Bubak talks returning from injury and finding perspective in basketball

Enough external factors helped Missouri Western men’s basketball senior Justin Bubak finish out his final year as a Griffon.

The Nebraska native suffered a bump in the road in the middle of his Western career, later leaving doubt as to whether his basketball career would continue. Bubak missed most of the 2022-23 season, his sophomore season, due to a right knee injury. Despite being sidelined for a lengthy period of time, Bubak remained optimistic in the months that came after his injury

“There’s two ways you can look at it: there’s definitely the days where I was discouraged, where it seemed like I was never going to get back. But Coach [Will Martin] really challenged me that year saying ‘you have a really big opportunity,’” Bubak said.

Bubak mentioned that he learned to lead while recovering from his knee injury. He referenced that his ability to lead off the court helped him find success when he got back on the court. While he did return for the following season to play a significant role off the bench, it was the months leading up to his senior season that had him thinking if it were worthwhile to keep playing.

“This summer, I was going to be done,” Bubak said. “I even called Coach Martin this summer. I was like, I can’t do it anymore. My body just felt like it was falling apart.”

But what brought Bubak back to finish out his time in St. Joseph was a phone call with a fellow teammate who had been through a similar situation. Sophomore Matthew Schneider had suffered a knee injury of his own, and Bubak says that Schneider had even contemplated leaving the game of basketball. However, Schneider came back with his teammates in thought. That resonated with Bubak, and the rest is history. Bubak has now played the fourth most minutes for a Griffon team this season that sits at 11-5. The Griffons are also tied for the most active seniors on the roster with eight.

It’s always easy to like, say you take things for granted, but when it’s really taken from you, you see a different perspective and you learn to be grateful for every day that you get it,” Bubak said.