Faulkner looks to cap return from injury with one last playoff run

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - In 2022, Jaden Faulkner was unsure if he was ever going to play basketball again, nonetheless be able to walk or run the same. But after recovering from two ACL injuries, Faulkner is defying the odds and is set to lead Millersville into the postseason Wednesday.

After missing the 2022-23 season while recovering from an ACL injury, Faulkner has helped lead the Marauders to a 23–5 record to earn a share of the PSAC Eastern Division Championship while averaging 16.9 points, and chipping in 5.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game as well. The graduate student guard has made a couple of entries into the program record book, and currently sits third in assists, fifth in free throws made, ninth in steals, and joined the 1,000-point club three games into this season. But, despite his talent, it was never a given he would earn those records, or even return to his current level of play.

"My initial doctor was saying I would never be the same, that I probably wouldn't walk or run the same," Faulkner said. "There was a lot of negative feedback, but I just trusted in myself and my plan and kept going with the process."

Faulkner has battled knee ailments since his sophomore season was cut short after six games. After getting treatment, he returned in 2021-22 and played the entirety of his redshirt junior season, leading the Marauders its first PSAC East title and NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007. However, issues in the same knee kept popping up. He underwent another surgery and opted to sit out the 2022-23 season in preparation for this year. While he said he's had no issues staying on the floor this season, there was an adjustment period early on.

"Not playing for a year is really challenging," Faulkner said. "You don't know what you need to work on, you're just trying to work on all aspects of your game. And then you get in that first game, you've got to catch your breath, you've got to jump different, you've got to slide your feet different. It's a big adjustment."

The 2021-22 season was one that tested Faulkner in many ways. Despite dealing with an ACL that never fully healed, he earned All-PSAC East First Team honors while guiding the Marauders to the PSAC Championship game. Faulkner was constantly working with his athletic trainers, pushing to stay on the court while promising to be responsible and come out of the game if he felt something was abnormally wrong. Once the season ended, doctors didn't provide Faulkner with good news, but he remained undeterred and motivated to return to the court. Now, after starting in every game this year, Faulkner is healthy and ready to lead the Marauders to a deep playoff run.

"I haven't felt this good [health-wise] since my freshman year," Faulkner said.

In Faulkner's corner throughout all of it was head coach Casey Stitzel. Stitzel knew that not only was Faulkner recovering physically, but also mentally. The coach noted that the thought of reinjury can linger in the back of a player's mind, throwing a wrinkle in the recovery plan. But due to the treatment he's received and his general mindset, Stitzel never doubted Faulkner would return for his final season.

"You're talking about probably the toughest kid maybe I've ever coached when it comes to tolerance of pain, playing through injuries, and that's not something to be taken for granted," Stitzel said. "Jaden is that kid that he's always going to try to find a way to play. His mentality is just all about toughness."

Along with Stitzel, athletic trainer Wendy Wheeler is someone Faulkner has turned to and trusted with his health ever since his initial injury occurred in 2019. Wheeler helped Faulkner recover from his first ACL tear, play his redshirt junior season, and now be able to return to a level doctors thought he wouldn't be able to reach.

"It was a long shot for him to play competitive basketball on the repair," Wheeler recalled. "Honestly, it's no short of miraculous. It's a pretty unusual occurrence. The type of injury he had and how he played through it, he really is just the toughest kid I think I've ever worked with in my entire life. He's worked so hard, and he's come so far."

Both Wheeler and Stitzel said Faulkner's performance in 2021-22 was nothing short of remarkable when considering what he played through. Each game, Wheeler and Faulkner talked and tested his knee, ensuring he was good to go. The more he played, the better Faulkner became at excelling despite the injury. Although he required a second surgery after the season, Stitzel mentioned how notable of an effort Faulkner made to never miss a game.

"I don't know if there's a kid I've ever been around that can play on what he played on two years ago, and he did it for his teammates," Stitzel added.

As Faulkner recovered from his second surgery, Stitzel was getting constant updates from his All-PSAC East guard and Wheeler on how physical therapy was going. Stitzel kept Faulkner's spot in the starting lineup reserved for when he would come back this season, as he never questioned whether Faulkner would return to his established level of play. Faulkner said his experience from his first rehab process helped him attack his most recent one even more determined and reaffirm his coach's belief.

"I probably attacked rehab and training harder than I ever have," Faulkner said. "Maybe the first time, I wasn't really dedicated to the process. I was afraid more so to come back and not be good. I think the second time around, I was in better hands, but I think I just attacked it harder."

Faulkner's teammates, who knew what he battled through in his redshirt junior year, respect him for pushing through and playing the whole season. Despite not playing last year while recovering from surgery, the rest of the Marauders have noticed the work he's put in to get back on the floor, with Jahme Ested saying he's been an inspiration to the team.

"Jaden being able to be here through his process after what he's been through, it's unbelievable to me and motivational for all of us," Ested said. "Seeing a guy who's been through what he's been through, being able to do what he does, I think it's very motivating to all of us."

In the first four games of the season, Faulkner averaged a respectable 16 points to go along with 6.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. Faulkner admitted that it took him a couple of games to knock the rust off from the year-plus layoff, as he adjusted to jumping back into competition. He showed flashes of the guard who earned a spot on the All-PSAC East First Team, including an 11 assist performance in his first game in 609 days, but it took some re-acclimating. Then, in the Marauders last game before starting PSAC competition, he delivered a vintage performance.

Faulkner dominated against Jefferson, helping the Marauders come back in the second half and hold off the Rams for a 71–68 win. Faulkner put up a stat line of 28 points on 55.0% shooting, while dishing out four assists and grabbing six rebounds. When the Marauders needed him, Faulkner delivered in the clutch, scoring 10 of the last 13 points for Millersville.

"We had a couple of days off after Thanksgiving, and I remember saying 'that looks like Jaden again,'" Stitzel reminisced.

Since then, Faulkner has hit his stride; he's been named PSAC East Athlete of the Week twice and is on pace to become the first player in program history to average at least 16 points and five assists per game. As someone who's able to get a bucket down the stretch or get a stop on the defensive end, Ested said Faulkner makes everyone's job easier when he's on the floor. Part of a starting five that has had each member earn at least one weekly conference award, Faulkner's return has been an undeniable force in the Marauders success this season.

As much of an impact Faulkner has had on the court, he's left quite the impression off of it as well. Wheeler called him "special, a once in a career kid," the way they pushed each other during his recovery process and how he knew he'd get back to this level of play. Stitzel, with hopes of one last playoff run together, also acknowledged the lasting mark Faulkner has made.

"I don't think I've ever been with a player for six years, so that's something right there," Stitzel said. "The last two years are probably one of the most successful periods of Millersville basketball, and the fact that Jaden's been a part of both on the court just shows you, at the end of the day, that kid cares so much about winning."

As his last season as a Marauder winds down, Faulkner and his teammates have their eyes set on a PSAC Championship. However, he knows how much adversity he overcame to not just help lead the Marauders into the postseason, but also etch his name in program history.

"It means a lot to me," Faulkner said. "It's scary, being injured so many times. But I'm still in the record books for certain things. It's kind of amazing. It gives me the satisfaction of that I didn't do this for nothing."

Schedule

Faulkner looks to cap return from injury with one last playoff run

Players Mentioned

Jahme Ested

Jaden Faulkner

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