Spring Break
PROFILE: DeLuca's comeback
A look at one of the school's all-time scorers
by Jeffrey Pickette
Senior writer
Sports | 5/19/09
Posted online at 1:44 AM EST on 5/15/09
The back injury may have been a long time coming for DeLuca, who has played with tight hamstrings since high school. He said he did not think the injury was the result of his bout with plantar fasciitis.
It didn't take long for "sharp pains" to travel down to his hamstrings and calves.
DeLuca tried to tough it out and saw limited action in the team's first two games of the 2007 to 2008 season but was shut down after that.
"I was in so much pain after that first game. I woke up in the middle of the night; it was terrible," DeLuca said.
Even without DeLuca, the team posted a 20-5 regular season record and hosted the first two rounds of the Division III NCAA Tournament before losing later in the Sectional Finals.
"My biggest disappointment was not finishing my career with the guys I came in with," he said.
Had DeLuca been healthy, Meehan suggested the Judges could have won the national championship that season.
"I thought we could have won it even without him, but with him it certainly would have been interesting to see," Meehan said, "We went so far without him. When you get to that point, you need that one guy who's just better than everybody."
DeLuca could have been that guy. Meehan said he regarded DeLuca as not only one of the top players to come through Brandeis but as one of the top players in all of Division III through the last five years.
"Everybody would take DeLuca-he's that good," Meehan said. "Before the injury, he was arguably the best player in the country; top five, no doubt."
After last season, DeLuca received his undergraduate degree and enrolled in a Master's program at Brandeis in order to play out his additional year of eligibility after taking the medical redshirt.
He spent the 2008 offseason rehabilitating from surgery he had last April on his lower back. He completed his comeback by leading the team with 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
The Judges started the season 0-3, and sitting at just 12-8 with five games left, DeLuca helped guide the team to a five-game winning steak to close out the season, which cemented an NCAA Tournament bid for the third straight season.
It didn't take long for "sharp pains" to travel down to his hamstrings and calves.
DeLuca tried to tough it out and saw limited action in the team's first two games of the 2007 to 2008 season but was shut down after that.
"I was in so much pain after that first game. I woke up in the middle of the night; it was terrible," DeLuca said.
Even without DeLuca, the team posted a 20-5 regular season record and hosted the first two rounds of the Division III NCAA Tournament before losing later in the Sectional Finals.
"My biggest disappointment was not finishing my career with the guys I came in with," he said.
Had DeLuca been healthy, Meehan suggested the Judges could have won the national championship that season.
"I thought we could have won it even without him, but with him it certainly would have been interesting to see," Meehan said, "We went so far without him. When you get to that point, you need that one guy who's just better than everybody."
DeLuca could have been that guy. Meehan said he regarded DeLuca as not only one of the top players to come through Brandeis but as one of the top players in all of Division III through the last five years.
"Everybody would take DeLuca-he's that good," Meehan said. "Before the injury, he was arguably the best player in the country; top five, no doubt."
After last season, DeLuca received his undergraduate degree and enrolled in a Master's program at Brandeis in order to play out his additional year of eligibility after taking the medical redshirt.
He spent the 2008 offseason rehabilitating from surgery he had last April on his lower back. He completed his comeback by leading the team with 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
The Judges started the season 0-3, and sitting at just 12-8 with five games left, DeLuca helped guide the team to a five-game winning steak to close out the season, which cemented an NCAA Tournament bid for the third straight season.
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