Aaron Gordon, MaxPreps' No. 2 ranked basketball player from the
Class of 2013, is a fierce competitor.
The 6-foot-8 forward has led
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) to back-to-back state championships based largely on his skill set, but according to coaches, equally on his motor and relentless drive to get the ball in the hoop.
Aaron Gordon
Photo by Todd Shurleff
He even played through a five-week stretch of mononucleosis, yet averaged 22.7 points, 12.8 rebounds. 2.6 blocks and shot 64 percent from the field last season.
"His will to win makes his teammates better and just relentless pursuit of greatness really sets him apart," Mitty coach Tim Kennedy said.
So, one could imagine, Gordon is not a good sitter.
He's been sidelined for almost two months now with a broken left big toe. He's missed almost all of the AAU season with the Oakland Soldiers and a gold-medal winning trip to Kaunas, Lithuania with the U17 USA basketball team.
"It's killing me not to play," he said two weeks ago at his brother Drew Gordon's NBA Draft gathering. "But at the same time it may be a blessing."
There's no clear-cut evidence that Gordon's injury is related to overuse, but the topic among high school athletes is becoming national.
A pair of nationally renowned health organizations are trying to raise awareness today on the topic of recovery.
The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) and The Gatorade Company have teamed up to declare today – July 11 – the first National Recovery Day.
It coincides with the one day U.S. sports take a break from competition. Major League Baseball is in the middle of its All-Star break and the NBA, NFL and NHL are enjoying their offseasons.
NATA reports that high school athletes sustain 2 million injuries each year and today's declaration attempts to heighten awareness.
"How athletes treat their bodies is critical to their performance," incoming NATA President Jim Thornton said. "How they prepare and recover physically and how they fuel their bodies before, during and after training or competition all make a difference. We hope that National Recovery Day will serve as a reminder to athletes worldwide to do everything possible to set themselves up for athletic success."
The two organizations are asking athletes and athletic trainers nationwide to share their recovery tips on their
Facebook and Twitter pages. There is more information on National Recovery Day on both the
NATA and
Gatorade websites.
Said Asker Jeukendrup, global senior director of Gatorade Sports Science Institute: "By combining our areas of expertise, we are working to ensure athletes are aware that recovering well is the key to coming back as stronger and better athletes."
