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Wednesday, January 26, 2000

COMEBACK KID

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin

Five years after undergoing
hip surgery, Maryknoll High
basketball star Kenneth Lindsay
is living his dream

By Stan Constantino
Special to the Star-Bulletin

Meet Kenneth Lindsay, Maryknoll High basketball player and the epitome of the "Comeback Kid."

After experiencing pain in his hip due to a hereditary medical condition, Lindsay underwent surgery about five years ago. He then faced an athlete's worst nightmare: not being able to use his legs again.

But that didn't stop Lindsay from wanting to play. No matter what happened, the Spartans' senior told his mom, "I'm still going to play."

"My hip slipped out of the joint and I had to have surgery to push it back in and pin it," Lindsay said. "(Doctors) told me I might be able to play with the pin in there but it all depended on my growth."

The hip surgery was successful but the problems didn't end.

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Maryknoll basketball player Kenneth Lindsay works out in
the weight room. He leads the ILH in scoring with a 17.9
average, five years after doctors wondered if he'd walk again.

"The doctors said if I grew (in height) more, I would have to have another surgery to shorten the growth in my left leg,'' Lindsay said.

Karen Lindsay remembers her son's pain quite vividly. She cried as she watched him go through physical therapy.

"During therapy, he would be talking about playing basketball ... living his dream," she said. "I didn't think he would walk, let alone play basketball anymore.

"As a parent, being the devil's advocate for him, I told him that there might be a chance he might not be able to play basketball again. But he told me, 'Mom, I have my dream. No matter what you tell me, I'm gonna play, no matter what happens, I'm gonna play.' "

Although most had doubts about his basketball future, there was never a question in Lindsay's mind.

"He would be bouncing the basketball all the way home,'' his mother said. "After dinner, he would be shooting hoops outside in the dark, playing basketball night and day, even on the weekends."

Through what only can be called will and determination, Lindsay recovered after months of physical therapy. No second surgery was needed.

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Maryknoll basketball players Kenneth Lindsay, front, and
Russell Sypowicz work out in the weight room. Lindsay
is the ILH's leading scorer , averaging 17.9 points a game.

Lindsay again began playing competitively, making the Spartans' junior varsity. After a promising first season, he was moved up to varsity.

Since making a comeback on the court, Lindsay has been a guiding force for Maryknoll. For the past two years, he's been the leading scorer in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and this season is averaging 17.9 points.

"He's definitely important to our team,'' said Spartans head coach Garrett Gabriel.

"Any time you can take over a game the way he does, I think it's always important.

"I still think he has to learn both sides of the court, but I think he's definitely one of the premier players in the state."

Athletic. Agile. A good role model. You name it, Lindsay has been praised for it, proving his worth on as well as off the court.

"It's been an honor to have him because besides being such an outstanding athlete, he is an outstanding student-athlete," said Maryknoll Athletic Director Patty Heatherly.

"He's been a good role model for the student body."

"He's really really quiet, really soft-spoken," Gabriel said. "However, his biggest strength is, I think, growing from his junior to senior year. He is a leader."

Lindsay said he hasn't thought about what will happen down the road. He wants to enjoy his youth, concentrate on this basketball season, graduate this year and get into college.

"He's a really good kid," his mother said. "I just keep on him about his grades."