GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) 鈥 Jason Jitoboh won鈥檛 step foot onto a basketball court without his glasses. And he doesn鈥檛 even need them to see.
The darkened lenses merely provide extra protection for what eyesight Jitoboh has remaining.
Florida鈥檚 6-foot-11 center took a finger to his left eye at Tennessee last January and spent the better part of a year trying to get right. He鈥檚 had four surgeries already and might have a fifth following the season.
So when the Gators (12-9, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) host the second-ranked Volunteers (18-3, 7-1) on Wednesday night, Jitoboh will be focused on finding some closure on a trying and unexpected journey that started with a routine rebounding effort during a midweek game in Knoxville and continues a little more than 12 months later.
鈥淚鈥檝e had this game marked for a while,鈥 Jitoboh said.
For good reason. Jitoboh left his last outing against the Vols bloodied and unable to see in one eye. He had surgery the next morning to repair a ruptured muscle that had prevented any eye movement. He had several more operations to repair a detached retina and optic nerve damage.
Adding to disorientation and discomfort, doctors dropped protective oil into his healing eye and ordered him to lay face down for roughly 20 hours a day for three months. He would spend 50 minutes with his head in a massage pillow and then get a 10-minute break during which he鈥檇 try to cram in all his normal activities.
鈥淚 would鈥檝e gone crazy if I did that all day,鈥 Jitoboh said. 鈥淪o I tried to find loopholes. I鈥檇 stand up and look down. It was just finding different ways to heal and also live life.鈥
With his parents living in Abuja, Nigeria, and unable to get to Gainesville on short notice, Jitoboh relied on head athletic trainer Duke Werner for moral support.
鈥淗e got to the point where he didn鈥檛 know if he wanted to play again,鈥 Werner said. 鈥淗e got really down. 鈥 There鈥檚 been a real toll on this guy that people probably don鈥檛 realize. It was serious.鈥
Jitoboh missed the final 14 games last season. His sight slowly started to return a few weeks after the injury. He could make out shapes, then colors. His peripheral vision returned, too, but his straight-ahead sight in that eye remained foggy for months 鈥 even to this day.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long process, long journey for sure,鈥 said Jitoboh, whose mother was able to join him in Gainesville for two weeks around his third surgery. 鈥淚 think I鈥檓 most proud of not giving up, my resiliency, not just laying down and not letting it change my character, who I am as a person. I think that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 most proud of.
鈥淲hat I did is almost impossible. It would鈥檝e been easier to lay down and give up and just let the obstacle win.鈥
Jitoboh missed an entire semester of coursework because he couldn鈥檛 look at a computer screen, and he packed on a few extra pounds because he was unable to work out, let alone practice.
He eventually gained clearance to return to the court in short stints last May, but 鈥渕y depth perception was horrible.鈥 Catching the ball was difficult; running without losing his balance was nearly impossible.
Over time, as his workload increased, his brain started suppressing his left eye and recalibrating everything he does through the right one. He鈥檚 still a work in progress, coming off the bench to spell Colin Castleton and averaging 2.7 points and 1.5 rebounds while playing a little less than 10 minutes a game.
But considering where he was a year ago, he'll take it.
鈥淣ot a lot of guys can go through what he鈥檚 been through," Castleton said. 鈥淭he biggest thing for me that really shocked me was just the approach he took every day, having a great, positive mindset. He has great energy."
Jitoboh, who attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, knows several of his upcoming opponents well. He holds no grudge against Tennessee senior Olivier Nkamhoua, who poked him during the rebound.
He just wants his vision back to normal, something that will require more time and maybe another surgery.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to show that I belong 鈥檆ause I know that I belong,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 just want to show people what I鈥檓 still capable of. Like, I can still play at a high level. I can still impact winning no matter what.鈥
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