Basketball: Russell rebounds from summer injury (01-25-07)
James Wood center says he has new perspective in senior season -- By Tommy Keeler Jr. (Daily Staff Writer)
WINCHESTER — Kyle Russell didn't have a fun summer.
There were no vacations, no hanging out with friends and — most importantly — no basketball in the backyard, the playground or at school.
The 6-foot-5 James Wood center was forced to sit on a couch all day and watch TV.
"After the first week, I was really sick of it," Russell said Wednesday. "I couldn't go outside and run or anything. I just had to sit in one spot all day."
Russell dislocated his right kneecap during an AAU game for his West Virginia team, Pump and Run, in late May, ending what he had hoped would be a great summer. He had surgery a week later and spent the next three months letting the injury heal.
Russell wasn't the only one affected by the injury. James Wood coach Bruce Fowler said it was tough for him to see Russell experience the injury.
"It was emotional for me because I knew the time Kyle had put into improving," he said. "This is his senior year and some Division III teams were starting to look at him. I became more like a father instead of a coach.
"I wasn't worried about it from a team standpoint, but more for Kyle as an individual. It was like it had happened to my own son."
Once the summer ended, Russell was able to move around on his leg and began doing therapy five days a week after school.
Even as the season rolled around, Russell still wasn't close to where he was before the injury. A week before the season started, Russell underwent a test that determined the leg was operating at 70 percent, Fowler said.
It showed on the court.
"It was tough," Russell said. "I couldn't do things like I wanted to. I had to get used to playing again."
Before James Wood's game against Musselman (W.Va.) on Dec. 27, Fowler had a talk with Russell.
"I told him it was time to put the injury behind him," Fowler said. "I told him he was capable of getting a double-double for us and he went out and did it."
With the leg about 90 percent healthy, Russell is finally becoming the player he was the past two years. That's more than enough to cause problems for teams in the Northwestern District.
On Saturday against Liberty, Russell had 19 points and 12 rebounds. On Tuesday against Handley, the Colonels (11-7, 5-5) trailed in the fourth quarter but finally began to find Russell in the middle. He helped bring them to within six midway through the final quarter and had 12 points in the final eight minutes. Russell finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds despite sitting out the entire second quarter with foul trouble.
"We're starting to see the old Kyle Russell again," Fowler said. "The best part is, he's just a great kid. He has a great work ethic."
When Russell was younger, he tried just about every sport he could. He wasn't successful at soccer or baseball or just about anything else. Finally, he decided to give basketball a shot.
"Basketball was pretty much my last option," he said. "T-ball just wasn't for me. I went to a camp and then, when I was 8 or 9, I started playing in a rec league at Shenandoah Valley Christian Academy. I love running and jumping. I love blocking shots. I was just drawn to the sport."
Russell said he was always tall, but by eighth grade he really shot up and reached 6 feet. Still, Russell said he didn't feel like he would be good enough to play in high school.
He played on the junior varsity as a freshman and then moved to varsity his sophomore season, starting every game. Last year, he averaged 12.6 points and 8.5 rebounds.
"He's just a tireless worker," Fowler said. "When we first saw him as a freshman, he had the look of a post player, but his fundamentals were weak. He's really improved.
"In his freshman and sophomore seasons, he would get to the foul line 10, 12 times a game and make two. By his junior year, he led us in foul shooting."
This season, despite the slow start, Russell is averaging 9.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 23 blocks. Russell said that's his favorite part of the game — posting a block.
"It's just something I love to do," he said. "It's a great feeling [knowing that] it would be two points and you stopped it from happening. It can change the momentum of the game."
The Colonels have made strides this season and are in a battle for third place in the district with Liberty and Sherando. The Colonels have been competitive with Northwestern heavyweights Handley and Millbrook. Russell is one of 10 seniors, and said this team is as close as any that he's been on.
"I really think we have what it takes to be the best team in this district," he said. "We just have to bring our best effort every game. We always have one quarter — like the third quarter [against Handley] — where we get crushed. If we can just stay in the game until the end with teams like Millbrook and Handley, then I think we can do it."
Russell is drawing attention from several schools, including Shepherd and Eastern Mennonite, but he said he is not thinking about the end of his James Wood career being near. He just wants to enjoy every game and every moment on the court.
"Going through the injury made me really appreciate being able to play," he said.
"You learn pretty quickly that anything can happen and you never know when it could be your last game."
