Fowler Returns to Health, Basketball

Thirteen months ago, Dennis Fowler left Stanford Medical Center in a wheelchair and made a vow to play basketball again--that is, if he could walk properly after his left leg had to be reconstructed.

Fowler, a sophomore at College of Notre Dame in Palo Alto who played at Agoura High, suffered a broken tibia and fibula in a November, 1992, car accident. But his most crucial injury--one that threatened his mobility for life--was a splintered shin.

“When I was in the trauma room, there was no mention of basketball,” said Fowler, a 6-foot-2, 150-pound guard. “I asked if I’d ever be able to walk again. I figured if I could walk . . . I could play basketball.”

Fowler returned to Notre Dame in September with a severe limp, but last Friday he made a stirring return to basketball when he played the final four minutes of a 91-71 victory over Sonoma State.

“The first 30 seconds, he hit a three-pointer,” Coach Pat Fuscaldo said. “It was pretty amazing. It was the first time he’d stepped on a court in two years. He goes one for one from the field and gets two assists in four minutes.”

“It was a blowout game and a couple of guys asked the coach to play me,” Fowler said. “A lot was going through my mind then. I was thinking about the accident, my family and all the friends who stuck by me. But when I ran up to the scorer’s table--and I heard everybody in the stands cheering--my mind was on only basketball.

“But as soon as I made that shot, it all reverted back to everything I went through. I knew I’d be calling my parents right after the game.”

The injuries--suffered in a high-speed freeway crash--forced Fowler to redshirt last season. Fuscaldo planned to have Fowler apply for a medical redshirt this season, but then Fowler started making rapid progress.

He went from jogging with the team occasionally in September to participating in the team’s first practice on Oct. 1. But as late as mid-November, Fowler couldn’t play defense--he couldn’t slide or jump, and he had to avoid contact.

But it was about the anniversary of the accident--Nov. 28, when teammate and former Reseda High player Jeff Gilmore fell asleep at the wheel while Fowler slept in the back seat of the car that flipped on a freeway near the campus--that Fowler suddenly showed improvement.

“He started doing a great job on the scout team,” Fuscaldo said. “He was getting stronger and stronger every day. And he kept scoring (against) the first team.

“At the time of his accident, I thought his injuries were not just career threatening but life threatening. He wasn’t looking too good.”

Fowler and his family convinced Fuscaldo in December to drop the medical redshirt idea and let him play. Fuscaldo said Fowler’s playing time will increase as he gets stronger, but Fowler won’t be 100% until a metal rod in his leg, a plate on his outer ankle and pins and screws in his ankle and knee are removed. The Argonauts entered the week 7-6, 2-0 in the Division II Northern California Athletic Conference.

“I know I have a lot of support, and I realize basketball is not the most important thing,” Fowler said. “But I’m just glad I’m back to where I can play. I’m just satisfied with making it back.”

Checking the fax: Cal Poly Pomona’s Bobby McRae (Cleveland) ranks second on the team in assists with 38 but has struggled as a scorer. He is shooting 29.2% from the field and averages 5.1 points a game. . . . Michelle Kerzie (Paraclete) has the second-highest free-throw shooting percentage (83.3%) for the Cal Poly Pomona women.

Lewis-Clark senior forward Kurt Schwan (Westlake) is averaging 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds. . . . Azusa Pacific senior Shannon Solway (Simi Valley/College of the Canyons) leads the Cougars in rebounding average (eight) and assists (43). She ranks second in field-goal percentage (44.8%) and scoring average (12.8). Azusa Pacific entered the week 15-0.

Guard Reggie Phillips (Ventura College) is shooting 54.8% from the field and is averaging 15.8 points for Cal State Bakersfield (13-2), the defending NCAA Division II champion.

Westmont guard-forward Mike Spears (Hueneme) ranks fifth in the Golden State Athletic Conference in field-goal percentage (57.7%) and ninth in free-throw percentage (77.1%). In a five-point loss to Hawaii Pacific last week, Spears was matched against Louisville transfer John Strickland, a prospective NAIA All-American. Spears scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds.