Player Preview: Alijah Adem Minor Setbacks Into Major Comebacks
The longest journey begins with a single step. For Alijah Adem Alijah Adem 6'2" | PG Spring Valley | 2024 State #174 Nation NV , that step began on October 21st, 2022, Exactly one day earlier the Spring Valley guard…
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Continue ReadingThe longest journey begins with a single step. For Alijah Adem Alijah Adem 6'2" | PG Spring Valley | 2024 State #174 Nation NV , that step began on October 21st, 2022, Exactly one day earlier the Spring Valley guard suffered a knee injury that would derail his junior season. An injury like that can be difficult for seasoned vets, to handle, let alone for a rising teenage basketball prospect. However, Adem is no normal teenage basketball prospect. The day after his injury, he went right to work, formulating a plan that even factored in his disappointment.
“I gave myself a week to soak it all in, and think why me, but after that week I asked myself, what are you going to do about it now?”
What he did is the only thing he’s ever known how to do, he went back to work. He went immediately from surgery, right into working on mobility, putting in painstaking hours just learning how to bend his leg.
Before we write the story of his comeback, let’s rewind back two seasons ago. The 2021-22 High School Basketball season was a historic one, as teams took the floor after having the previous season wiped away by COVID-19. The absence of a 2020-21 season, denied Vegas high school basketball fans, a glimpse of a star-studded 2021 class and left the city with a void, and An uneasy sense of who exactly was going to be that player to fill it. In stepped Adem, a wiry strong 6’2 PG with an elite handle, deep range, and an electrifying game. He would captivate the state with one of the most prolific statistical seasons in history, It wasn’t just that he led the state in scoring and assist, to truly appreciate his season, you have to go deep inside the numbers. Adem shot a whopping 68% from the three point line while taking over 100 attempts on the season. To put that in perspective that was only 1 percent lower than his 2pt range. In fact, it wasn’t that he shot nearly 70% on 100+ attempts, it was the fact that he only shot 126 threes, making it even more remarkable. The leading three-point shot maker in the State that year made a total of 87 three-pointers. Adem made 86, however, he attempted EXACTLY 109 LESS SHOTS. Along the way, there were the moments. There was the 6 three-pointer game at Centennial, the 40-point explosion against Eldorado, and scoring 37 points and winning the much anticipated State Semifinal matchup against Las Vegas star and current Colorado St. Ram Tavionte Jackson. Coming into his junior year, it looked like the stage was set for him. During the summer, he had taken the challenge, traveling all around the country competing in Prephoops Circuit and other events. He hit the weight room, getting bigger, faster, and stronger, and as the season approached, all signs pointed toward another magical year… and then it happened. Going up for a dunk in a fall league game, the PG landed awkwardly. The news went from bad to worse, as he was ruled out for the season. It would be very easy for the story to end there, but if you think so, then you don’t know him at all. For those who do, like his father Abdul, a local high school and youth coach, responding to adversity is nothing new.
– Abdul Adem“Alijah took the stairs to get where he’s at not the elevator . Nothing has been giving to him. His hard work and commitment is second to none. He knows it’s not how you start but how you finish. I’m just so proud of the young man he’s becoming.”
After getting that leg to bend, the young man would relearn how to walk, then run, and finally jump. Fast-forward almost a year, and he’s back on the court again, maniacally competing in workouts while challenging himself to get better. He’s always been ultra-competitive, and in some ways his rehab only accentuates it. Losers run? Well, Adem will beat you and then join you in the sprint. Pushups after shots? How about after every drill? Whatever it takes he’s willing to give, and that attitude carries right over to the classroom where he is a 3.4 honor student. Because of that attitude, and GPA, he’s still on the radar of college coaches, even with the injury. Cal St. Bakersfield, Southern Utah, and UNLV have all monitored the senior’s progress from afar, looking to get in on an undervalued stock. For those programs and others wanting to know what type of player they may be getting, his response is quintessential.
“They’re getting somebody that’s not going to give up when it gets hard” I’m going to see it through, they’re getting a warrior”
This warrior soldiers on, marching directly to his target date. He was recently cleared by his doctors, checking off yet another milestone in his rehab. There’s really only one more date left, Nov. 30th. the date he makes his season debut, against Bonanza. If you know anything about Alijah Adem Alijah Adem 6'2" | PG Spring Valley | 2024 State #174 Nation NV , he’ll be ready.