Darlington’s James back at full strength

DARLINGTON—Anyone who knows Donnie James can tell you how hard last season was for him.

Not the six months of intensive rehab for a torn ACL, although that took it’s toll of course.

No, James’ somber year came from being denied the opportunity to play basketball.

“I love basketball,” James said. “It’s not my life, but it’s an everyday thing for me. Being around the guys and practicing everyday was just something you look forward to.

“I tried to stay strong, but it was hard not to (break down) sometimes.”

“It was tough on him, and it was hard to see him around school knowing he couldn’t play,” Darlington coach Ken Howle said. “He missed a lot of our practices with rehab but came to most of the games.

“I know it was killing him not being on that court.”

The team missed him as well. The Falcons were bounced from the Class 3A playoffs in the second round for the second straight year.

“We had a lot presence inside, but nothing really on the outside last year,” Howle said.
But after nearly a year and half away from the floor, James has seemingly not missed a beat.

Through eight games, James is the Falcons’ leading scorer, averaging 20.4 points a game as Darlington is off to a 7-2 start following Thursday’s win over South Florence.

“We were missing that go-to guy who could create things that some of the other guys couldn’t last year,” Howle said. “That’s Donnie. He’s our glue.”

The daily grind

James’ season took an unexpected turn during the Falcons’ first two football games of last season.

James said he sprained his knee against Hartsville in the season opener. A week later in Cheraw, he heard a pop in his right knee after making a hard cut.

“I tore some ligaments, and not the ones that you can back from in six weeks,” James said. “It took almost a year and half to get back comfortable playing ball.”
James said he had four days of intense rehab a week riding a bicycle and strenghthing his knee.

“I tried to be vocal on the bench during that time at games,” James said. “But everything happens for a reason, and sitting on the bench not being able to play makes you realize that you can’t take life for granted.”

Despite dressing out for the Falcons’ last playoff game, James didn’t see any real playing time until practice began for this season.

Even though he was thrilled to be back on the court, he was a little nervous at first, he said.

“I took those first couple of practices kind of easy,” said James, whose knee still swells up from time to time. “But after a while, I realized I couldn’t come back halfway, so I just stopped thinking about my knee and just played.”

“As far as I can tell, he’s 100 percent,” Howle said. “He can do pretty much everything he did before when it comes to jumping or turning and running upcourt.”

A lot of new faces

Before the injury, James had a lot of height at his disposal with Kiara Douglas and David Short, each taller than 6-foot-8.

But the team that James helped capture the Region 5-3A title two years ago is all but gone.

“We had nine new faces this year, including Donnie’s,” Howle said. “Everybody was new, kind of, and we were a different team. We didn’t have the big men like we had when Donnie last played.

“But it wasn’t really about him adjusting to them, it was about them adjusting to him.”

James has picked up nearly where he left off in terms of stats. The senior is pulling down 6.4 rebounds per game, dishing out 3.4 assists and coming up with 2.6 steals.

“There are times where we have to tell Donnie to be selfish with the ball because he tries to get so many of his teammates involved,” Howle said. “He was really hard on them to begin with, but I think he’s bought into the idea of nurturing them a little more.”

South Florence transfer Torey Wright and returning starter Brad Knox have complemented James well heading into region play, which begins tonight against Marlboro County.

“I’ve always tried to lead by example,” James said.

Future concerns

James still has big dreams.

“I’ve never gone to the state championship in football or basketball,” he said. “I’m a senior now, so this is my last chance.

“I think we have the talent to do it, we just have to continue to work hard and get better.”

James also hopes to play college ball and make his way to the NBA one day. After a stellar sophomore year, though, the recruiting calls hit a dry spell last year.

“We’ve started to get some more calls about Donnie, and hopefully, playing some of the good teams in the region and maybe having a playoff run will increase those,” Howle said.

But no matter what his future concerns are, one thing is certain: “This should be a much better year than the last one,” James said.