Tigers’ Gakwasi thankful to be playing again after back surgeries
With how complicated back injuries can be, Darius Gakwasi admits that undergoing two surgeries for two herniated discs led to moments in rehab where he doubted if he would ever play basketball again.
But having the support of his Princeton basketball teammates aided in the mental side of the process.
“My teammates were texting me a lot and saying, ‘We’re here for you, you’re going to come back better than ever,’” Gakwasi recalled Friday. “Then once I got momentum and I got healthy, things have been smooth sailing. It’s just nice to be playing with my friends again, and that’s really what it feels like.”
About one year after his second surgery, the 6-foot-6 junior guard matched his career high with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting in Princeton’s 84-53 win against Delaware Valley at Jadwin Gymnasium as the Tigers improved to 11-1 on the season.
Gakwasi also dropped 18 points nine days earlier against Bryn Athyn, along with seven rebounds and six assists across both outings while seeing extended minutes. Princeton deployed all nine of its healthy bench players in both games against Division III opponents.
“Our starters have really done a good job of getting us off to a hot start, and that allows a lot of guys who are coming off the bench to get good experience, and then once we get in there, we try to play the Princeton way,” Gakwasi said. “That’s moving the ball, and my teammates have just been finding me. I’ve luckily been the one who’s open, and just doing my job to make the shot.”
Gakwasi, a Portland, Oregon native, appeared in seven games as a freshman before undergoing his first surgery in May of 2022. He said he was too eager and returned to the court a bit too quickly, which was why he needed another surgery last December and missed his entire sophomore season.
“This year has kind of just been a good full-circle moment,” Gakwasi said. “Rehab is honestly something that’s gonna be ongoing with me for the rest of my life. Backs are something that you have to absolutely take care of. Stretching and PT are something that’s my daily routine now, and so even once basketball is done and the ball stops rolling, that’ll be something that I continue to do.”
Bench Production
Sophomore Vernon Collins added 11 points and six rebounds. Freshmen Dalen Davis and Jacob Huggins each netted 10 points. Sophomore Jack Scott had a nice all-around performance with four points, four assists, one block, two steals and a career-high 12 rebounds.
Starters Xavian Lee, Matt Allocco, Blake Peters, Caden Pierce and Zach Martini played anywhere from seven to 14 minutes in this one after all subbing out after five minutes in the Bryn Athyn game. Scott, Davis, Gakwasi, Huggins and freshman Derek Sangster started the second half when the Tigers emerged from the locker room with a 45-21 lead.
“When I come in, whatever minutes I have it’s just come in and do my best,” said Davis, who also recently gave Princeton a spark with 24 points in games against St. Joe’s and Drexel. “I come from a winning program in high school as well (Whitney M. Young in Chicago), so whatever the team needs, I think I was able to do what I had to do for us to win.”
Davis said Princeton has focused more on the little details in these two tune-up games after suffering its only setback of the season at St. Joe’s. The players have also been taking final exams.
“We lost to St. Joe’s by a couple points, and obviously that comes down to just details. One play, two plays here and there,” Davis said. “It’s finals week, so just having fun has been the main thing for us.”
Freshman Jackson Hicke had to be helped off the floor after taking a hard fall while going up for a block with 55.1 seconds left in the first half. He was still being medically evaluated after the game.
Up Next
Princeton’s next game is next Saturday at Delaware. The Blue Hens (8-4) are No. 139 in the KemPom rankings and beat Princeton last season at Jadwin, 76-69.
After that, Princeton will begin its 14-game Ivy League slate Jan. 6 at home against Harvard.
But first, the Tigers will enjoy time off with their families for Christmas.
“We’ll come back in on the 27th super locked in on the scout,” Davis said. “We’re gonna take each day super seriously and focus on winning that day. And hopefully that leads to wins.”