West Xtra: Back from injury, Jeter makes a good Beaver Falls lineup potent
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Beaver Falls High School junior Sheldon Jeter puts up a 3-point attempt in a non-section game against rival Blackhawk earlier this month. Jeter missed the first 11 game with a broken bone in his left hand.
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Sheldon Jeter admits that sitting out the first 11 games of the basketball season with a broken bone in his left hand was tough. He said he has never had to endure something so difficult in his life.
"No, never, and I was not prepared for it. I didn't know how to handle it," said Jeter, a 6-foot-7 junior forward for Beaver Falls and one of the top underclassmen in the WPIAL. "I went through every emotion. I was depressed, angry, sad, happy ... everything."
These days he is particularly happy because he is back playing for the Tigers.
He scored 24 points against rival Blackhawk in his season debut two weeks ago and had 24 points and 15 rebounds in a game at rival Aliquippa last week. He led Beaver Falls with 14 points in a victory at Quaker Valley this past Friday.
Without Jeter, Beaver Falls was a good basketball team, compiling a 6-5 overall record against stiff competition. With him, the Tigers have to be considered a contender for the WPIAL Class AA championship. They have won four in a row and are 6-0 in Section 6-AA .
And Beaver Falls should only get better as Jeter gets into playing shape and re-introduces himself to his teammates.
"I'd say I'm about 75 percent," Jeter said when asked where he thought he was in terms of playing ability. "I wasn't able to lift [weights] so I lost some conditioning that way."
He also didn't run through any drills with his teammates while he had the cast on his hand and wrist. Beaver Falls coach Doug Biega said he didn't want to risk Jeter tripping and landing on his left hand, which could have put Jeter out for the entire season.
"I'd say he's probably 75 to 80 percent right now," Biega said after the Aliquippa game. "His first game back [against Blackhawk] was an aberration because he just got hot shooting the ball and didn't miss.
"What did he have tonight [against Aliquippa]? Twenty-four points and 15 rebounds and he played putrid. That tells you something."
Beaver Falls still had nice size when Jeter was on the bench with 6-6 junior Royce Watson and 6-3 senior Devin Cook. But a front line of Watson, Cook and Jeter is outstanding, especially in Class AA.
Plus, Biega believes Jeter's time on the bench was a good learning experience.
First Published January 27, 2011 12:00 am
