Great article
here about Josh Dotzler and his life lessons:
Call him a survivor. Dotzler's senior day at Creighton arrives on Saturday. It's been a long career, a good one in many ways, but not the one he or anyone else dreamed of four years ago.
Somebody lost the Hollywood script. Dotzler had it all in front of him back then. He had committed to Creighton as a sophomore at Bellevue West. His team won the state title his senior year. He was a two-time Nebraska Player of the Year. Big-time schools were starting to look at him. But he was going to Creighton.
He matched the hype as a freshman. Dotzler ranked high among Missouri Valley guards in steals and assists and assist/turnover margin. He had a jumper. He could guard. He was on the road to becoming one of the best players ever to wear a Bluejay uniform, certainly one of the most popular. This was the Omaha hoops dream.
Doctors repair knees, not dreams.
Dotzler suffered a torn PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) in his right knee. It's rare, almost fluky. Players can come back from ACL tears. But PCL injuries are different. They are ruthless. They rob potential. They gut dreams.
"I really haven't thought about it, except when people ask," Dotzler said. "I truly believe things happen for a reason, so you can learn from all experiences. There's no sense in thinking about what might have been, because it's not going to happen."
Josh said, "There were times when I thought, should I even be playing? Am I good enough to play on this team? Am I good enough to play on this level? I went through some tough times. I never dealt with injuries before, never sat out. I didn't know if my body would respond."
Dotzler did not fall apart. He comes from a large family, a good family. He's married. He's mature. He's extremely grounded and classy. He has more than basketball to fall back on, even as he continues to dive for loose balls. And he has been a mentor to freshman point guard Antoine Young, who grew up watching Dotzler at Bellevue West. The torch is being passed with care.
"I've learned a lot from Josh," Young said. "I've watched him as a leader, watched how he conducts himself every day. I admired his toughness. He's taught me a lot about toughness, about leadership."
People sometimes wonder why Dotzler plays over Young. One man doesn't. There have been times Dotzler was the only player on the floor playing defense, the only guy doing the things Altman preached. He has been a poster boy for this program.
"Josh has brought so many good qualities to the program," Altman said. "His assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0, top five in the nation) is outstanding. He's a good defender. And he's been a leader. He comes to practice every day trying to get the other guys to play hard. Before games he'll be trying to get them going. That's draining. He's had to carry that load."
