Not everyone got to enjoy the Ohio State men's basketball team as they charged into the NCAA tournament in March. Forwards David Lighty and Nikola Kecman both suffered season-ending injuries, planting them on the bench and leaving the rest of the team to fend for their lives against Siena.
CHRISTIAN LAUTENSCHLEGER/THE LANTERN
Ohio State junior forward David Lighty jumps up for a layup during the Nov. 13, 2008 exhibition game against Walsh. OSU won 90-63. Lighty broke a bone in his left foot on Dec. 17 against Jacksonville.
"That probably was the best time for me to get hurt if I was to get hurt," he said. "If it was later on in the season, it would've had me down a lot more."
Since he played in only seven games, Lighty was granted a redshirt, saving him a year of eligibility and leaving him with two more seasons in scarlet and gray. His foot inched toward full recovery near season's end, but Lighty didn't want to take the risk of playing and forfeit the redshirt.
"I was getting there, but I wasn't fully 100 percent yet," he said. "I practiced a little bit, doing some things with the team, and sometimes I'd have to sit out because of my foot. I wasn't cleared to play yet, so I wasn't healthy yet."
CHRISTIAN LAUTENSCHLEGER/THE LANTERN
Ohio State sophomore Nikola Kecman shoots a 3-pointer against Houston Baptist on Jan. 9. OSU won 89-65. Kecman tore the ACL in his left knee in practice three days later and missed the rest of the season.
"I always try to look at the brighter side of things in every situation," Lighty said. "This gives me time to keep working on my game and get better and also to be around my teammates."
After serving a 12-game suspension for playing for a semi-pro team overseas, Kecman returned to action Jan. 9 with six points and five rebounds in an 89-65 win over Houston Baptist.
Three days later, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during practice, cutting short his first season at OSU after just one game.
The roller coaster season took its toll on the 6-foot-8-inch forward, but Kecman said it's all part of the territory that comes with playing basketball.
"That's all part of what happens in sports," he said. "That'll be part of my career that I had to go through so I'll be ready for next season. I'll start from the beginning and I'll finish it well."
Both players have become regulars at the gym, working to return to basketball-playing shape after lengthy layoffs. Lighty said the lack of action on the court led to weight gain.
"I was up to 235, so [the team] kept calling me linebacker and tight end," he said. "I've been working out and running again and getting back on the court to get back in shape."
The recovery process is no stranger to Kecman, who suffered the same injury to his right knee four years ago. He has worked throughout the offseason on tactics to avoid becoming injury-prone, he said.
"The part that was injured, you have to make it stronger so that the same thing can't happen again," he said. "I've done a lot every day with cardio workouts, shooting and knee workouts."
Kecman said he should be fully healed by July, and has his sights set on team practices in the fall.
While Lighty nears 100 percent, he is still searching for the burst of speed that made him so effective before the injury, he said.
"I would say I'm 95 percent," he said. "Sometimes I don't have the explosiveness like I did back before it happened. I try to jump off my left foot, but it's getting there each and every day."
The promising progress that both players have made has the team excited about a full roster for next season, coach Thad Matta said.
"We are pleased with the progress that Dave and Nikola have made," he said. "Dave is getting close to being the tremendous player he was before the injury. Nikola is gaining more and more strength in his knee every day.
"We are anxious to have them both back at full go as soon as we are confident in their health."
Zack Meisel can be reached at meisel.14@osu.edu.
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