Smith glad to be back, better than ever

Jordan Smith knew as long as he did what he was supposed to do, he'd be back.

As long as he followed the routine, worked hard and stayed determined, he'd be back.

With rehab, stretching exercises and patience, he'd be back.

Well, he's back because he took care of his back.

Smith, a senior forward on the Batavia boys basketball team, suffered a season-ending back injury last year, just as he was really coming into his own as a starter.

It was a devastating loss for Smith and the rest of the team, but he spent the off-season repairing what was damaged and came back strong and ready this season.

As a result, the Bulldogs are 15-3 overall (7-1 in the Western Sun Conference) behind his 12.6 points per game (which is second on the team). He also leads the Bulldogs in rebounds at 7.8 rpg (second in the Tri-Cities Area). He's also the area's leader in field goal percentage at 61.1 percent.

"(Smith's back injury) was a very tough blow to him, but at the same time to his credit, he never hung his head," Batavia coach Jim Roberts said. "He realized there was going to be some down time. With a lot of hard work, he's back at it."

Smith certainly is, especially after Batavia star Nick Fruendt went down with mononucleosis in mid-December. Smith took it upon himself to step up in his friend's absence.

In the 8 games Fruendt was out, Smith averaged 14.1 points a game. His best performance on both offense and defense was at Elgin's Christmas tournament, when he scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the win against Buffalo Grove. That game pushed the Bulldogs into the championship game against Wheaton North.

Batavia ended up winning the prestigious tournament, as Smith upped his average in the four wins to 16.5 ppg.

"He was very aggressive on both offense and defense," Roberts said. "He was one of those guys who was a difference-maker."

"I thought he did a great job at Elgin," added Fruendt, who said it was tough for him to sit on the sidelines during that tournament.

Smith sure can relate to Fruendt in that matter. While diving for a loose ball at the end of Batavia's game with Sycamore in early January of last year, he suffered a spinal fracture.

Smith finished the game and continued to play for the next 11 days with his final game against Kaneland Jan. 16. That marked the end of his junior season with the Bulldogs.

Smith said if he kept playing, the vertebrae could have slid and caused further damage. He had to wait 6 weeks to begin therapy.

"It was big (having Smith out), but we had to deal with it," Fruendt said. "It wasn't just playing-wise, but it was missing my friend's presence out there."

In the meantime, all he could do was watch the Bulldogs from the bench. He wished he was a part of the High School Hoops Showdown at the Sears Center. That was the game that the Bulldogs beat West Aurora at the buzzer in one of the biggest games of the year.

"As a little kid, I always wanted to be on varsity," said Smith, who was on the sophomore team as a freshman. "By junior year, I was so happy to be on varsity, but for it to be cut short and not play in the playoffs and at the Sears Centre…I wasn't jealous, I just wanted to be out there."

In order for Smith to be out there again, he spent time at Delnor-Community Hospital in Geneva and worked hard with back exercises that helped put everything back to where it was supposed to be.

"Over the summer, I was motivated to keep my stretches up because I knew when the day came, I could play again," Smith said.

"It was a long process," Roberts said. "We feel very fortunate it was something he was able to return from and do the things he's done so far for us."

Scoring has been a big factor, but so has rebounds. The 6-foot-3 Smith gets a bigger thrill from grabbing an offensive rebound than anything else. Perhaps that's why he leads the team on the boards.

"He's a frequent jumper and obviously a very strong young man," Roberts said. "He has a nose for the ball."

"He goes after the ball when he gets chances and makes the most of it when it comes time to rebounding," Fruendt added.

"This is how he's always been. He's a great player to have on the team and he's a fun person to be around."