PARKER — The words good and injury rarely go together well in the same sentence.
As in, is there such a thing as a good injury?
If there is, Cory Calvert has, er, had one.
On Dec. 9, the Chaparral senior was going up for a layup late in a game at Smoky Hill. Calvert was having one of those nights from the floor — 3-of-11, including 0-of-5 from 3-point land — but was 15-of-15 at the free-throw line.
However, he banged hips with a defender while in the air and ended up planting his face on the court. He received stitches for a split-open chin, although the real damage was done to his right wrist when he attempted to brace his fall. That’s when he suffered a hairline crack in a bone.
“I had just lost my balance going up,” the 6-foot-2 Calvert said.
He was staring at 4-6 weeks of rest and rehabilitation before returning to the Wolverines, who opened 2011-12 with legitimate dreams of challenging for their first Class 5A basketball championship.
“My chin didn’t hurt too much, but the doctor said it was probably the best break in a wrist that I could have,” Calvert said.
Wolverines coach Rob Johnson echoed the sentiment: “All things considered, it was a good injury.”
There are those two words again. Oddly, they are true.
First off, Calvert didn’t need surgery, just a brace and a splint to keep his wrist immobilized. And, he didn’t injure his legs. No broken bones, torn ligaments or year-long rehab, no chance of him never being the same player and nothing to seriously stunt his growth in the game he loves.
Calvert keeps in contact weekly with coaches at BYU, the program he signed a letter of intent with in November. Calvert didn’t have to tell them that he was facing a year-long rehabilitation. And the fact that he had signed early offered even more relief.
“Being signed definitely is good because I probably would have had a lot of pressure to play well and come back fast,” Calvert said.
Calvert missed playing when the Wolverines headed to Las Vegas for a tournament, where they were 3-1 in finishing 7-2 before the mandatory holiday break, and he became a de facto assistant coach. He said being forced to watch the game allowed him to see the entire court and what had to be done in certain situations.
“It was tough, but good to see the team playing well,” Calvert said.
In addition to being able to maintain his conditioning, Calvert got to know what it’s like to practice as a left-hander.
Plus, he said: “It could have been a lot worse (of an injury). And it’s nicer to have had it over the break so I didn’t miss too much in-state action.”
Johnson admitted to being worried when Calvert first was diagnosed.
“But, it hasn’t been too bad. I knew it would be tough and that we needed other players to step up,” he said. “It forced them into making more plays and playing together.
“It was really good for us and exposed some of it for us. We found out we need to make sure the ball moves, we get better rebounding and inside presence. … Those things were good for us.”
Now, it’s time to play. Calvert was cleared Wednesday, less than a month from the time he was injured, and scored 24 points in a victory.
The Wolverines, who have climbed to No. 4 in The Denver Post 5A coaches poll, went against Palmer on Wednesday and Calvert started. They will meet top-ranked East on Saturday afternoon at the Thunderdome.
Yes, he’s antsy about taking his first contact on the wrist and fears any sort of Hack-A-Shaq attempts, but it sure beats sitting idly.
“It’s a big week and I just wanted to be ready to play,” he said. “I’m pretty pumped.”
Good and injury in the same sentence works.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
