SCC's Banks happy to return to court, Columbia after heart ailment

When Scott County Central senior Larandis Banks bounded off the baseline during conditioning at the end of one of his final practices at Ronnie Cookson Gymnasium on Monday, there was no indication it was something he was unable to do just a few months before.

And any previous physical limitations is even less apparent when you consider the recent play of the senior point guard, who was Class 1 first-team all-state a year ago. Banks scored 38 points in SCC's 64-62 win over Leo-pold in the district championship game Feb. 27, including the game winner, and leads the 24-5 Braves with 18.8 points per game. He has knocked down a team-best 34 3-pointers,

For Banks, who will step onto the floor at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo., on Thursday afternoon to play in a Class 1 state semifinal against Stanberry (26-1), being able to play basketball -- and even run during practice -- has become a blessing.

He said he found out from a physical during the summer that his "heart was slightly swollen at the bottom."

That resulted in him being put on medicine to help the problem, and he was told not to participate in any physical activities for five to six months, which kept him from any sort of summer or preseason workouts.

Scott County Central senior Larandis Banks started at point guard on the last Braves team to win the Class 1 title in 2012. (Laura Simon)

"I missed a lot of practice," said Banks, who still is on medication. "It was miserable for me. ... I didn't think I was ever going to be able to play again, but months later I got a call from my doctor."

That call led to Banks completing a stress test, and when the results showed that the swelling had gone down, he was released to begin practicing after the Braves already had played their first couple of games.

"I was excited. I was trying to do everything," Banks said with a smile. "I was ready to run, ready to play defense, everything. I told coach, 'Don't go easy on me.'"

SCC coach Frank Staple hasn't taken it easy on him, or his teammates, as they prepare for their final two games of the season, which could lead to the Braves' 17th state title. And Banks went so far as to admit that he likes the running after being sidelined.

"I think it kind of caught him off-guard and it made him realize that it could be taken away at any moment, so I think now he's not going to let anything stop him," Staple said. "Conditioning, you know, you tell them, 'Believe it or not, at one point you will miss this,' and I think when he had to sit out and watch, he missed it.

"He's taken advantage of every moment that he's had since he came back. He's ran every line drill his hardest, he's gone through every drill as hard as he can. He had some difficulties and God blessed him to come back, and I think he's going to make the most of it."

Banks, who started as a sophomore for SCC's most recent title team in 2012, missed the first four games of the season. He made his senior debut with 12 points against Advance on Dec. 17 and netted 20 points in the championship game of the Oran Invitational four days later.

"It was tough. It was real tough," Banks said. "But once I got back in the swing of things, things started going better and I think our team, the chemistry level just raised up a bit."

He felt like a lack of conditioning was evident in those first couple games, but that didn't last long.

"I think it affected me a lot when I first came back in the Oran Invitational, but like after the Christmas tournament I think I got my wind back," Banks said. "When I first got back into practice it was just about getting my legs back, and trying to get my team where it needed to be."

The Braves held their own without Banks, winning three of those first four games, but there's no doubt that having his scoring and leadership back makes the team even better.

"I thought the boys played great when he wasn't here, but when he comes back he just gives you so much," Staple said. "He adds so much with his scoring ability, his athleticism, and he's grown up a lot this year and taken a leadership role. That's probably the thing I'm most proud of him for is he's grown up. And having him, he's a first-team all-state kid and all those things, but just having to miss, I think it just elevated us to another level that we could get to this point."

Staple's confident that Banks' renewed intensity has pushed his teammates.

"They want to get right with him and follow him, and that's part of leadership," Staple said. "We ask those guys to come out, 'You set the tone, be that positive example,' and when your team leader is working that hard, then that gives them the right to get on to other kids and kind of motivate them. When you have your best guys, your best players working that hard, it rubs off on everybody."

Banks hasn't had any complications since his return, and he has not had to limit himself during practices or games.

"I'm 100 percent good to go."