL and meniscus during the operation. 

I’ll be honest, I was so eager to get back I started my rehab a day after the operation.

Obviously, there isn’t a whole lot you can do immediately after a surgery, but I did what little I could to get a head start. I just wanted to get back out there with my guys.

Setting a schedule


It got to a point where I could gradually do a little bit more and more, until I was fully into my rehab program.

A typical day starts with me arriving at the gym around 8 a.m. to see our athletic trainer, R.J. Pietig.

I always start with a warmup, which usually consists of at least 15 minutes with heating pads and an elliptical bike ride, along with a foam roller and stationary stretches.

From there, I usually jump into some movement mechanics. Those are usually light jumping mechanics on the court or some light jogging to slowly reintroduce my repaired knee to playing. And then I’m off to the weight room, where I’ll do some knee extensions, box jumps, single-leg squats, and stuff like that.

Then comes the workout after the workout with my standard full-body weightlifting sessions. It can’t just be all about my knee. I have to make sure I stay strong and fit everywhere else, too. I alternate between full-body, upper-body, and lower-body days.

On some days, I’ll even finish by getting in the pool to do some deloading exercises. Being in the water is a good low-impact workout option that takes stress off my knee.

From start to finish, I’d say the entire workout lasts a little over two hours. 

R.J. is amazing to work with and makes this entire process that much smoother. He’s awesome, man.

I mean, it’s obviously not fun rehabbing — you know, just kind of doing that very basic stuff day in and day out. But I think his approach is a very relationship-based thing, which makes it very easy because it’s not just him telling me what to do.

If I don’t know what’s going on, he’s more than happy to explain the workout — like why we’re doing what we’re doing and what muscles are being activated. So it’s very specific.

Not every day will be good, obviously, but he does such a great job of making it a calm environment, where things never feel stressful. I have nothing but gratitude and thankfulness for our time together.

"But looking back, I can definitely say it was all worth it. I went from playing at a pretty high level of basketball to all of a sudden not being able to walk."

Wilhelm Breidenbach

No more straight leg raises, please

If there’s one thing I’m not thankful for, however, it would be those straight leg raises. Whew!

If you were to ask me what the most challenging exercise is that I’ve done throughout the rehab process, it would without question be that exercise.

R.J. would be the first to attest to it. 

Just sitting on the table and doing leg raises on my back, on my stomach, and then on my side to get different angles and activate my quads a little bit in different places — I hated every second of it. To be fair, lunges weren’t much fun, either.

Both exercises were really hard because you’re putting pressure on a vulnerable area. So there’s also a confidence aspect involved because I was obviously sheltering that knee so much at that point. It just took some work, you know?

But looking back, I can definitely say it was all worth it. I went from playing at a pretty high level of basketball to all of a sudden not being able to walk.

That experience alone was pretty humbling for me. So to be able to go from that to where I am today—upright and moving around—is a testament to all of the hard work I put in with people like R.J. behind the scenes.That experience alone was pretty humbling for me. So to be able to go from that to where I am today—upright and moving around—is a testament to all of the hard work I put in with people like R.J. behind the scenes.

Reaping the reward

I’m happy to say I’m pretty close to the end of my rehab. I’m about five months into it, and it’s typically about six-to-eight months long.

I’ve already started shooting the ball and working on some stationary ball-handling. The running exercises have increased with us introducing some cutting in there recently as well. So I’m planting on that right leg and cutting off of it now.

It’s still just very basic and rudimentary stuff, but I’m hoping to build on it and add even more in the coming days. I’m taking everything day-by-day, but at the same time, I’m really itching to get back out there on that court.

There’s nothing I want more than to get out there, take this leash off, and start playing again. I just want everything to go back to normal, you know?

But deep down, I know my time is coming soon. 

VERY SOON.

I understand the time will only be right when I’ve prepared my body enough. The only thing I can possibly do right now is take everything one step at a time and try to get better daily. There’s no need in looking super far forward into the future when I know I still have today to worry about.

But I can assure you no amount of straight leg raises and lunges will stop me from doing what I love to do. I’ll do the work now so I can reap the reward later.

I can’t wait.