Lake Central senior Evan Geller experienced slight jitters more than out-and-out nerves.

But when Geller stepped on the court for the Indians’ season-opening victory at Hanover Central on Tuesday, the 6-foot-6 forward’s predominant emotion was clearcut.

“Just more joy than anything,” he said. “I was really happy to be out there again. I just knew that if I left it all out there this season, nothing bad will happen.”

Geller already has endured plenty of bad during his high school career. He has suffered ACL tears in each knee and missed the better part of the past two seasons, including all of last season.

After the second injury, Geller hit a particularly low point.

“I really thought I wasn’t going to play again,” he said.

But Geller has persevered and is poised to pack a lot of good into his final season with the Indians. He got the ball rolling with nine points against Hanover Central.

“I feel like my game is at a good place right now,” he said. “Throughout the season, I’m going to keep improving, especially with the motivation of my team. I have all the trust behind me with my coaches. Everyone believes in me.

“It’s more just about getting the rhythm back. Basketball is a rhythm game. You just need time to play. I have the skill. I just need to get the touch back, the rhythm back. That’s all it is.”

Lake Central coach Ryan Sexson knows full well how hard Geller has worked to come back.

“Just a guy that loves basketball as much as he does, to have to go through what he went through, it was rough,” Sexson said. “He was in a bad spot for a while, and understandably so. When your identity is as a basketball player and it has been your whole life, and all of a sudden it gets taken away from you for two years, it was devastating. Some things suffered outside of basketball within his life that normally wouldn’t have because he was in that situation.

“But he has grinded his way back. He’s here. He’s healthy. His grades are good. He’s setting himself up for a good senior year. If he can be productive and show that he can stay healthy for a year, there’s a lot of small colleges that would be interested in him.”

Geller’s comeback means a lot to Sexson too.

“I’m just really happy for him,” Sexson said. “I think about him every day and just hope he can make it through. Not only is he going to help us, obviously, but just for him to be able to get through a whole year and see some success and get to do it with his buddies his senior year, it’s pretty cool.”

Geller suffered a torn left ACL in May after his freshman season. Sidelined for eight months, he expedited a return in late January of his sophomore season and played for the final month-plus.

Geller then suffered a torn right ACL, as well as a torn MCL and torn meniscus, in July after his sophomore season. Taking a more cautious approach that sidelined him for 14 months, including all of the AAU season this past summer, Geller didn’t return to full contact until workouts with the Indians in September.

“It was devastating,” he said. “I was at such a high point — we were at such a high point — during my sophomore summer. I was a vocal leader. We had a ton of pieces. We had everything we were looking forward to, and it all went away in a split second. It was sad.

“But I knew the team still needed me. I still had to be a vocal leader last year even though I was bummed not to be out there.”

Sexson reflected on what might have been with Geller in the lineup. Lake Central went 9-14 overall and 3-4 in the Duneland Athletic Conference.

“He would’ve changed everything for us last year,” Sexson said.

Geller believes in the Indians’ prospects for this season. He said he has “channeled my mental strength” to get back on the court and relied on support from Sexson and his teammates, particularly his classmates, throughout the process. He’s part of an all-senior starting five along with forward Noah Enyeart, guard/forward Jakob Billmeyer, guard Cooper Kroncke and guard David Aguilera.

“We have a good squad right now,” Geller said. “We’ve been playing together since like fourth grade. We’ve all played through the feeder program, through AAU. We all are very vocal. We’re good students in class. We try to hold ourselves to a high standard. We know if we talk, if we communicate, we’re going to be a good team. We’re big, we have shooters, we have drivers — we have everything.

“I’m just very excited for this year. If we stay true to our team and stay true to our concepts, we’re going to have a very good year. I’m very confident in our team. I’m very confident in our coaching.”

Teammates such as Aguilera also have confidence in Geller.

“He’s shown how resilient he is and how much he really wants it,” Aguilera said. “He wants to be here and be a part of this team and make us No. 1.

“The start of senior year, coach said we need vocal leaders, people who want to talk and lead the team. He’s one of them. He’s up there. He’s a leader of the team. When he’s not talking, the team’s doing bad. That’s how much of a role he plays. Without him, we wouldn’t be as good of a communicating team.”

Aguilera also appreciates the measured pace with which Geller plays.

“When he catches in the paint, he takes his time and doesn’t try to rush to the bucket,” Aguilera said. “He doesn’t try to score right away. He takes his time and makes the right play, scoring or passing.”

Aguilera is familiar with Geller’s game. But a number of the younger players in the program weren’t, and they were somewhat surprised by his skill set. During preseason practice, they were taken aback as Geller hit deep 3-pointers and connected on nifty back-door cuts, according to Sexson.

“He’s very talented,” Sexson said. “He’s a great passer. He’s a very good shooter for his size. He can rebound in traffic.”

Sexson also respects Geller’s personality traits.

“He’s really mature beyond his years,” Sexson said. “He’s really intelligent. When he speaks, the guys listen to him. Not only is he a great player, but just from a leadership standpoint, we missed him so badly last year.

“He has this fatherly thing. He just takes care of all of us. He’s the voice of reason with the players, and he and I can have adult conversations about what’s going on with our basketball program. That’s nice to have.”

It’s all part of the package with Geller, who is relishing the ride.

“I’m just excited to play,” he said. “I’m just happy to play basketball. I’ve missed too much due to injuries. So I’m just happy to get out there and be with the squad again. It’s not something I take for granted at all. I know it’s a privilege, so I’m trying to make the most of it.

“I want to play great this year, just leave it all out there. I know if I play well enough, coach will get the right people in front of me. I do, if possible, want to play basketball in college. I do want to explore those opportunities. I’ve been playing basketball since birth, since I was like 1 or 2. I can’t give up. I’ve been through too much. I want to go through this journey. I don’t want to give up on it yet.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/basketball-lake-central-evan-geller/