Dealing with an injury is many athletes’ biggest fear. Sophomore Darrion Hadley has bounced back from his knee injury last season, and is now playing for the Knights boys basketball team.
In Hadley’s freshman year, he made both the JV and the varsity team. Head coach Isaac Taylor said he was impressed with the first impression he had of Hadley.
“Last year he had a crazy tryout,” Taylor said. “We had some really good seniors last year, but he basically took the challenge of showing me that he deserved the right to be on varsity originally. I went to some private workouts that he went to and I saw some things I liked, and then he had an outstanding tryout and he basically forced me to make the decision that he needed to be with our varsity roster.”
During Hadley’s freshman season, he fractured his tibia in his knee, causing him to be out for the rest of the school basketball season.
“First I had to get surgery and I was on crutches for about two weeks,” Hadley said. “Then after that I got a brace and had to do physical therapy. All that took around four or five months, which was tough. [It was hard to] have to deal with pain every morning in my leg, and not be able to play basketball at the same time.”
Taylor said the injury and recovery process encouraged Hadley to put even more effort into the off season.
“Last year, I saw him hurt, not with his leg, but just wanting to play and wanting to give to our team because he was right there,” Taylor said. “I think for him, watching his team have to play and him not being able to contribute was something that hurt him more than anything. It made him go harder in the off season and his training.”
Junior teammate Dhati Lewis, said his recovery process was sped up by his commitment to getting better.
“When Darrion first came back from injury, he was lower than usual and wasn’t dunking like he used to, but Darrion got right back in the gym as soon as he could and he got over his injury very fast,” Lewis said.
Hadley said playing Amateur Athletic Union basketball with the Atlanta Kings has helped him develop offensively post injury, despite being different from school basketball’s style of playing.
“[The season helped me] develop more of an offensive bag,” Hadley said. “AAU is more one-on-one compared to school ball where you have to work as a team to score the ball.”
Lewis said Hadley is an all-around great player and the different aspects of his game, both on and off the court, help him stand out.
“Darrion is a very good teammate, [and he] makes [the team] and himself better,” Lewis said. “He has a lot of basketball skill, he can shoot, rebound and play defense – he is a very well-rounded player.”
Taylor said the passion, originality and commitment Hadley brings to the game sets him apart from other players.
“The thing about Darrion is he’s a competitor,” Taylor said. “He’s never not gonna play hard, he’s never not gonna give his best, he’s never not gonna be himself. Darrion is gonna be who Darrion is, no matter what that means for everybody else.”
Hadley’s goals for his future include both short and long-term goals.
“My goals for this season are to make the state playoffs this year, and make first team all-region,” Hadley said. “For the future, I want to get a state championship and make it to the league.”
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Taylor thinks Hadley can achieve highly in basketball if he continues on the path he is already on.
“One of my biggest goals is for Darrion to go play college basketball and do whatever he wants to the game of basketball,” Taylor said. “I think that he has what it takes. I think he has the will, the knack for the game and the love for the game. If Darrion just keeps his grades up and does what he’s supposed to do and keeps learning and teaching and just growing as a basketball player, he’ll be fine.”
Taylor said the future is bright for Hadley, as he is very committed to his aspirations, in the game of basketball and beyond.
“He’s coming into his own as a young sophomore,” Taylor said. “I think he limits distractions very well and he’s very good at just being focused on what’s gonna take him to the next level and his goals in general. I think he’s a very focused player, which is something that is good in a basketball player.”
