Adam Highberger knows he isn't going to log a significant amount of minutes this year or light up the scoreboard like teammate Talor Battle.
However, the Penn State men's basketball team's senior guard is just happy to be back on the floor after back-to-back anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears.
"I've had two injuries, and it really matured me and made me realize how much I missed the game and made me appreciate it a lot," Highberger said. "It's my last year here so every day I step on that floor I appreciate it. I think it's an attribution to my knee injuries."
The guard is returning from an ACL tear in his left knee that cost him all but four games last year and is looking to contribute off the Nittany Lions bench. While he may not see many minutes playing behind Battle and Tim Frazier, the guard brings a unique message to the floor and his teammates respect the work he puts in.
Assistant coach Kurt Kanaskie said Highberger hasn't lost a step after recovering, and it says a lot about his character that he didn't give up after the second injury. Kanaskie called a Highberger a "very special person" and said it was tough for the staff to see him go down a second time.
"Adam will push everybody to meet their potential. He is not going to give those guys a second off in practice," Kanaskie said. "He'll make maximum effort, and they'll have to compete with him or they're not going to look very good. He's going to make other players better, but he will have an opportunity to play himself."
Highberger has played in both of the Lions' games this season, scoring a career-high six points against Penn, and hitting a key 3-pointer to tie the game in the last minute of the first half against Robert Morris. The 6-foot-2 guard has also played blanket defense, sent in to slow down Penn swingman Tyler Bernardini, despite conceding four inches to the Quaker player.
Head coach Ed DeChellis noted Highberger's impact in the early season, saying his shots have come in tight spots when the team needed them. The guard admired former walk-on Will Leiner and Kanaskie said he believes Highberger can fill that same role -- a player who works hard and does the right thing.
"If [Leiner] didn't play in a game, he didn't come out in practice the next day and not bring much energy," Highberger said. "He was here because he loved the game, he loved the guys, and he was committed to Penn State basketball. That's one thing I learned from him especially, that it's not all about the playing time."
Seeing the senior battle back not once, but twice, has given the players someone to look to as a leader with Battle still growing into the role.
"He's a senior, our lone senior. Everyone looks to him. He's another one of those leaders," Battle said. "I don't know what coach has planned for him yet, but I know whatever it is, Highberger's going to give his all."
DeChellis was impressed by the fall camp Highberger turned in, calling the guard a "tough, competitive kid," and wouldn't be surprised if he earns consistent minutes. The coach said Highberger can give the other players a unique lesson about having everything taken away, but continuing to press on.
"Adam's a mature young guy and understands what it's all about, playing and not playing and how you miss basketball if you don't have it," DeChellis said. "Will was a great competitive kid in practice, worked hard, a great glue guy, great in the locker room, and that's what Adam Highberger is all about as well."
Having spent so much time in his "second home," the training room, Highberger wants his teammates to realize at any minute, everything can get taken away. No matter what this season holds, the senior is just thankful to be
back in blue and white, and anything he can do to help the team is a bonus.
"I try to emphasize the fact to just appreciate it. We're a Division I college playing Division I basketball," Highberger said. "It really hit me when I had my injuries that this is a special place and a special opportunity and to not take it for granted."
