‘He’s had some horrible losses’
Andrew Cole lives and breathes basketball.
Whether it’s watching the NBA’s Toronto Raptors or playing with his Niagara Falls Red Raiders travel team, the lure of the hardwood is a big part of the 14-year-old’s life.
And that’s what makes the events of January 8 even harder for the Prince Phillip Public School student.
Cole was doing layup drills during a practice with the Red Raiders when he heard a loud crack and fell to the floor in a heap.
“I went to drive to the basket and in mid-jump there was a crack in both my knees,” the teen said. “It was like a fiery burn. I fell down and I couldn’t move my legs.”
As it turns out, Cole had fractured his tibia in both of his legs.
“His left knee was pretty much shattered,” said his grandmother, Zdenka.
“We live five minutes away from Stamford (Collegiate). They called me,” Cole’s mother, Lorena Molina, said. “They said
‘Don’t be scared, we’ve called an ambulance.’
“When I saw him on the floor, it just got me.”
After stops at Niagara Health’s Greater Niagara General site and McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Andrew has been undergoing rehab treatments at Holland Bloorview Children’s rehabilitation hospital in Toronto but is back in Niagara Falls on weekends.
He has recently started exercises to strengthen his knees and at this point can walk as long as he’s careful.
While having to deal with rehab for his knees and being away from the game he loves, Andrew is also dealing with the loss of his father, David, who died earlier this year.
“He’s had some horrible losses in his life,” Zdenka said.
“When I was little, my dad and I would always watch the Raptors on TV,” Cole said.
He also misses being on the court.
“It’s hard for him to be away from his teammates,” Zdenka said.
Through family friend Gloria Garcia of Niagara Folk Arts Council, the Coles were put in touch with Greg Miller, a basketball coach at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in St. Catharines, who is also a coach in the St. Catharines Rebels travel organization.
Miller was all too happy to pay Andrew a visit and lend some moral — and technical support.
“Gloria told me about Andrew and it made me think it might be good to meet him,” Miller said.
And his advice for Andrew? “It’s really hard when you want to play. Go to YouTube and watch a lot of basketball to see what players are doing,” Miller said, noting that basketball is as much mental as it is about physical skill.
“That’s the part of the game that can set you apart,” he said. “It will show anyone when you come to practice that you’re a mature leader.”
Miller also provided Andrew with a chance to see some pro basketball live, giving the boy a pair of tickets to an upcoming Niagara River Lions game in St. Catharines.