Following injury, stars align for Paraclete's Kilcoyne
April 20, 2015
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
LANCASTER - A few days after suffering a season-ending ACL injury during a game shortly before the start of the new year, a dejected Patrick Kilcoyne began to think of the unthinkable.
"After I had surgery, I was laying in bed for two weeks, recovering, waiting to get out, and I started thinking I may not play basketball again," the Paraclete senior said.
Lost in dark thoughts at the time, perhaps Kilcoyne's biggest handicap then wasn't the one that prevented him from using both his legs to get from place to place.
A lethal long-distance shooter on track to play college basketball, Kilcoyne's biggest hurdle became mental, an internal struggle to determine where to even go once he was back on his feet.
"There were times I was like, 'Maybe this isn't for me,'" Kilcoyne said. "Maybe this isn't God's plan. Maybe he's telling me, 'You should go do something else.'"
Nearly four months of both physical and mental recovery after a tragic day, Kilcoyne is back on course to the same thing he's loved since he was an infant: playing basketball.
And after committing to play for Division III school Birmingham Southern College in Alabama Monday, it's safe to say the sport is back on Kilcoyne's radar full force.
"It was a true blessing," Kilcoyne said of the scholarship, which will pay for 70% of his expenses. "Not many other colleges would have treated me like that. They truly make me feel like I'm home. That's where I'm supposed to be."
Following a summer in which Kilcoyne worked with Rojo athletic trainers Joe Vierra and Shon Roe to gain body strength for his senior season only to see it come to an end nine games in, the Panthers were indeed a godsend.
Kilcoyne was entertaining options from multiple schools, but those became limited after an unfortunate venture into the lane by the guard during the first quarter of a game at the Wasco Tournament on Dec. 26 left him with a torn left ACL and meniscus.
"All I remember is taking it to the basket, I jumped in the air, then I was on the floor, screaming in pain," Kilcoyne said.
Said Patrick's mother, Elizabeth Kilcoyne: "That was a hard blow. That really hurt my soul when he got hurt because he'd been trying and playing since he was a baby."
Patrick eventually made his way off his bed and off his crutches and began walking around wearing a leg brace. During Paraclete's senior night on Feb. 5, he was recognized for his two years of work with the varsity squad.
"He really showed his true character," Paraclete head coach Tim Atkerson said. "He never missed a practice. He was always at our games.
"To see how he responded with the maturity, how he handled that injury, it's beyond us."
Growing stronger by the day, Patrick abandoned his leg brace right around the time he placed a phone call to the 205 area code.
On the other line was a coach from an Alabama school who had stayed firm on his offer to bring Patrick over to play for him despite the Spirit's setback.
"That's when I realized I'd be stupid not to take this offer," Patrick said. "They stuck with me. They're going to give me a spot even though I'm injured. This is the type of injury a lot of colleges would have backed out and said, 'We don't want you, we don't want to mess with that.' They weren't even fazed by it."
A program built around a big man and a set of shooters, BSC doesn't plan on rushing Patrick back. The Panthers will help him fully recover and then have him condition his way back to playing shape.
"I know he works hard and I know he's getting better and we're excited about him coming in," BSC assistant coach Jason Parrish said during a phone interview on Monday. "(Injuries are) always a concern, but we want good guys to be part of our program."
A 4.3 GPA holder who volunteers at his church and is part of a program tasked with reading to children, Patrick fit that bill.
He's also deadly from 3-point range.
"We did some research and saw this kid can really shoot the ball," Parrish said.
On Monday, as he was joined by family at his high school's library to sign documentation to attend BSC - where he'll major in business administration - Patrick walked around without any sort of limp.
He can jog now and will be sprinting soon. He said he's hoping to reclaim all his strength by late August, when he'll be moving to Alabama.
"With the decision made, we've got our kid back," said Dennis Kilcoyne, Patrick's father, recalling his son's struggles to choose a college. "He's a whole different kid. The weight is off his shoulders."
It was a decision that began to take form last August, as the Kilcoynes drove across the country from Florida to California.
As they drove through the south, Elizabeth pushed Patrick to visit BSC, which had been sending letters to her son hoping to land him.
"I said, 'Let's just go see,'" Elizabeth said.
Eight months later, after a roller coaster year Patrick couldn't have seen coming, the new Panther is headed back there on Sunday to talk to the coaches.
It's been a wild past few months, but things are finally falling into place.
"It's exciting," Patrick said. "I've gotten to the part where I know the hardest part is behind me.
"I think it was a blessing in disguise."
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
LANCASTER - A few days after suffering a season-ending ACL injury during a game shortly before the start of the new year, a dejected Patrick Kilcoyne began to think of the unthinkable.
"After I had surgery, I was laying in bed for two weeks, recovering, waiting to get out, and I started thinking I may not play basketball again," the Paraclete senior said.
Lost in dark thoughts at the time, perhaps Kilcoyne's biggest handicap then wasn't the one that prevented him from using both his legs to get from place to place.
A lethal long-distance shooter on track to play college basketball, Kilcoyne's biggest hurdle became mental, an internal struggle to determine where to even go once he was back on his feet.
"There were times I was like, 'Maybe this isn't for me,'" Kilcoyne said. "Maybe this isn't God's plan. Maybe he's telling me, 'You should go do something else.'"
Nearly four months of both physical and mental recovery after a tragic day, Kilcoyne is back on course to the same thing he's loved since he was an infant: playing basketball.
And after committing to play for Division III school Birmingham Southern College in Alabama Monday, it's safe to say the sport is back on Kilcoyne's radar full force.
"It was a true blessing," Kilcoyne said of the scholarship, which will pay for 70% of his expenses. "Not many other colleges would have treated me like that. They truly make me feel like I'm home. That's where I'm supposed to be."
Following a summer in which Kilcoyne worked with Rojo athletic trainers Joe Vierra and Shon Roe to gain body strength for his senior season only to see it come to an end nine games in, the Panthers were indeed a godsend.
Kilcoyne was entertaining options from multiple schools, but those became limited after an unfortunate venture into the lane by the guard during the first quarter of a game at the Wasco Tournament on Dec. 26 left him with a torn left ACL and meniscus.
"All I remember is taking it to the basket, I jumped in the air, then I was on the floor, screaming in pain," Kilcoyne said.
Said Patrick's mother, Elizabeth Kilcoyne: "That was a hard blow. That really hurt my soul when he got hurt because he'd been trying and playing since he was a baby."
Patrick eventually made his way off his bed and off his crutches and began walking around wearing a leg brace. During Paraclete's senior night on Feb. 5, he was recognized for his two years of work with the varsity squad.
"He really showed his true character," Paraclete head coach Tim Atkerson said. "He never missed a practice. He was always at our games.
"To see how he responded with the maturity, how he handled that injury, it's beyond us."
Growing stronger by the day, Patrick abandoned his leg brace right around the time he placed a phone call to the 205 area code.
On the other line was a coach from an Alabama school who had stayed firm on his offer to bring Patrick over to play for him despite the Spirit's setback.
"That's when I realized I'd be stupid not to take this offer," Patrick said. "They stuck with me. They're going to give me a spot even though I'm injured. This is the type of injury a lot of colleges would have backed out and said, 'We don't want you, we don't want to mess with that.' They weren't even fazed by it."
A program built around a big man and a set of shooters, BSC doesn't plan on rushing Patrick back. The Panthers will help him fully recover and then have him condition his way back to playing shape.
"I know he works hard and I know he's getting better and we're excited about him coming in," BSC assistant coach Jason Parrish said during a phone interview on Monday. "(Injuries are) always a concern, but we want good guys to be part of our program."
A 4.3 GPA holder who volunteers at his church and is part of a program tasked with reading to children, Patrick fit that bill.
He's also deadly from 3-point range.
"We did some research and saw this kid can really shoot the ball," Parrish said.
On Monday, as he was joined by family at his high school's library to sign documentation to attend BSC - where he'll major in business administration - Patrick walked around without any sort of limp.
He can jog now and will be sprinting soon. He said he's hoping to reclaim all his strength by late August, when he'll be moving to Alabama.
"With the decision made, we've got our kid back," said Dennis Kilcoyne, Patrick's father, recalling his son's struggles to choose a college. "He's a whole different kid. The weight is off his shoulders."
It was a decision that began to take form last August, as the Kilcoynes drove across the country from Florida to California.
As they drove through the south, Elizabeth pushed Patrick to visit BSC, which had been sending letters to her son hoping to land him.
"I said, 'Let's just go see,'" Elizabeth said.
Eight months later, after a roller coaster year Patrick couldn't have seen coming, the new Panther is headed back there on Sunday to talk to the coaches.
It's been a wild past few months, but things are finally falling into place.
"It's exciting," Patrick said. "I've gotten to the part where I know the hardest part is behind me.
"I think it was a blessing in disguise."