Aiden Williams ’28’s basketball season has come to an unexpected end after he suffered a torn ACL, leaving the basketball team without one of its key players before the upcoming season.

Mr. Matt Hooten, head basketball coach, said that losing Williams will hurt the team because of what he can do on the court and the leadership he brings.

“He was our highest returning scorer from last year’s team, so we knew that he was going to play an even bigger role for us this year, but there are also the pieces of his role involving leadership, coming out of his sophomore year spent on the varsity level, and his experience was very important for this team,” said Mr. Hooten

Mr. Hooten sees this as an opportunity for the rest of the team to step up to fill the void of Williams for the season

“There is a lot that we are going to need from everyone on the roster now; there’s not gonna be one person responsible for filling in all of the different things that would have been a part of Aiden’s role.

Mr. Hooten also said, “We have to grow from that and continue to push forward, and that’s true of us as a team, and it’s also going to be true for Aiden individually as he’s working on recovery.”

While his teammates look to have a successful season, Williams has to look towards a successful recovery so he can return strong and healthy for his senior campaign.

When asked about his motivation to stay strong during recovery, Williams said, “The process itself, just going through everything before. Everything like working out, going to practice every day, and doing extra things. That makes me want to come back stronger next year for the team.”