ESCANABA – Jason Whitens remains chipper and upbeat while going through something he has never dealt with throughout a spectacular athletic career.

A sophomore basketball player at Western Michigan University, the former North Central High School standout is rehabbing a knee injury that has sidelined him this season. It is the first injury during his multi-sport career.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Whites sustained a torn meniscus in his knee Oct 27 at practice, after starting the season opener at power forward against Northwood University. He missed the next exhibition game against Kalamazoo College, then underwent surgery at Kalamazoo Surgery Center.

He has received a medical redshirt, meaning he will have three years left to play for the Broncos. Two other starters are also sidelined with injuries.

“It was painful when it happened, then it would go away,” Whitens said in a telephone conversation Thursday before he left with his parents (Gerald and Faye) to watch a game that night in Kalamzoo.

The Broncos were doing 1-on-1 defensive drills when he was injured. “I was sliding with the defense and felt something kind of click,” he said. “I kept playing, then it just slipped and I couldn’t walk on it. After a while it loosened up and I felt fine and kept practicing.

“I was just doing something you do every day in basketball.”

He said the “weird thing” about a meniscus is that “it slips and locks everything up in the knee. I went to the trainer’s room and he tried to flip it back and it unlocked. There was a tear but it felt normal.”

He practiced the next three days, during which he said he may have re-injured the knee. “My doctor said it was a big tear. They could have taken it out and I would have been back this week, but then the knee would swell and I would have arthritis immediately,” he said.

“The knee feels great. I’m pretty happy with the way it is coming along, but it sucks having to sit.”

Whitens said the timetable for his return is late April, and he will be able to start running in three months. He meets with his doctor next week and said the work he is doing now “gives me confidence in my knee again. They are keeping me grounded and telling me to slow down.”

“I still have three more years. I’m preparing myself this year for the next three years,” he said.

Whitens remains a part of the team, attending practices and games and receiving a better understanding of how to play the game at the Division 1 college level.

He was starting at power forward (4 spot) for the Broncos when he was injured. “I was learning a new position (from high school) but incorporating my game into that position. It was a good fit for me,” he said. “My role has changed since high school (where he did just about everything for a team that won three straight Class D state championships and set a state record of 84 – 83 with Whitens – consecutive wins) and I found a different way to play within my style.”

At WMU he focused on being a rebounder as a freshman. “When you go to the next level, you have to find the things you are good at. I became a really physical player and worked hard at doing all of those things, where to get my shot, make a pass to get this guy to score.

“I had the ball in my hands (a lot) in high school. I had to find a way to get the ball in my hands in college. I was very happy with my role.”

His playing time increased later in his freshman season. “The coaches said I played my role perfectly. I was doing everything I can to make them better so they could do their thing. I tried to be that glue guy and do every little thing so they could get the ball in their hands more,” he said.

He learned immediately that moving from Class D high school to Division 1 college basketball “was a huge process, a big jump,” he said. “I had to find my way first, rebounding and defense and being that tough guy. I thought I helped out last year.”

That first season was an eye opener because of being a rookie on a veteran team, including one teammate who is now playing in the G league on the Chicago Bulls team.

“You really have to make a jump and progress as the season goes on. You try to catch up with those guys,” he said. “Everything is so calculated now, how we do things offensively and defensively, how the coaches want it done. There is no room for error, you want to play perfect basketball.”

Whitens is making the most of his new role, and it figures it should be beneficial even though he is relegated to the bench the rest of the season.

“Right now I just sit here and listen and watch how the other guys perform it. That will slow the game down,” he said. “The game got so much faster at this level. Now I am able to understand what my guys are doing and I can help them out.”

He receives the same scouting reports as his teammates and said “I study them as much as my teammates. It will be a good transition into next year. I want to be the best player I can be and improve my (basketball) IQ.”

Handling the mental part of being a spectator after being the go-to guy in high school football (two state championships) and basketball (three state titles) is difficult. “I just have to find a way to distract myself,” he said.

Whitens does rehab work on the sideline during practice sessions and has the mind-set that “I am getting better while you (teammates) are getting better. I’m getting my body right so when I’m allowed to play I’ll be ready right away. I’m still competitive every day,” he said.

“It was great to be a part of all of those (high school) games. Now sitting here and not being a full part of it, I have to kind of sit there and wait for my turn. It’s been tough, but the guys are great keeping me involved. They know how big a competitor I am and they still make me feel a part of it.”

As a freshman, Whitens played 95 minutes in 16 games, averaging 1.1 point, .9 rebounds with four assists, three blocks and two steals.

At North Central, Whitens led the Jets to a 108-1 record in four seasons of basketball and ran for 352 yards in 17 carries and six touchdowns as a senior in the second straight eight-player championship victory. He was a two-time state player of the year in football and basketball.