By Ryan Canner-O’Mealy, RISE Magazine
April 29, 2008

Finally, Delvon Roe was back where he belonged.

Four months after microfracture surgery on his right knee, the St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) star forward had traded in his crutches for Jordans and was working out with fellow All-Americans at a practice in preparation for April 19’s Jordan Brand Classic.

A month ago, Roe was cleared for basketball-related activities and began jogging. Now, he’s sprinting and working his way back into basketball shape. By mid-May, he expects to be cutting and displaying some of the pre-surgery explosiveness that helped make him one of the nation’s best players.

And when he heads to Michigan State to begin his college career on June 13, he intends to be close to 100 percent.

Signs of the injury linger -- there’s the bulky brace that looks more suited for an offensive lineman, the huge bag of ice on the knee after a light workout and the ginger way he moves on the court. But all in all, it’s been a remarkably speedy recovery, more along the lines of Amare Stoudemire than Chris Webber, two famous microfracture patients. Roe’s quick healing is due in large part to his youth, but also his unyielding work ethic.

Despite being depressed when he hurt his knee in St. Edward’s season opener, that emotion turned to optimism immediately after the surgery.

“At first, it was, ‘Is this happening to me?’” Roe says. “But you have to look at it like it could’ve been a lot worse. It could’ve been a career-ending injury. It’s just six months and down the road, I can look back on it as the best six months of my life.”

With that in mind, he tore into his rehab with a vengeance.