After leading the Eagles in points, rebounds and assists last year, Wendell Davis will be taking his medical redshirt for the 2016-2017 basketball season after tearing his ACL over the summer.

On June 30th during his summer ball league, Davis went up to grab a rebound when his knee buckled. 

After sliding off the floor and stretching, he went back into the game only to discover five minutes later that the pain was more than just a tweak.

“I went back in and made a couple plays before I went back up for another rebound and I felt my knee just snap,” Davis said.

Davis immediately went to get an x-ray, although the results did not show any tear. It was not until two weeks later when he got his MRI results back showing he had torn his ACL.

The typical ACL recovery time is four to six months, although Davis believes that in order for him to get back to the point he was at prior to the injury, he would need about six to eight months of recovery time.

When Davis discovered he would be out for the season, he was heartbroken but realized there was nothing he could do about the situation and that he would change his focus to supporting his team and working to recover as quickly as possible.

“It took me some time, but I realized that there was nothing more that I could do but make the best of the situation,” said Davis. “Everything happens for a reason.”

Davis had dreams of graduating and beginning a professional career overseas with classmate, teammate and co-captain Boo Osborne. Both players began their career together and have been inseparable ever since.

“He will be okay, but it is not about basketball for me,” Osborne said. “We came in together and we wanted to finish together.”

With Davis out, it will be Osborne and his teammates who will fill the missing place left on the court.

“They are my teammates and I want it to be there time to shine,” Davis said. “My job is going to become pushing them and helping them as much as I can from the sidelines.”

Davis had his surgery on Aug. 3 and has already begun his physical therapy with the athletic trainers at Ashland. At the pace he is moving at, he could potentially be ready to play in the last few games of the year if he was not using his redshirt.

The Eagles will kick off their season on Nov. 4 in an exhibition game against Wooster.