FOXBURG — On opening day of the high school basketball season, A-C Valley girls basketball coach Dave Sherman and his wife were involved in an automobile accident.

It may have been one of the best things to ever happen to Sherman.

He suffered a head injury and had a CT scan. The trauma from the accident paled in comparison to what else doctors found.

A ticking time bomb in his head in the form of a cyst that was partially blocking his cerebrospinal fluid.

“I had it my whole life,” Sherman said. “Never knew. Usually it takes some kind of trauma to find something like that, so the wreck we were in was a blessing in disguise. Had they not found it, it could have cut loose at any time.”

And Sherman would have died instantly.

Instead, he gets to coach the resurgent A-C Valley girls basketball team again, a team that is 12-6 without a senior on the roster.

Sherman had surgery to remove the cyst three days after the accident and spent six weeks recovering.

He missed 11 games. Former A-C Valley coach Leo Marron filled in for Sherman.

“Leo did a great job with us,” said junior forward Kylee Eaton. “He knew us as players and he's always been a good coach and someone I respect a lot.”

While Sherman was convalescing, he kept in touch with his players via FaceTime. Some also visited him at home.

“It was pretty hard because we were concerned about his health,” Eaton said. “We knew we'd be all right as a team because we've played together for so long. We were just worried about him.”

Sherman returned to the bench Jan. 24 against Clarion-Limestone.

Sherman said it took some time for him to get back into the swing of coaching again.

“There are times when I'm standing there and thinking, 'Should I take a timeout or not,' Sherman said. “That's something you get with more game experience. It takes awhile to get into the flow of that, (but) it comes back to you quickly.”

When he returned, Eaton said the players were relieved.

“We were grateful for him being back because it meant he was healthy,” Eaton said. “It's made me personally cherish a lot of things because you never know what's going to happen.”

Sherman feels the same way.

Sherman sees life a lot differently now. He also appreciates everything a little bit more.

“Oh my goodness, yes,” he said. “Absolutely everything. I was very fortunate. I'm fortunate just to be here, to watch the girls and interact with them. They're great kids.”