Post by Chuck on Aug 5, 2005 10:17:08 GMT -5
PEZZIMENTI
Patrick Lottin’s piercing glance indicated that, just perhaps, I had asked the wrong question.
He paused for a moment, and half-joking, half not, said, “Stop jinxing me. Why you asking questions like that?”
The mistaken inquiry regarded the St. Bonaventure basketball player’s health: Does he ever think about sustaining an injury while on the court, and more importantly, what were his chances of staying off the injured list this upcoming season.
Lottin finally smiled, backing from his jaded stance on the injury issue.
“You just got to play,” he said sincerely. “You can’t be thinking about stuff like that. You don’t get injured on purpose. It just happens. When it happens you have to deal with it. You have to be ready mentally. You just got to go out there and give it the best you have and hopefully I can stop people from jinxing me all the time.”
He laughed. This time his jinxing comment was in complete jest.
Lottin’s attitude toward the injury issue is understandable. He’s crossed his share of black cats and broken mirrors.
To see the athletic swingman dart from baseline to baseline, stop on a dime, and dunk the basketball with ferocity is the miracle of modern medicine and Lottin’s inner-drive to play the sport he loves.
Within in a span of just 16 months, Lottin suffered a pair of career-threatening injuries. He tore his right Achilles tendon minutes into a game at Alabama in December 2002 and during an offseason workout in May 2004 his right ACL was shredded.
There is a reason Lottin feels free to laugh and joke these days: He’s on the court this summer and not laying on the training table.
“I’m blessed to be out there playing with my teammates,” he said. “I think everyone is happy to see me playing and getting better.”
Those in the happy department would include Bona coach Anthony Solomon.
“We need all of our young men healthy,” Solomon said. “Patrick is one of many parts we need as we put together a team and program.”
Untapped potential. Perhaps that’s the best way to describe Lottin’s college career.
Lengthy. Quick. Athletic. Bouncy. Those were all words pinned on Lottin when he came to St. Bonaventure in 2001. At 6-7 he played nearly every position on the floor, drove to the basket and possessed a feathery shooting stroke from the perimeter.
With a little seasoning and work, Lottin’s conversion into an future all-conference player was a slam dunk. That was before the devastating injuries.
Lottin lost his entire sophomore season due to the Achilles injury after earning a spot in the starting lineup. He rarely touched a basketball during nine months of intense rehab.
Despite that, Lottin averaged 13 points and five rebounds in his return as a junior, and drew praise from several opposing coaches and players.
Then came the torn ACL and six more months of grueling rehab and more lost court time.
Lottin underwent major reconstructive knee surgery. Subsequently, he missed pre-season workouts and the entire first month of practice last fall.
With the timetable for his return unknown, the Atlantic 10 coaches still voted Lottin to the All-A-10 Third Team in the preseason. Lottin made it back for the home opener against Marist in late November, nearly a month a head of schedule.
Lottin, however, failed to live up the preseason hype mostly because he wasn’t playing at 100 percent. Instead of taking bigger, slower defenders off the dribble, he took deep jumpers. At times he hobbled up and down the court. His knee would routinely swell up.
Most of all, he played timid, shying away from contact.
“It affected me a lot,” he said. “I took a lot of jump shots and didn’t drive to the hole as much.”
The 13 points per game dipped to 11 as Lottin mostly came off the bench.
He wouldn’t guess where he played at last season. Bona athletic trainer Jeff Gaylord estimated Lottin’s condition at 90 percent.
“I just know I wasn’t at 100 percent,” Lottin said. “My teammates knew that, my coaches knew that.”
According to Gaylord, as a result of all the artificial procedures of surgery, Lottin will never return to the athletic specimen he once was. He’s lost a step on his baseline to baseline speed and a couple inches off his vertical leap.
The fact that Lottin can still compete at a high level is a testament to his work ethic and desire.
During the summers following the injuries Lottin was not allowed to leave campus for anything — to return home to Washington D.C. or visit his mother in France.
Hours and hours a week were dedicated to rehab. Two hours a day, six days per week.
Living on campus alone. Not being able to play basketball. The burdensome rehab. At times it all was too much to handle for Lottin.
There were times when he would see major progress then have to deal with an elongated plateau or even a setback. It seemed like it took forever to regain his strength.
“The toughest part is trying to keep an athlete motivated and trying not to get frustrated,” Gaylord said.
“There were a lot of times when I didn’t feel like doing anything,” Lottin said. “It was hard, especially being without my teammates. There were tough times, but I told myself, ‘Don’t do it for you. Do it for the team because the team is going to need me and I need them.’”
The first day of classes is fast approaching. Lottin has finally enjoyed an entire summer on the court, perfecting his game. He’ll finally be able to take part in rugged fall workouts and conditioning drills. He’s finally as close to 100 percent as he’ll ever be.
“Everybody is happy about that,” Lottin said. “My teammates are excited to see what I can do. My teammates really want me to drive to the hole as much as possible. The jumper’s still going to be there but if I can do more things it will be great for my team and we can win more games.”
There was a question of whether Lottin would return this season as a fifth-year senior. He didn’t have to. Yet, he had to.
There’s the untapped potential. There’s the chance to live up to the hype. Most important, there’s the opportunity to help transform a dreadful team into respectable.
“I came back for the team,” he said. “I think as a team we can be a lot better next year. That was one of my primary reasons (for coming back) because I know we’re going to have a better team.”
Said Solomon, “I think he was able to see what’s best for his future in a lot of ways. Certainly it’s a chance for him to end his career on a positive note.”
Lottin will turn 24 this winter. He has spent time living in his native Cameroon, France and the United States. As a freshman he played on a team led by J.R. Bremer that earned a berth in the NIT. Most of Lottin’s youthful teammates don’t even know what NIT stands for.
He is mature. He is a team leader. He is better for having to endure the injuries.
“You have to grow from back-to-back injuries,” Solomon said. “He’s thankful to have another year coming up. All you can ask for as a competitor is another chance and it depends on the individual to make the best of it.”
Lottin’s chance is now. All the injury talk can come later, after his final college season. The 15-minute conversation regarding the Achilles and ACL is over.
Lottin took a breath, started to walk away, but turned back just before disappearing and said, “I’m going to knock on some wood now.”
(Vinny Pezzimenti is a sports writer for The Times Herald)
Patrick Lottin’s piercing glance indicated that, just perhaps, I had asked the wrong question.
He paused for a moment, and half-joking, half not, said, “Stop jinxing me. Why you asking questions like that?”
The mistaken inquiry regarded the St. Bonaventure basketball player’s health: Does he ever think about sustaining an injury while on the court, and more importantly, what were his chances of staying off the injured list this upcoming season.
Lottin finally smiled, backing from his jaded stance on the injury issue.
“You just got to play,” he said sincerely. “You can’t be thinking about stuff like that. You don’t get injured on purpose. It just happens. When it happens you have to deal with it. You have to be ready mentally. You just got to go out there and give it the best you have and hopefully I can stop people from jinxing me all the time.”
He laughed. This time his jinxing comment was in complete jest.
Lottin’s attitude toward the injury issue is understandable. He’s crossed his share of black cats and broken mirrors.
To see the athletic swingman dart from baseline to baseline, stop on a dime, and dunk the basketball with ferocity is the miracle of modern medicine and Lottin’s inner-drive to play the sport he loves.
Within in a span of just 16 months, Lottin suffered a pair of career-threatening injuries. He tore his right Achilles tendon minutes into a game at Alabama in December 2002 and during an offseason workout in May 2004 his right ACL was shredded.
There is a reason Lottin feels free to laugh and joke these days: He’s on the court this summer and not laying on the training table.
“I’m blessed to be out there playing with my teammates,” he said. “I think everyone is happy to see me playing and getting better.”
Those in the happy department would include Bona coach Anthony Solomon.
“We need all of our young men healthy,” Solomon said. “Patrick is one of many parts we need as we put together a team and program.”
Untapped potential. Perhaps that’s the best way to describe Lottin’s college career.
Lengthy. Quick. Athletic. Bouncy. Those were all words pinned on Lottin when he came to St. Bonaventure in 2001. At 6-7 he played nearly every position on the floor, drove to the basket and possessed a feathery shooting stroke from the perimeter.
With a little seasoning and work, Lottin’s conversion into an future all-conference player was a slam dunk. That was before the devastating injuries.
Lottin lost his entire sophomore season due to the Achilles injury after earning a spot in the starting lineup. He rarely touched a basketball during nine months of intense rehab.
Despite that, Lottin averaged 13 points and five rebounds in his return as a junior, and drew praise from several opposing coaches and players.
Then came the torn ACL and six more months of grueling rehab and more lost court time.
Lottin underwent major reconstructive knee surgery. Subsequently, he missed pre-season workouts and the entire first month of practice last fall.
With the timetable for his return unknown, the Atlantic 10 coaches still voted Lottin to the All-A-10 Third Team in the preseason. Lottin made it back for the home opener against Marist in late November, nearly a month a head of schedule.
Lottin, however, failed to live up the preseason hype mostly because he wasn’t playing at 100 percent. Instead of taking bigger, slower defenders off the dribble, he took deep jumpers. At times he hobbled up and down the court. His knee would routinely swell up.
Most of all, he played timid, shying away from contact.
“It affected me a lot,” he said. “I took a lot of jump shots and didn’t drive to the hole as much.”
The 13 points per game dipped to 11 as Lottin mostly came off the bench.
He wouldn’t guess where he played at last season. Bona athletic trainer Jeff Gaylord estimated Lottin’s condition at 90 percent.
“I just know I wasn’t at 100 percent,” Lottin said. “My teammates knew that, my coaches knew that.”
According to Gaylord, as a result of all the artificial procedures of surgery, Lottin will never return to the athletic specimen he once was. He’s lost a step on his baseline to baseline speed and a couple inches off his vertical leap.
The fact that Lottin can still compete at a high level is a testament to his work ethic and desire.
During the summers following the injuries Lottin was not allowed to leave campus for anything — to return home to Washington D.C. or visit his mother in France.
Hours and hours a week were dedicated to rehab. Two hours a day, six days per week.
Living on campus alone. Not being able to play basketball. The burdensome rehab. At times it all was too much to handle for Lottin.
There were times when he would see major progress then have to deal with an elongated plateau or even a setback. It seemed like it took forever to regain his strength.
“The toughest part is trying to keep an athlete motivated and trying not to get frustrated,” Gaylord said.
“There were a lot of times when I didn’t feel like doing anything,” Lottin said. “It was hard, especially being without my teammates. There were tough times, but I told myself, ‘Don’t do it for you. Do it for the team because the team is going to need me and I need them.’”
The first day of classes is fast approaching. Lottin has finally enjoyed an entire summer on the court, perfecting his game. He’ll finally be able to take part in rugged fall workouts and conditioning drills. He’s finally as close to 100 percent as he’ll ever be.
“Everybody is happy about that,” Lottin said. “My teammates are excited to see what I can do. My teammates really want me to drive to the hole as much as possible. The jumper’s still going to be there but if I can do more things it will be great for my team and we can win more games.”
There was a question of whether Lottin would return this season as a fifth-year senior. He didn’t have to. Yet, he had to.
There’s the untapped potential. There’s the chance to live up to the hype. Most important, there’s the opportunity to help transform a dreadful team into respectable.
“I came back for the team,” he said. “I think as a team we can be a lot better next year. That was one of my primary reasons (for coming back) because I know we’re going to have a better team.”
Said Solomon, “I think he was able to see what’s best for his future in a lot of ways. Certainly it’s a chance for him to end his career on a positive note.”
Lottin will turn 24 this winter. He has spent time living in his native Cameroon, France and the United States. As a freshman he played on a team led by J.R. Bremer that earned a berth in the NIT. Most of Lottin’s youthful teammates don’t even know what NIT stands for.
He is mature. He is a team leader. He is better for having to endure the injuries.
“You have to grow from back-to-back injuries,” Solomon said. “He’s thankful to have another year coming up. All you can ask for as a competitor is another chance and it depends on the individual to make the best of it.”
Lottin’s chance is now. All the injury talk can come later, after his final college season. The 15-minute conversation regarding the Achilles and ACL is over.
Lottin took a breath, started to walk away, but turned back just before disappearing and said, “I’m going to knock on some wood now.”
(Vinny Pezzimenti is a sports writer for The Times Herald)
