Anticipation and adrenaline runs through each team’s players as they run through the warmups they have done so many times before. The Spartan layup line is going through its usual motions: pass, dribble, shoot. But once Stevlen Morris (12) begins his run-up, things take a tragic turn.
Stevlen “Stevo” Morris has been playing basketball since he was three years old. Since becoming a Spartan his sophomore year, he has started on varsity every season, making him the most experienced player on the team. Throughout his basketball journey, he has been known as an aggressive, focused player.
“Stevlen is one of those guys that plays extremely hard,” Head Varsity Coach Jesus Patino said. “He always gives everything he’s got. That’s what separates him: you don’t have to tell him to go hard.”
During the 2022-2023 season’s first game against Christian Brothers High School, Morris and the Spartan team ran through their layup warmup exercise. Everything was normal for Morris until he took his first steps for a layup. A sharp pain overtook the back of his foot, forcing him out of the game. Initially, coaches were worried that a non-contact injury could prove to be very serious. The next day, doctors told Morris he had torn his achilles, the tendon connecting the lower calf and heel. The loss and last-minute replacement of a critical player potentially cost the Spartans the game.
“It felt like someone stepped on the back of my foot,” Morris said. “But when I looked behind me, no one was standing [there].”
The team felt the loss of one of their star players and teammates. The Spartans valued his motivating play style and waited for his return.
“The team’s spirit was deflated,” David Johnson (11) said. “He was one of our top scorers and defenders, just an all-around two-way player.”
Two to three weeks after his injury, Morris had surgery performed on his achilles in order to recover and play again. He spent most of his post-surgery in physical therapy and working on the technical basketball skills he could improve. He practiced his passing, dribbling, and shooting: non-contact aspects.
“It was a long time before I got to practicing,” Morris said. “They didn’t let me practice fully, with contact, for eight months.”
Throughout his recovery, coaches, teammates, and parents were with him along the way. He followed their advice and found strength in their encouragement. As he recovered, the words of his father telling him to keep working and come back even stronger motivated him.
“[I told him] ‘Don’t think about basketball, just think about getting healthy,’” Patino said. “‘Basketball is going to be right here once you get back.’”
The rest of the season was played while the team felt the hole of Morris’s absence. Games against high-level teams showcased how integral he was for the team.
“We felt that with him, we would have won more games,” Patino said. “[The injury] hurt us in the winning-losing aspect.”
After being slowly reintroduced to the game, Morris is starting as a forward this season. Despite his injury, his aggression and game-intensity has not wavered. The improvement of his passing and technical skills from his time off mixed with his original play-style has made him the player he is now. Coming off of an injury came with its doubts and second-guesses, but Morris is working through it.
“I feel like I play more aggressively now,” Morris said. “Because I have to go out there and do what I am supposed to do.”
So far, Morris is quickly adjusting back into the season and is practically back to the player he once was. Mentally, though, he holds a new perspective of the game and a new appreciation for basketball.
“[The injury] made me value every time I’m on the court,” Morris said. “It’s a blessing every time I am able to step out there.”
