Five days a week, Geary Claxton steps out of the car after an 11-mile drive and walks through the doors of Jim Ronai's Competitive Edge in nearby Shelton, Conn.

He will stretch for 20 minutes, prepping his muscles for the two to three hour workout that will follow.

Claxton will grasp the barbell and bust out Olympic lifts as perspiration soaks his shirt. Then, he'll drop to the ground and bolster his upper body strength by doing push-ups.

Next, it's time to really test out the reconstructed knee. Claxton grasps the barbell and bends at the knees. Each repetition gives him more and more assurance that the pain once felt, the pain suffered at the hands of a season-ending knee injury last year, is now nothing more than a blessing in disguise.

"This injury, you learn a lot from it," Claxton said. "It takes a lot of patience and hard work to get back to where you need to be. You wanna keep playing, do great things. You can't give up, you're gonna have accidents and you gotta bounce back. I'm a competitive person. I just look at this as a life lesson."

Feeling no pain and having no swelling in his left knee, Claxton says at the time of the injury he was upset his time on the hardwood was cut short. But he admits the injury could have been for the better, believing everything happens for a reason.

Lunging upward toward the glass backboard, Claxton collided with the body traffic in the lane and hit the floor awkwardly. Laying on his back, underneath the bright white lights of the Bryce Jordan Center, Claxton grimaced in pain as he suffered through what would be a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.

Seeing a team doctor walk up 12 rows to where the Claxton family was sitting -- among other families of players behind the Penn State bench -- Geary's mother Michelle knew then and there her son's playing days were in jeopardy.

"When he was down, at first it didn't look serious, maybe just twisted his ankle," Michelle said. "My husband said, 'I think it's just a cramp.' If he's not moving, we know our kid, he's a tough kid, and when he didn't get up, we knew it was serious."

The first six weeks after the injury was strenuous on the star forward. Michelle said her son had trouble showering properly. Claxton kept faith and continued his rehabilitation at Penn State.

Though stunned at the realization he would never suit up in the blue and white again, Claxton referred to his father's prophetic principle of staying mentally tough.

Quiet and reserved as a young kid, Claxton was taught to work hard, pay attention and do as he was told. By the time Claxton faced the white, tinted glass exterior of Hill Regional Career High School, his mental toughness hardened.

"Basketball was a small portion," his father Geary said. "Being around his family, seeing different experiences with his family, it's the same for anybody. When you lose a brother or uncle or close friends, these are the things that are gonna happen. You gotta stay strong and focused, basically reiterating over and over that when faced with adversity you gotta keep pressing."

After graduating in spring, Claxton returned home to West Haven, Conn. where he currently resides. For two weeks Claxton continued his rehabilitation at Star Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation before he reached his maximum potential sooner than expected.

Driving for no more than five minutes, Claxton arrives at the rehab center before running and jumping for two hours everyday. Coming in everyday to do agility work on his knee, Claxton said doing the same thing every day was mentally strenuous.

Still, Claxton persists. Michelle says her son never sounds depressed in passing conversation, anxious just to get back on the court. Doctors won't clear Claxton to participate in physical contact drills for another two months, however he spends hours in the gym working on his game -- shooting around, dribbling, jumping and making cuts.

"I'd rather have him 100 percent than 80 percent," Michelle said. "Then, your mentality can be, 'I can go 100 percent,' there's no doubts in the back of your mind, cause then you play timid and less aggressive. We don't wanna go back to point A."

Ironically, it was Claxton's aggressive play that got him in the predicament he's in. Projected by some NBA draft experts to be selected in the second round of last June's draft, the 6-foot-5 perimeter player watched the draft with his family at home in Connecticut.

Observing the Claxton household on draft night, it would've been impossible to know someone in the room had the possibility of hearing their named called despite not playing basketball for five months.

Sitting in the family room, watching the draft in its entirety, the Claxton family hardly makes any comments about who was drafted where.

"[The draft] is totally out of our hands," the elder Geary said. "I told my son, 'Just keep working hard, 'G', everything will work out. Like everything else, it is what it is.' "

That night, Claxton received a phone call from Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis just to "pump him up."

"The guys he saw get drafted," DeChellis said, "he felt like if he got some of the opportunities as they did, he could've showed people what he could do."

Michelle points out players her son has played against in college or in AAU ball. She thinks her son's name is getting called tonight.

But Claxton knows differently.

His agent, Dave Mondress, informs him he would not be drafted despite drawing interest from the Spurs, Kings, Clippers, Cavaliers, Nets and the unnamed team from Oklahoma City.

DeChellis has been in contact with Claxton throughout the summer -- he addressed the crowd at Claxton's graduation party in Connecticut back in June. He says Claxton's best options lie in Europe or possibly the NBA Development League. But the Claxtons aren't ready to rule out or choose any basketball route without making sure their son is fully recovered.

"[There's] no rush with this stuff," Claxton's father said. "Take your time, athletes in particular, they're gonna speed their process up, but you can't do that. As much as you may want, you can't. You gotta wait until it takes its course. Geary wasn't the first and he won't be the last to have this type of injury. Don't rush whatever time frame it takes, just do everything you're supposed to."

Hours upon hours of rehab and going through basic basketball motions is where Claxton is on his journey to recovery. He refuses to look too far ahead in the future, adhering to his father's wish that he takes his time to make sure his knee -- which on x-ray looks better than his right knee -- is properly healed.

"I don't run the NBA," the elder Claxton said. "I don't run Europe. I'm just a parent making sure my young man does what he's gotta do in terms of his recovery."

Claxton says he will leave the responsibility of attracting NBA scouts to his agent, but only when he is comfortable with his strength and confidence on the court. Claxton will not be ready to attend NBA summer camps in September and October, bringing European basketball into the equation.

Michelle prefers her son stay on the mainland, but Claxton has no doubts about how his game will translate to the guard-oriented style overseas. DeChellis tells his former standout recruit he needs to get back on the court and gain his confidence back, testing the knee and forgetting about any mental inadequacies he may have about possibly re-injuring it.

"He's gotta show everybody he's healthy," DeChellis said. "You can't just get a contract without showing people you can still run and jump. He's a quick healer and has done a great job rehabbing. Not a lot of GMs are going to take a chance on him if his knee is not 100 percent."

In the meantime, Claxton attends all of his sister Jasmine's high school summer basketball games, and in between his workouts and her games, he advises her on becoming a complete basketball player.

Even with a bum knee, Claxton jokes Jasmine still cannot beat him 1-on-1.

"My main concern is getting healthy first," Claxton said. "I know I can play."

Claxton's father says his son's health is the most important thing for him as well. Being mentally tough and physically tough go hand in hand, he says. Claxton remains humble through this whole experience, citing family, friends and faith as guides to keep him on track.

"He's excited because he can see the light at the end of the tunnel," DeChellis said.