Floor general: Judge senior guard Will Brazukas (right) no longer has to do everything on his own, thanks to his team’s maturation from last season to this one. The Crusaders enter Catholic League play on Jan. 2 with an 8–1 record.
Given everything he’s been through in the last 18 months, it’s fitting that Aaron Higgins has become the heart of the Father Judge basketball team.
It was June 2013 when Higgins, a rising player in the Crusader hoops program, was participating in a Judge summer league game between his sophomore and junior years. Head coach Sean Tait had called a timeout, and when Higgins stood from the bench, his heart began racing inside his chest. He blacked out and fell down; teammate Pat Mulville helped him up, but Higgins fell again, this time face-first.
“The next thing I remember is waking up with my mom and Coach Tait standing next to me,” Higgins said.
Higgins was later diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes the heart muscle to thicken. This makes it difficult for blood to leave the heart, forcing it to work harder to pump blood.
The condition required surgery in which a defibrillator was implanted in Higgins’ chest to shock his heart back into place if it encountered any irregular rhythms. His 2013–14 junior season was lost on the court, and it was uncertain if he’d ever be able to play again.
“When I was younger, I dealt with asthma and I always took my inhaler before every game,” Higgins said. “Originally, we thought that’s what the problem was. It was the first time I ever passed out, and I was very scared. Once I got to the hospital and they told me I might never play basketball again, it was the worst news I could ever receive.”
Luckily, this story has a happy ending; following the surgery, the thickness in Higgins’ heart began to subside. With hope on the rise, he prayed for the best, which he received in the form of good news from his doctors after two follow-up visits: Higgins was cleared to return to the court for his senior season.
“It was the best news I could ever receive,” he said. “I was just so happy. Last year I went to a couple of games, and seeing those guys on the floor made me think, ‘Wow, that should be me out there.’ But it wasn’t. Now, this year I’m just happy to be playing out there again, contributing to my team.”
Is he ever.
Judge completed its nonleague preseason schedule a near-perfect 8–1, and Higgins is a major reason why. He’s averaging a shade under seven points per game — fifth on the team. However, Higgins’ production is magnified because he picks his spots wisely. For example, in Judge’s 61–52 victory on Saturday over Council Rock South, Higgins scored 10 of his team-high 12 points in a crucial second half in which Judge’s lead shrunk from 19 down to nine.
With teammate Marc Rodriguez in foul trouble, Higgins came off the bench to score two huge buckets in the post in the third quarter; in the fourth, with Council Rock still hanging around, he buried two three-pointers to help put the game out of reach.
“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “Ever since I was younger, I’ve never been afraid to have the ball in my hands in clutch moments. I’ve never been afraid to take big shots. To see them go down while helping my team, it’s the greatest feeling ever, knowing they can depend on me for the big play.”
Judge has already won as many games this season as they did all last year combined, and the Catholic League schedule has yet to begin (the Crusaders tip off at home Friday night at 7 p.m. against Conwell-Egan). Despite last season’s 8–15 overall record (5–8 in league play), Judge looks much stronger with a year of experience under the team’s belt.
Senior point guard Will Brazukas still runs the show, contributing eight points and seven steals in Saturday’s win. But Brazukas no longer feels the need to do it all on his own. Rodriguez, a sophomore guard, has a natural scoring touch, as do fellow guards Quincy Reed and Justin Fleming, both juniors. With those guys realizing their abilities, plus forwards Mulville and Nick Nowack grinding down low in the trenches, the Crusaders look like a completely different team; a much better team that has been lifted an extra notch with Higgins’ emergence.
“This year, we just have more experience,” Higgins said. “We’re clicking more, not trying to do too much. We shoot the ball very well and are a scrappy team. Our lack of size doesn’t make us timid to go against bigger guys. I think we can shoot the ball better than most, and we’ll work harder than anyone when we put our minds to it.”
Brazukas, who often seemed like a man on an island a year ago, is thrilled with the team’s progression, as well as the return of one of its most important players.
“I love having Aaron back,” Brazukas said. “He’s a huge person off the bench for us because he can do a bit of everything. He’s a hustler who can come up with monster rebounds, and some days he can’t miss from the three-point line. We have so much respect for him because of what he’s been through.”
Brazukas said the work Judge put in during the offseason will pay immediate dividends in league play. They learned how to lose together a season ago; now, they’re ready to prove they can win in one of the most brutal leagues around.
“Our team is very close, and we’ve reached the point where we play for the next guy and not ourselves,” Brazukas said. “8–1 gives us a ton of confidence, but we also realized we haven’t won anything yet. Last year I’d get tired in the fourth quarter always having to be the guy, but now we’re all interchangeable one through eight. If we’re all on, we can be a very scary team.”
Higgins agrees, and for his part, he’s just happy to be a part of the team his senior season. The fact that Judge appears to be on the rise and headed in the right direction is just an added bonus.
“My whole basketball career could have been over two summers ago,” Higgins said. “To hear I could play again, I’m just on top of the world. It’s something I can’t even put into words. It’s just the greatest feeling any kid who plays sports could feel.” ••
In Saturday’s 61–52 win over Council Rock South, Higgins scored a team-high 12 points, contributing down low in the post and from beyond the three-point line.
Follow your heart: Father Judge senior reserve guard Aaron Higgins missed his junior year after being diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes thickness in the heart. Surgery corrected the issue, and Higgins is back on the floor for the 8–1 Crusaders. MARIA POUCHNIKOVA / TIMES PHOTOS
