Injuries in basketball are so prevalent, so often, that in almost every game, at least one player suffers from an injury. However, one thing overlooked is the emotional and mental fatigue one suffers during that time. While it is impossible to understand what someone is going through, it is important to talk about injury prevention to help with their emotional well-being.
Recently, I interviewed a few players from both the JV and Varsity basketball teams and found out they all share a common type of injury: damage to the joints or bones, particularly the ankle. Several described similar situations where they landed on another player’s foot while jumping for a shot or rebound–an accident that is often unavoidable in an intense game. Matthew Ross ’27 described landing on someone’s foot after a layup, and Dylan Coren ’27, similarly, said that after going for a layup, his knee caved inwards, tearing his ACL and meniscus. These injuries exemplify the nature of basketball and sports in general, where injuries occur from split-second accidents that lead to physical and emotional strain.
For many players, the injury affects far more than their ability to play basketball, but obstructs their daily lifestyle. Moko Camara ’29 explains the difficulties he faced after rolling both his ankles after practice: “Not even playing the sport, but going to the bathroom was hard as I had to use crutches, I had to sit out for certain things in school, and it was just exhausting.” Beyond physical limitations, such sporadic injuries heavily toll against one’s emotional well-being. Coren shares that the toughest part of his injury was the impact on his mental health, as basketball was what made him happy.
Despite the hardships players expressed, they had different modes of enduring and ways to recover. Ross explained that after fracturing his ankle, “It took me three months to heal, and I healed it by almost not doing anything.” What kept him going was every time he saw improvement in physical therapy. Will Hoffmaster ’26 said after he sprained his ankle, “I went to the trainers in school a lot. I iced it, and it took around two weeks to heal.” However, recovery does not end when the player is back on court. Davian Diaz ’26 says, “I came back a little too early, and I should have waited a little longer. My mobility wasn’t too good, so playing defense was a little tough whenever I was sliding left because I sprained my left ankle.” Hoffmaster spoke about how the only way to revive strength and mobility was through persistent rehabilitation.
However, many found ways to come back stronger than before. Diaz said, “Injuries are freak accidents, but in a sense you can strengthen your ankle and work out and strengthen your body to prevent injuries.” Leon Deng ’28 said, “I think before the injury, I relied on dribbling skills and shooting near the rim shots, and now I'm getting better at shooting from a distance because it reduces the risk of physical contact.”
No one can understand the everyday struggles injured players go through. However, discussing experiences can mitigate emotional struggles and alert others to possible injuries. Only once players get injured do they start paying attention to injury prevention, so we should shed some light on the experiences of those with sports injuries and foster an environment where talking about these injuries is not embarrassing or regretful, but something to grow from.