Jason Chorba only intended to defend the honor of the Saint Joseph's College men's basketball program. He didn't want his valiant effort to result in seven screws, a plate, two surgeries and hours of painful rehabilitation.

Hustle is supposed to pay off, not threaten careers, right? Unfortunately for Chorba, that question didn't yield the answer he wanted when he suffered a broken right ankle last season against Bellarmine University in the sixth game of his college career.

"I saw the guy was going to slam it on a fast-break opportunity," Chorba said, recalling the play that led to his demise. "The point guard was going to throw it off the backboard to him. Being at home, you don't want to see them showboating like that on our court. I went up to deflect that pass off the backboard, and when I went up to do that, I collided with the guy and he came down on me right underneath the rim. My knee got caught under me, and then my ankle went out."

Chorba, a Bishop Noll graduate, had the first of two operations in December 2008. He needed to use crutches for a couple months before eventually graduating to a walking boot. Then, he had one of the screws removed from his ankle in a second procedure.

"The pain after the surgery was definitely the worst pain I've ever felt," Chorba said. "It was way worse than the break, 100 times worse than the break."

In his six games as a freshman, Chorba came off the Pumas' bench and averaged 4.7 points per game. And his absence was felt, SJC coach Richard Davis said.

"We missed his shooting. The kid can shoot it," Davis said of Chorba. "We went and watched him several times (when he was in high school), and he'd hit seven, eight, nine 3s in the game. And those are the things that we're expecting from him this year."

With no choice other than staying off his feet for some time, Chorba gained about 20 pounds in the offseason. After participating in a strenuous conditioning program, he's back to about 208 pounds, his playing weight before the injury.

He's also convinced he has a renewed level of focus and dedication to basketball.

"It was my first major injury, but being hurt actually brought more motivation," he said. "If I wasn't injured, maybe I would have had less motivation. This might actually push me to make me a better all-around player."

Chorba said he hasn't yet encountered any problems with his surgically repaired ankle. He admits he can't jump as high now, but his shooting touch still has the lethal implications for opposing teams.

"He has a skill that we need on our team to be successful and that's shooting," Davis said. "He can do that. Defensively, he's not the quickest guy, but he's smart in the aspect of putting himself in the right position."

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