A fairytale finish for Bulldogs

Notre Dame will play Festus in a Class 2 sectional game today. ~ Southeast Missourian

About a week after Bryce Willen tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the finals of the Class 2 District 1 championship soccer game in early November, doctors gave the senior little hope of participating in athletics in his remaining months at Notre Dame Regional High School.

"I asked them when could I get back, and they said basketball was out of the question," Willen said.

The injury was a big blow for the Notre Dame boys basketball team, leaving the squad without its top overall player. Willen averaged 18.1 points and 6.8 rebounds a game as a junior and led the Bulldogs in nearly every category. He was honorable mention all-region and a member of the all-Southeast Missourian basketball team.

But with the help of a good doctor, a successful surgery and plenty of hard work, Willen defied the odds and helped lead the Bulldogs to a Class 4 district basketball title Friday over Dexter. Willen and his teammates will look to continue their season tonight in a sectional matchup with Festus at 8:15 at Mineral Area College in Park Hills.

The road to recovery for Willen started in Indianapolis at the Shelbourne Clinic, where world-renowned ACL specialist Dr. K. Donald Shelbourne performed his surgery. Shelbourne's techniquie, which he developed, uses a patellar tendon graft from the non-injured knee. The technique is said to help athletes return to the field by three months after surgery.

Shelbourne's resume includes a stint as team doctor for the Indianapolis Colts from 1984 to 1998 and includes a connection to the Willen family as team doctor from 1976 to 1992 at Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, where Bryce's father, Reid Willen, attended and his grandfather still coaches.

Willen's recovery, like most athletes recovering from a knee surgery, started slowly. But as he got into his rehabilitation, Willen discovered the knee healing quicker than expected.

"I think I always pushed a little harder than they told me to. I noticed slowly things were getting better," Willen said.

Things were moving along quickly enough that Willen was able to make a brief appearance in a road game at Jackson on Jan. 14. Although only on the court for a matter of seconds, Willen was beginning to feel a comeback to the court was more of a reality.

Willen said taking the floor at Jackson was a bit nerve-wracking as well.

"At first when I got out there I was nervous, even paranoid I would get bumped or hit and I'd injure my knee again," he said.

The appearance at Jackson went smoothly, and over the next couple of weeks Willen continued to make progress. In Notre Dame's final two home games Willen scored nine points, as he started to work himself back into game shape.

With the start of the district tournament, Willen was ready to show he was back. In three games Willen scored 55 points, including a 25-point performance in a 60-58 semifinal win over Sikeston. In the final, Willen scored 18 points to lead the third-seeded Bulldogs over top-seeded Dexter.

Willen said that while he questioned at times whether he would be able to play this season, being able to play well and win a district championship helped make up for missing much of his final season.

"The whole time I was going through my rehab, I would think, 'What am I working for? I can take my time.' But now that I worked hard and played some good basketball, it made it worth it," Willen said. "It kind of felt like a complete basketball season."

For Notre Dame coach Paul Hale, who saw the Bulldogs improve from six wins last year to nine this season without Willen, having the team's top player back is simply a bonus.

"It's a blessing. I'm sure there's been a lot of prayers said," Hale said. "I'm just pleased he's had a little success because he deserves it. I hope he has a little more."

Despite being the only team in the Class 4 tournament with a sub-.500 record at 12-16, the Bulldogs still have a legitimate shot at making a run at a state final four berth. With the addition of the 6-foot-5 Willen, Notre Dame adds some size to go with his scoring.

Hale said Willen adds other dimensions to the team.

"He's a good passer; he does other things than just scoring," Hale said. "He's a better defender than I thought he'd be right now. It just gives us another weapon, more depth. It give us more size than we've had all year."

The Bulldogs' sectional opponent, Festus (23-5) is coming off a 75-60 victory against Hillsboro in the district championship game at North County. Both teams have defeated Perryville, St. Vincent and Ste. Genevieve.

"I truly believe it's a winnable game," Hale said.

Added Willen: "I think we're going to be pretty dangerous. There's no pressure on us. We're just out there having fun."

As for making it to Columbia, Mo., Hale would not look that far ahead.

"I'm not looking ahead. I'm worried about Festus," Hale said. "I don't even know who's playing beyond that."