MORGANTOWN — Although it may have just been for a matter of a few seconds, Taz Sherman’s world was filled with darkness after taking a blow to the head last week against Baylor.
The WVU senior guard’s drive to the basket was quickly halted after Jeremy Sochan’s right arm came down and inadvertently banged into Sherman’s head and face.
Was Sherman knocked out?
“As far as I know,” he replied.
Sherman’s return to the court was triumphant after scoring 16 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out six assists Tuesday night in a 79-63 victory against Iowa State that ended WVU’s seven-game losing streak.
“It was a huge shot in the arm for everybody,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said.
Getting from darkness back to being the star player in eight days is a story of frustration, but also one of trust.
It begins first with Randy Meador, known simply as “Doc” by those within the WVU program. Meador is the head trainer for the men’s basketball team.
“I heard Doc talking to me when I was on the floor, but I was kind of dazed,” Sherman said. “I was trying to look at the basket to see if I could see it clearly, but it was a blurred image. I wasn’t seeing double, but everything was out of focus. I was probably out for five or 10 seconds and then I felt Doc tap me on the shoulder. There were so many things going on at the moment, so it was kind of hard to deal with.”
Sherman acknowledged after the Iowa State win that he has had two previous concussions — one in high school and one during his first season at WVU — so he realized almost immediately what was happening to him.
Entering concussion protocol meant Sherman wasn’t allowed to practice and his return to the court was in the hands of Meador and Dr. B.J. Balcik, WVU’s team physician.
“I’ve got a lot of faith in confidence in B.J. I think he does a terrific job,” Huggins said. “He’s a former athlete, so he has a better feel than guys who have never experienced what our guys are experiencing. Randy Meador, I think he’s going to be the longest-tenured manager in Mountaineers sports. I listen to those guys.”
Sherman was in a hoodie and jeans for the Mountaineers’ loss against Texas Tech last Saturday, as he could only watch from the bench.
He was evaluated daily and had to go through a series of tests while in protocol.
“This was my third one,” Sherman said. “I had one in high school in my junior year and I had one here two years ago. Each one was progressively worse. It took more time for me to come back this time than the other times. Other than that, it was typical concussion stuff. I had headaches and couldn’t look at lights. It was difficult. It was my third time around, so I already knew what to do. Our training staff and doctors did a great job on me.”
Sherman was held out of practice the day after the Texas Tech game, before getting cleared Monday afternoon, giving him one day’s worth of practice prior to facing Iowa State.
Then came the concerns from Huggins and the WVU coaching staff.
Huggins said he didn’t want to put Sherman in a situation during Monday’s practice where the guard was going to get banged around.
“Everybody was nervous about him practicing,” Huggins said. “Honestly, the people who were the least nervous were the medical guys. It’s a process. He had to be able to meet certain standards along the way before he could participate.”
And then there was the concern about getting his stamina built back up to play at a high level.
“We didn’t do a lot with his cardio and that was a concern,” Huggins said. “Doctors said he was good to go, but their concern, too, was his cardio.”
After starting and playing to the first timeout, Sherman threw his hand up as a sign he needed a break.
“Within the first two minutes, I was already tired,” Sherman said. “As an athlete, you find ways to push through it, especially at this level. You should know how to play when you’re tired.”
He ended up playing nearly 31 minutes and went 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
“Last week, it was difficult when your life revolves around basketball,” Sherman said. “The medical staff was great. Dr. B.J. did a great job. I knew I was going to have to come back and have a strong game to get out of this losing skid.”
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