BY MIKE LAUGHLIN
Staff Writer

This year the Baldwin High School basketball team returned an injured starter, Arnes Bajgora, to its line-up just in time for the first game of the year.

Bajgora got hurt on April 24 and underwent surgery on May 22. Since his surgery, he said, he has been rehabbing three to four times a week and has practiced as much as he could.

“With the injury I’ve been able to work on things I wouldn’t do as much before,” Bajgora said. He said he was able to work on his shot more as well as ball handling and proper mechanics. These things are not considered essential for big men in basketball, especially at the high school level.

He has also been in the weight room a lot when he could not fully participate in practices because of his injury. He says that he has become a lot stronger; however he put on some weight as well. That is typical for athletes who are not used to being limited in practice every day.

“My dad has pushed me to do better every day,” Bajgora said. “My teammates have been there every day too.”

Bajgora said he is not as fast as he was before the injury, and that he still feels some pain when he plays. In early December Bajgora said he was at 90 percent and said that he planned on being 100 percent whenever he returned. He ended up playing that Friday.

“Religion has been the biggest thing that has helped me come back, besides my dad,” Bajgora said. He said that when he feels down he is able to talk to God and it makes him feel better. “I thank God for helping me get through something like this.”

Bajgora said that the fact that it is senior year motivates him to get back as well as trying to win as many games as possible. He also said that “I have doubters to prove wrong.”

“I’m blessed just to be able to play the game I love again and this has taught me to work harder,” Bajgora said.

He said that this injury has taught him to be patient and he loves the game even more now than before.

In the boys’ first four games they went winless. Doug Altavilla, a junior, said that “we need to do the little things right.”

Three starters graduated last year. Altavilla said that younger kids have stepped up this year and the team now has a nine- or 10-man rotation after only having a six- or seven-man rotation last year.

Altavilla said that the toughest losses last year were the close section games that determine who makes the playoffs. The team is looking to win those make or break games this year.

Coach Joe Urmann has prepared the team for this year by starting practices soon after last season ended. The practices started up again in March and the team has been working out since then.