FREEPORT — Isiah Bauman caught a bubble screen and sprinted down the sideline at Derry Aug. 31.

The Freeport senior wide receiver planted his left foot to cut to the middle of the field, but his knee buckled and he crumpled to the grass.

Bauman knew what had happened.

His ACL was shredded. His season was over.

Bauman lost much more than that, however.

Before the injury, the explosive receiver/defensive back was receiving looks from Division I schools like Cornell, Columbia, Stetson and Bucknell.

After the injury, those programs stopped calling.

Crickets.

“It was tough,” Bauman said. “That's kind of why I soured on football.”

Division II schools like Indiana (Pa.) University, Clarion University and California (Pa.) University were still tepidly interested, but Bauman decided to go back to his other love.

Basketball.

He hadn't played since his sophomore year at Freeport — he left the sport to focus on football.

Now, he was interested in seeing what was out there for him on the basketball court.

Point Park University men's basketball coach Joe Lewandowski coached Bauman on his AAU team and asked Bauman about his football prospects.

When Bauman told him what had happened, they started talking. He said Lewandowski asked him if he was interested in playing for him with the Pioneers.

Bauman said yes, committing recently to Point Park.

“I was excited; I was kind of shocked at first,” Bauman said. “I hadn't played basketball for two years.”

Bauman is already working hard to polish up and improve his basketball skills just five months removed from his knee reconstruction surgery.

Bauman waited more than a month before going under the knife to strengthen the surrounding muscles of the knee.

“I was able to run before the surgery,” he said.

After the surgery, it's taken just five months for the 6-foot-1 guard to dunk.

Bauman posted a video on Twitter of him dunking on the hoop in a half-court area he has set up at his home.

“I'm not cleared for contact yet,” Bauman said. “I'm just cleared for light running and jumping. That's all I've been able to do.”

Even Bauman was surprised he was able to dunk.

“I didn't expect that,” he said. “It felt good, though.

“I've been out every day trying to get back into it,” he added. “I've been shooting and lifting with dumbbells at home. It's what you gotta do.”

Bauman said his strength when he last played was his relentless defense and quickness.

He's been working to regain his shooting touch, especially from mid-range.

“It's coming already,” he said. “Whenever you shoot for hours and hours a day, you can tell when you're getting better.”