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Even injury couldn't stop Hinsdale Central's Rafferty

For three weeks you couldn't pry a smile onto Matt Rafferty's face.

It wasn't the physical pain from a broken hand causing the misery. The mental and emotional misery proved far worse for the Hinsdale Central senior.

"You could tell he was heartbroken," teammate Thomas Ives said. "I just knew the competitor in him wanted to play. You play because you love to compete. Just sitting on the sidelines really bothered him."

Only Rafferty wasn't just sitting there. He feverishly rehabbed the hand. He kept his conditioning in prime form.

He maintained hope of playing for the Red Devils again. He picked a college.

He spent three weeks trusting the surgically implanted plate and screws to do their job and make his hand whole again. This type of bone break - known as a boxer's fracture for the way the injury's caused by jamming the hand - is commonly a season-ender that wasn't about to end Rafferty's.

On a Thursday his doctor cleared him to play. He returned to practice that afternoon and played in a victory the next night. Five days later he scored a team-high 13 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in another win.

Each day brings Rafferty closer to full strength, the smile included.

"I'm definitely close, if not there already," the 6-foot-7 center said. "I think everyone was happy when I came back. I tried to keep a positive attitude for my teammates, but I think they needed to see me back."

Four years of excellence have that effect on a program.

Respected on and off the court by peers and opponents throughout a record-breaking time at Hinsdale Central, Rafferty is the 2014-15 Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area Boys Basketball Captain.

"He brings the entire package, day to day from his freshman year to this year," said Red Devils coach Nick Latorre. "He's been a dream to coach for four years."

He shoots, he scores

While Rafferty's four years at Hinsdale Central boast an impact beyond stats, that's where it starts for him.

It took only three dominant games at the sophomore level to earn a spot on varsity as a freshman. In fact it took only one practice.

"He's one of the best kids I've ever coached," Latorre said. "He literally came to practice and earned a spot on varsity that day. It was undeniable."

Rafferty's led his team in scoring and rebounding for three seasons. Even with a dip in numbers his first three games back from injury, he's still averaging 19.6 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists this season.

His scoring rate is what jumps out. Rafferty's made 67 percent of his 2-point shots, 50 percent of his 3s and 77 percent of his free throws. It's stunning efficiency for a player whose physical skill is eclipsed only by his court intelligence.

Rafferty always seems to take the right shots. And when he doesn't shoot, he typically makes the perfect pass. His 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio proves as much.

"He's added new dimensions to his game every year," said Downers Grove North coach Jim Thomas. "You've got to pick your poison. If you take away one element of his game, he'll just go to another."

Latorre praises Rafferty's ability to think two passes ahead. It's his advanced knowledge of the game that helped attract so many college scholarship offers, an experience that ended a couple of weeks ago with Rafferty's verbal commitment to Furman University in South Carolina.

Rafferty's numbers place him among the greats in Hinsdale Central history. He stands at 1,498 points heading into Friday's regional final, and if not for the six games he missed because of the broken hand he'd be closing in on Brian Wardle's mark of 1,632 points set from 1995-97.

He's first in all-time rebounds, blocks and steals, and he's sixth in assists. And he's won. A lot.

The Red Devils are riding their second straight 20-win second and they claimed West Suburban Conference Silver Division titles his sophomore and junior years. If not for a four-game Silver losing streak with Rafferty out, they might have made it three straight titles.

Hinsdale Central vies for a second straight regional championship Friday.

"It's been an incredible experience to be a part of this program," Rafferty said. "Progressively throughout my four years we've gotten better. That four-game losing streak was hard on all of us, but we fought hard. It was almost beneficial to us to see some adversity and try to overcome that as a team."

The rebound

With Rafferty in the lineup Hinsdale Central's 19-2 this season. Without him the Red Devils were 2-4.

Needless to say, the mood around the entire program improved drastically when he returned.

"When he was out it just showed how much he means to us," teammate Neven Mulc said. "It's not that we don't have talent without him, he just gives us that extra edge. We were definitely pumped when he came back. It was like he never left."

Rafferty had a similar impact on the football program in the fall when, after a year away from the sport, he started at quarterback and led the Red Devils to their first playoff win since 2008.

Despite the risk - he missed two football games with an ankle injury - Rafferty felt it was important to return to a sport he grew up playing.

"I thought it was the right thing to come back," he said. "Finishing the season strong with a playoff win and then being able to go right into basketball made it a good decision for me."

A good decision for all involved. He's the teammate everyone wants on their team.

"I've coached against him for four years, and it's been a pleasure," Thomas said. "You've got to respect the way he handles himself on and off the court."

Basketball, though, has been and always will be his favorite sport. It's his fuel.

It fueled his rise at Hinsdale Central and it fueled his return from injury.

It'll fuel him at Furman.

"Basketball's always been my main focus athletically," Rafferty said. "I'm just glad I was able to play here at Hinsdale Central."

Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevin_schmit

Images: Daily Herald All-Area Team Captains, Basketball

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