Surgery does not keep Amponsah sidelined
Kwasi Amponsah puts up a shot against Hylton
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By Dave Fawcett
Published: November 9, 2008
What had been routine for Amponsah was now full of challenges. And he struggled to adjust.
His usually steady hand mishandled the ball more. His deadeye shooting touch was clearly off. Even his stamina level was way down after brief trips up and down the court left him out of breath.
An eight-month layoff from any physical activity will do that, even to an 18-year-old with seemingly boundless energy. But first things first.
While basketball was important to Amponsah, addressing a serious medical condition took precedence over everything else.
In the middle of February, Amponsah was sidelined after a blow to his midsection during a game against Freedom led to an unexpected discovery.
As doctors ran him through a battery of tests to figure out why there was blood flowing out of his urine, Amponsah learned there was a blockage near his left kidney that required surgery.
In July, Amponsah underwent a procedure that reconnected a tube to his left kidney. The blockage was removed.
The tradeoff, though, was that he would be unable to play basketball for an undetermined amount of time.
At first, Amponsah was unsure what to think about this and the developments that led to the surgery.
After the game Feb. 12 against Freedom, he got home that night, went to the bathroom and starting urinating blood.
“It scared the daylights out of me,” Amponsah said. “I thought I was dying.”
Amponsah quickly called his mother, who is a nurse. She told her son to stay calm, but he kept asking over and over, “What is this?”
Amponsah visited a doctor the next day, but the diagnosis was inconclusive. In the meantime, Amponsah was not allowed to play and Gar-Field was without its go-to guy.
Quiet by nature, Amponsah was never a flashy player. Nor was he someone who entered Gar-Field with an established basketball pedigree. He was just someone who grew up watching Michael Jordan and wanted to emulate Jordan’s will to win.
The result produced a tireless work ethic from a person who was a student in everything he did. A member of the National Honor Society, Amponsah stayed after practice or showed up early to improve his game anyway he could.
“That’s a rare kid who does that without having to be nagged,” said Gar-Field boys basketball coach Andy Gray.
In his first year last season as a full-time starter, the 5-11 guard averaged a team-high 14.7 points per game in helping the Indians tie for the regular-season title. He was a first-team all-Cardinal District selection and a second-team all-Northwest Region selection.
But in the stretch run, the Indians’ unquestioned leader was out of action and it made a difference.
Gar-Field, a young team with only two returning starters, had surpassed expectations by making a run toward the district title.
Without Amponsah, though, the Indians lost to Potomac 71-64 in the playback game that determined who received the automatic regional berth and the top seed in the district
tournament.
Then in the district tournament semifinals, Freedom beat Gar-Field 67-53. The Indians’ season was over as they finished with a 17-7 record.
“We had our chances, but there were too many obstacles without him,” Gray said in regards to the Freedom game. “We didn’t match up physically with them and without him, we were in a much deeper hole.”
Amponsah had no choice, but to watch and wait. His teammates kept his spirits high, checking in on him and joking with him. But the layoff was difficult.
It got even more difficult after his surgery in July. It was something that he could have postponed, but knew it was best to do as soon as possible.
“For the first week or two after the surgery, I was just on my couch, sleeping,” Amponsah said. “I walked a little bit, but nothing major.”
He studied game tapes and eventually was able to get out to a neighborhood court where he shot the basketball, but he did so with limited mobility.
“I would tire easily,” Amponsah said.
He’s still out of shape and struggling to find his shooting range.
But none of these concerns will dampen his enthusiasm when Gar-Field begins practice this afternoon. He’s playing again with a team that is not the same without him.
“Just being back and coach Gray yelling at me, I’m ready to get the season started,” Amponsah said.
Gray echoes that same sentiment.
Just seeing Amponsah out on the court, his gung-ho attitude charged up more than ever is a blessing in itself. Kwasi has returned. What could be better than that?
“It will be a very happy moment for him and us,” Gray said. “It will be a good day at the office.”
David Fawcett is the sports editor of the News & Messenger. Reach him at (703) 878-8052 or at
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