Portage Sports Stories | Rootstown's Brandan Nicholas doesn't let injury define him

Brandan Nicholas is as tough of a competitor as Portage County has to offer.

He is used to getting knocked down and standing back up.

Over and over again.

Every single time.

It was different on Dec. 3, 2021.

In a Friday matchup at Mogadore, in just the second game of the season, the Rootstown Rovers senior basketball standout was cutting through the lane, trying to get open for a teammate that had picked up their dribble and was in trouble.

As the pass floated his way, Nicholas planted his foot and his right knee buckled under him.

And with it, every athlete’s nightmare.

“I felt a snap,” said Nicholas, who has been a contributor on varsity since his freshman season.

And just like that, this injury was going to be different than all the rest.

The initial medical evaluation at the hospital indicated that it could possibly be a dislocated kneecap.

Painful in its own way, but not as devastating as other possibilities — and a preliminary diagnosis that filled Nicholas with hope of a return to the court for his senior season.

Additional testing, however, confirmed that Nicholas had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

And just like that, the season was suddenly over.

Brandan Nicholas was destined for great senior season with Rootstown Rovers

“You just feel for him,” Rootstown coach Cody Calhoun said. “He was playing the best basketball of his career and you knew he was going to have a big season for us. Your heart just hurts for him, but I am so proud of the person he has become and you know he is going to make the best out of his situation.”

There was never any doubt about that.

It was like the Rovers’ coaching staff immediately added one more to its list.

Nicholas attends all practices, and he is not afraid to respectfully speak up when he sees an opportunity to help coach up a player.

Even from the sideline with a brace on his knee, Nicholas remains the vocal leader of the team and continues to be a trusted voice amongst his teammates and coaching staff.

“Brandan comes in every day and is ready to work,” Calhoun said. “He still sets the emotional tone in the gym every day and his teammates respond to him. This year’s senior class is a very close group and they miss having Brandan on the court with them, but they know he is with them all the way.”

It has been like that since he first got his chance at varsity minutes as a freshman. He has always been the kind of player that is somehow always making the big, impactful clutch play.

In his first-ever varsity action as a freshman, with the Rovers trailing 18 at Garfield, Nicholas sparked a later second-quarter rally by taking a charge, pulling down a couple of rebounds and hitting a layup to send Rootstown into halftime down 10 to the G-Men.

“He gained the respect of his teammates, especially the upperclassmen, right there,” Calhoun said. “At the next practice, I remember Scott Steger coming up to me, impressed by Brandan’s effort, and he said, ‘Coach, Brandan’s gotta play.’ For four years, there were so many times that when we needed a big play, even when you would least expect it, it was Brandan providing that spark. There is just something special about him.”

Brandan Nicholas expected the worst news about his injury but it still was heartbreaking

Including his maturity to handle a season-ending injury.

“The day I got hurt, I expected the worst right away, which is what most people do,” Nicholas said. “So it wasn’t as hard for me to accept the fact that I was done, because I had almost a week to process it. The news definitely was heartbreaking, still, but it pains me to sit and watch the games knowing I can’t be out there.”

But he may be preparing himself for a future leader of the game.

“Brandan has such a great personality,” Calhoun said. “He is never too high or never too low. He is right where good leaders live, in the middle with perspective. He has a great outlook on life. If Brandan ever wanted to be a coach one day, I know he would be very good at it. With Brandan, though, he is a one-of-a-kind player and a one-of-a-kind person, so he is going to find success no matter what he chooses to do. It’s just the way he attacks life.”

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Rootstown senior Brandan Nicholas suffered a season-ending knee injury