Grand Junction baseball player on long road to recovery

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) - Derek Shaver made a quick move with the basketball and was headed to the bucket.

A steal and an open court with no one even close, the crowd, teammates and opponents knew what would happen next.

It was a one-way ticket to dunk city.

Then it happened. After a pop in his left knee, Shaver had a one-way ticket to the operating room.

No contact, just a knee that blew out.

Surgery, physical therapy and heaps of frustration, disappointment and even depression followed.

The Grand Junction High School junior’s baseball season was shredded just like his left knee after surgery on Dec. 27.

Shaver’s goal is to be ready to play fall ball on the Colorado Rockies high school team.

It’s been a tough few months, and Shaver has had to deal with the demons of seeing his junior baseball season gone.

“It’s a bummer, but I tried to stay as positive as I could,” Shaver said at a recent baseball practice where he’s still part of the team as a leader.

When he thinks about the long days and the painful physical therapy, he has an unblinking focus to come back even stronger.

“Not being able to do anything eats at you, so you gotta learn to overcome some things,” he said. “This is probably the biggest adversity type thing I’ve ever had to get through.”

Shaver has verbally committed to Wichita State to play Division I baseball, and the injury hasn’t deterred the Shockers from wanting the 6-foot-4, 205-pound shortstop/third baseman/pitcher to play for them.

“I love the coaches and facilities there, and that’s why I’m working so hard to get back,” said Shaver, who was wearing a Shocker pullover jacket. “We’ve stayed in contact and talked a lot. They’re eager to hear how things are going, so I keep them updated.”

Shaver might be done for this baseball season for the Tigers, but he is still a big part of the team.

“We have a lot of young guys on the team, and I’ll see them make a mistake and they won’t let it go,” he said. “In this sport you’re going to fail most of the time (at the plate), so you have to let it go or it will affect you the rest of the day.

“I just tell them to forget it and have fun. If you have fun, you’re going to play as well as you can, so that’s one of the biggest things I remind them.”

Then he smiles and confesses that he has to remind himself that same thing when he’s playing.

Sports injuries are an unfortunate part of athletics and, for Shaver, it led to depression.

“The first month was terrible. (Baseball) is something I’ve done since I was 5 years old and having it taken away like that,” he said snapping his fingers, “man, it hits you hard and it scares you.”

Multi-sport high-school athletes are becoming more rare, with many players committing to a single sport year-round.

As that DI baseball recruit who lost a season, Shaver has no regrets about playing basketball, and he was off to an awesome start to the season. In his six games before the injury, Shaver scored in double figures five times, including one 27-point performance.

But he’s not sure if he will be back on the court for his senior season.

“I love basketball and baseball so much, but right now I’m just processing everything, and I’m doing my best to get back 100 percent for baseball in the fall,” he said. “That’s the only thing I have on my mind right now.”

“It’s extremely fun playing both sports,” he said. “The good thing about it is you’re always moving, you’re always doing something, exercising, moving, and it’s great for someone like me because without that I’d get bored.”

His regimen now starts every morning in the garage walking on the treadmill for a 20-minute grind. Then an hour-and-half at physical therapy on most days.

Shaver’s physical therapist and owner of Fyzical Therapy and Balance Center, Sean Richardson, was quick to let his new patient know what to expect.

“There’s a lot of work, it’s a ton of work and there’s some pain involved,” he said. “With the kids, we always have to tell them to be patient and be patient with the healing process, they want to get back out there right away and that just won’t happen.”

Sometimes Dad - Brian Shaver - has to be the motivator.

“He’s on my butt every single day,” Derek said, laughing. “But we’re on the same page, we want the same things and he’s been so supportive, I’m so grateful for him being there.”

Derek then grins and admits that his mom, Vivian, is the calming supportive force.

“I’ve turned into a little bit of a momma’s boy, and I guess I always have been. She’s great.”

As he works in the weight room to keep his upper body strong, Shaver does the methodical arduous work in physical therapy to get the knee strong again.

“All I’ve heard from everyone is do what you’re suppose to do and you will come back stronger,” he said. “Honestly, this has been just as much of a mental challenge as a physical one.”

Shaver is just getting into some sport-specific physical therapy exercises, and even Dad is involved with that. Richardson said Brian Shaver built a balance-beam-like apparatus that’s sloped like a pitching mound to help with Derek’s baseball-specific work.

Even as a 17-year-old, the injury showed Derek how quickly an injury can change his life.

“One thing that’s stuck in my mind since the injury, is it was so unexpected and it happened so quick. For me, it made me realize that I shouldn’t take even a moment for granted,” he said. “I’ve learned to love the work it takes to get me back where I need to be. This has made me appreciate the work even more, and I know I’ll come back even stronger.”

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Information from: The Daily Sentinel, http://www.gjsentinel.com