Happy return
ADAMS TWP — Alex Gruber tooled around Las Vegas on a scooter when he would have much rather been playing basketball with his Mars hoop teammates.
A stress fracture in his right foot made that dream impossible, so Gruber made the most of the mid-December trip to Sin City on his new set of wheels.
“I spent about five weeks on my little scooter,” Gruber said. “Riding around Las Vegas was a blast. I felt no need to dwell on (the injury). It is what it is.”
But now Gruber, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, has left the scooter behind and has returned to the floor on his own two feet.
Just in time, too, for the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs.
Gruber averaged 13.3 points and 11.7 rebounds last season as a junior and Mars coach Rob Carmody was in awe of how much work he put in over the spring, summer and fall to get even better.
“Having him back is like picking up an all-star player,” Carmody said. “I'm so excited for Alex. He handled it great. He had a great attitude about it.”
In Gruber's first game back from what amounted to a two-month layoff against Knoch Feb. 8, Carmody found it hard to reign him in.
Gruber was jumping out of the gym again — at his own peril.
“The first time he gets the ball, he tries to dunk and ends up hitting the bottom of the backboard,” Carmody said. “He was acting like a wild thing out there. The next game he settled down. He adds such a dimension to us.”
Gruber will add that dimension coming off the bench in the playoffs — a role he said he is more than happy to fill.
Anything beats sitting and watching, something Gruber has had to do at times throughout his career.
A broken left ankle limited him as a sophomore. Last year a broken nose forced him to wear a cumbersome face mask as protection, and this year, in the opening tip-off tournament of the season, Gruber suffered the stress fracture in his foot.
“Unfortunately, I'm no stranger to injury,” he said. “Life happens. Stuff happens. I just know my teammates have my back. They are always there for me.”
Gruber wants to be there for them when the playoffs begin for Mars Tuesday.
The Planets received the No. 3 seed in the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs. Last year, Mars was the No. 1 seed and was upset by Ambridge in the quarterfinals to torpedo the Planets' dream of a district title.
This year, with Gruber back and able to contribute for a team that led Class AAA in scoring at 76.5 points per game, the Planets have rekindled that dream.
“I feel really good,” Gruber said. “I feel closer to 100 percent. I'll come off the bench and give us another rebounder and help the team where they need me. Whatever they need me to do to help us win.
“When I was out, I knew this team would take care of business,” Gruber added. “All my good friends were out there, and I'm glad I'm back out there, too, to help us get where we ultimately want to go.”
