Injuries are always an unfortunate happening to young athletes. Alex Andrade ‘19 suffered a season ending torn meniscus in a basketball game against Harper on Jan. 19. He was immediately escorted off the court in a wheelchair and taken a hospital.

“I jumped for a rebound and then when I landed, my knee just gave. I can’t even describe the amount of pain I was in,” said Andrade.

You could tell by the reaction of the crowd that something wasn’t right. Andrade laid underneath the basket motionless for a good period of time before he could be lifted into the wheelchair.

“I think I was just in such shock to what had happened, that I was oblivious to everything else going on around me,” Andrade said. My vision went blank for a few seconds right after it happened, and then I don’t remember much after that.”

Andrade has played a large role in the success of the JV team so far this season. He was averaging 14.3 points per game prior to the injury.

“The injury to Alex is obviously a huge blow to the team,” said Andrade’s head coach Jerard Nathaniel. “It also is just very unfortunate for him because he has worked so hard to get where he is. It’s gonna be tough without him for these last few games, but it also gives other guys on the team the opportunity to step up and do the same thing he was doing.”

While the injury is a huge setback, Andrade is determined to come back stronger than ever for the varsity season next year.

“I can’t do anything about what happened, but I can control the future,” said Andrade. “Once I’m off crutches, it’s back to work.”

Watching a teammates go down with an injury is tough. Andrade’s teammates are doing everything they can to help ensure a fast recovery.

“We just want to win for him now,” said teammate Zion Baker ‘19. “He played a huge part in helping us make city playoffs, so now we have to finish what he started.”

Andrade received the results of the x-ray taken of his knee. He has a large tear in the meniscus that will require surgery with 6-8 weeks of rehab following that.

“The key to getting through this is mental toughness,” Andrade said. “If I start to tell myself that I can’t do it, then I might as well go home. I have to put my head down and charge full speed ahead.”

With only three games left in the season, Andrade won’t see the court again till next fall. However, Andrade promises that next year will be an even bigger one for him.