McHenry’s Adam Anwar maintains positive attitude despite injury

Adam Anwar stands 6-foot-7, and the 16-year-old knows he’s not done growing.

Not as a basketball player, anyway.

So even though the junior is wearing a sling to support a soft cast on his left arm thanks to a broken wrist he suffered recently, McHenry’s basketball star isn’t sulking.

Rather, he’s looking at his potential season-ending injury as an opportunity to continue his development.

“[The doctors] told me to go at my own pace,” Anwar, who’s right-handed, said six days after breaking his wrist in the third quarter of a win Jan. 10 at Prairie Ridge. “I’m hoping that I can come back before the season ends, but [in the meantime] I’m just doing what I can on the sidelines to help the team succeed this season.”

McHenry isn’t sulking either, apparently.

With their 61-47 win at Belvidere North on Saturday, the Warriors are 3-0 without Anwar, who leads the team in most categories, including scoring (19.3 ppg), rebounding (7.5 rpg), free-throw percentage (82.5%) and blocked shots (23). He’s second on the team in 3-point shooting (16 of 45 for 35.6%).

Senior veteran Caleb Jett has had games of 20, 23 and 25 points since Anwar went down, while senior guard Dylan Hurckes is averaging 14 points in the three games. McHenry takes a 16-2 record, including 8-0 in the Fox Valley Conference, into Wednesday night’s game at Hampshire.

“I have a ton of confidence in my guys, with or without me on the court,” Anwar said. “I’m going to do my best to lead them off the court. But on the court, I know that they’re going to play really hard.”

Anwar will continue to work hard at practice, even though he’s limited to right-handed shooting and dribbling as his wrist heals. The injury will allow him to hone his leadership qualities, he said, and that will be his focus.

“It makes me realize that I can affect the game even though I’m not playing,” he said.

Anwar knew his injury was bad as soon as it happened. He had the ball on offense when he spun off a defender and fell awkwardly on his left wrist.

He had surgery three days later to repair breaks in the left radius and ulna bones.

“When I broke it, I had a lot of tough thoughts like, ‘Is the season going to be over? How am I going to be able to help my team moving forward?’ ” Anwar said. “I just think all of those negative thoughts don’t really help anything. I’ve always had that positive environment around me, whether it’s my parents [father Walead and mother Basma] or my coaches.”

He said that’s why he is able to keep a smile on his face and keep a positive attitude, and also why he thinks he will heal fast. Besides, he’s been through the injury before.

When he was in eighth grade feeder, he suffered the same injury to his left wrist and was sidelined for about 2½ months.

“I have the trauma experience from it,” he said. “So I know how to deal with this. I’m expecting a pretty quick recovery.”

Anwar is expected to see his doctor Tuesday, at which time he’ll learn more about his potential return to the basketball court and rehab.

“Mentally, this is definitely a little bump in the road,” Anwar said. “But it’s nothing that’s going to affect me the rest of the season. I mean, I’m a really positive person. This is going to be fine. Everything happens for a reason. I’m good.”

He’s so good, in fact, that he swats away negative thoughts like an opponent’s shot in the lane.

“I love this sport,” Anwar said. “I love playing basketball, it’s my passion, it’s my dream, it’s my goal. I was asking the doctor when can I realistically come back and he was telling me, ‘Just keep your head up, stay optimistic, and we’re going to get you back when you can.' I’m hoping to come back before the season ends, but if that doesn’t happen, I just got to stay happy and stay focused.”