Alijah Adem, a Spring Valley High School basketball point guard, smiles during an interview at J&D Fitness Thursday, March 9, 2023. Adem is recovering after an ACL injury.
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 | 2 a.m.
The basketball rolled to Alijah Adem near the 3-point line during halftime of a Spring Valley game.
Sidelined with a knee injury and just a few weeks into rehab, Adem was under strict orders not to rush his return to the court. But one shot couldn’t hurt, he reasoned with himself.
He launched away — nothing but net. Ten times in a row.
“But I didn’t jump,” stressed Adem, the Spring Valley junior who missed the entire high school season after tearing his ACL.
Adem, a 6-foot-2 guard, refuses to dwell on the time missed — and that’s been the theme of his prep career. His freshman season wasn’t played because of COVID-19 restrictions and his junior season this winter was lost to the injury.
But as a sophomore in 2021-22, Adem put on a show, averaging 26.4 points, 7.8 assists and three steals per game in leading Spring Valley to the state championship game. On the club circuit, he plays with Vegas Elite in the competitive Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, where his efforts have led to interest from college recruiters.
“We keep telling him to stay on course and be patient with the rehab,” Spring Valley coach Paul Blair said. “We have given him the green light to slow down and to make sure everything is clicking on all cylinders. When he is ready to rock and roll, that immediately will give the other (players) a confidence boost.”
Adem spends most days after school in rehab, rotating between physical therapy and strength and conditioning. While he’s eager to get back to competition, knowing club circuit games are on the horizon, he’s also been ordered by doctors to take it slow and go through the process.
Being patient and deliberate, they stress, is paramount.
“At times, I get a little impatient, especially when I see my team playing,” Adem said. “I’m on the bench and might be a little antsy. But other than that, I’m just like, trusting the process. Trusting God. Waiting for my time.”
Of course, that’s easier said than done when considering that the offseason is when college coaches do the heavy lifting on recruiting. Blair said interest in Adem is still strong, with schools such as Colorado, Pepperdine, UC Irvine and Princeton still in contact.
“The coaches I have talked to want to see what he can do out of the gate, because it’s a knee injury,” Blair said. “It’s hard to make a (scholarship) offer because of the fear of the unknown. They are waiting to see what he can do, and when they see he’s OK, which he will be, that’s when the (offer) flood gates will open.”
Adem isn’t cleared to return to gym workouts but is allowed to shoot at his leisure — naturally, without jumping. He’ll shoot 100 free throws most mornings while on campus, making about 80-85 attempts, he said.
The injury happened as he was fouled while driving to the basket. He immediately sensed something was wrong but stayed in the game to shoot — and make — the free throw.
His routine also includes watching videos of notable NBA players who have had a similar injury, seeing how the likes of Derrick Rose and Kawhi Leonard returned from knee surgery to be impact players and gaining confidence that he too will shine.
“I did a lot of research,” he said. “When I found out I was hurt, that was kind of like my motivation. I watched a lot of Kobe (Bryant). He had his Achilles (tendon injury), and that helped me, seeing how he dealt with it. It’s controlling what he could control and let God do the rest.”
Adem’s therapist and trainers have told him he’ll come back bigger and stronger. He also wants to return as a smarter player after sitting and watching for months. The injury happened in late November, and he should be cleared in the summer.
“He’s on a mission to get back to superstardom,” Blair said.
