Louisville’s pick-me-up

David Padgett shouldn’t be playing in the NCAA tournament.

On Nov. 18, Padgett, a 6-foot-11 center for Louisville, fractured his right kneecap while taking a charge in the Cardinals’ second game of the season.

A day later, Louisville Coach Rick Pitino said Padgett would sit out at least 10 weeks, most likely the season, and because Padgett was already a fifth-year senior it seemed his college career was over.

It wasn’t.

On New Year’s Day, Padgett returned with 13 points and four rebounds in an otherwise dispiriting 58-57 loss to Cincinnati.

Louisville seemed out of sync and, with a 9-4 record, out of much hope for making an NCAA tournament run with a tough Big East season to play and Padgett still without the sneaky mobility that made him the fulcrum of the Cardinals’ offense.

But with a commitment to daily rehabilitation that Pitino called “unmatched,” Padgett led Louisville to a tie for second place in the Big East and a No. 3 seeding in the NCAA East Regional. He is averaging 11.7 points and 4.6 rebounds a game and was named to the All-Big East first team.

It’s been a tough path -- much like his entire college career.

Padgett, from Reno, was a high school All-American who started out at Kansas, where he averaged 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds as a freshman. Yet, after blocking 43 shots and making a buzzer-beating, game-winning shot against Missouri, Padgett left the Jayhawks after one season and transferred to Louisville.

For the Cardinals, it seems as if he has constantly been recovering from injuries -- a broken bone in his foot and chronically achy knees. Teammates recall having to help him on and off airplanes two years ago because Padgett’s knees hurt so much.

It was the memory of that pain, Padgett said, that made it easy to recover from this season’s injury. “After what I’ve gone through this stuff was pretty straightforward,” he said. “When I got hurt this time, I told our trainer I’d do whatever I had to do to get back. I said I didn’t care about the future, I just need to get back.”

Pitino says there is nothing Padgett doesn’t do for the Cardinals. “He runs the floor, he can spot up and shoot, he can post up. He’s a very good shot blocker, a great rebounder and he is very passionate about the game,” the coach said.

Padgett’s father, Pete, coached his high school team and Padgett’s sister, Melissa, played for University of San Diego.

“Basketball was our family’s game,” Padgett has said. “It will always be my game.”

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diane.pucin@latimes.com