Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) wasn't supposed to be in the lane. He definitely shouldn't have been crashing the boards, especially during an open gym.
 
The Kutztown University redshirt junior's passion and love for the game got in the way. 
 
"My basketball instincts took over," he admitted. "I thought I would be fine."
 
If only.
 
Connolly, who already tore his labrum twice, both times requiring surgeries, was going up for a rebound when he tore his labrum an astounding third time in less than three years.
 
"I knew I did it right away, and I think everyone else did too," Connolly said. "I just put my head down and walked out the door and everyone just stopped. I didn't know if I should scream or cry." 
 
Kutztown coach Bernie Driscoll cringed when he saw that Connolly couldn't pull his arm back.
 
"Your heart just stopped. I was sick to my stomach," Driscoll recalled. "You just stopped dead in your tracks."
 
Almost a year and a half after that dreadful day in Keystone Arena which was followed by his third surgery and countless hours of rehab – again -- Connolly is not only healthy and back on the floor, but he is second on the team in scoring and leads the Golden Bears in three-point shooting and free throws. On Jan. 3 against Gannon, he poured in a career-high 29 points. 
 
Connolly will be the first to tell you that while he's ecstatic that he's been able to return to the court, he never thought he'd make such a big impact for Driscoll's squad.
 
"I did not expect to be playing this well or scoring this much," he admitted. "I just wanted to get back on the floor. It's been going great so far."
 
Driscoll couldn't be happier for Connolly. Sure, his Golden Bears are benefiting from Connolly's presence, but Driscoll couldn't stand the thought of Connolly never getting the chance to finish out his career, especially after he missed his entire junior year and his sophomore year was cut short. (Connolly's first tear happened in the middle of his freshman year but he played through the pain and had surgery in the offseason). 
 
"I think the hardest part for this whole thing is there was nothing we could do, nothing this team could do short of support, conversation," Driscoll said. "You felt helpless. 
 
"He's a tough kid, but he's a kid that's just great. There was an obstacle in front of him and he had a choice – You get over it or let it defeat you. He won't let anything defeat him. It's not part of his makeup. He's a very determined, very quiet young man. Many people would have quit a long time ago. But he really values every minute he plays right now. He's as tough as any kid I've ever coached."
 
That doesn't mean that Driscoll allows Connolly to go all out in practices. The 6-foot-6 forward used the first week of practice this year to get comfortable. Once he was settled in, Driscoll decided he would keep him out of all rebounding and charge drills.
 
"I have a real quick whistle when I see him in a situation I don't like," Driscoll said. "And the team knows why, and they don't think twice about it." 
 
Driscoll might hold Connolly back in practice a bit in an effort to protect him, but Connolly never holds back during games. He's not built that way. 
 
If there's a loose ball, he dives. If he has to crash into an opponent for a rebound, he does. If he has to take a charge, he will.
 
"That's the way I played my whole life. I've never played scared," he said. "It will never be 100 percent again, but this year it feels so much better than the last two years. I don't even notice it. I don't feel nervous going for a rebound or diving for a loose ball. When you don't have to think about it, it makes you a better player. It makes things worse and worse as time goes on if you have to think about it."
 
One thing Connolly, a Souderton High graduate, has never had to think about is the importance of academics. The business administration major is the owner of a 3.67 GPA. He is a three-time PSAC scholar-athlete, was named to the 2014 Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball Media Organization's Scholar-Athlete Team and has been on the Dean's List four times. 
 
"My parents always told me academics are huge in life, and I always wanted to get good grades," said Connolly, who hopes to be an accountant. "In my mind, I want to be good at everything. I know there is life after basketball and getting a degree and doing well in school goes a long way, and I couldn't let [my injuries] affect my grades. Basketball is basketball. Life is life."
 

Mandy Housenick is a graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She spent 13 years as a sports writer, including almost 10 at The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa., where she covered high school, college and pro sports. Highlights include having been the Phillies beat writer from 2009-13, having covered multiple NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, four Phillies playoff runs, including the 2008 and 2009 World Series, and having appeared as a guest on radio and TV shows, including Comcast SportsNets' Daily News Live and Philly Sports Talk.