Hoffman rounding back into shape for Woodmen

<p>The more minutes Bryce Hoffman played, the less he felt like the person who led the Greenwood boys basketball team in scoring last season.</p><p>A starting guard, Hoffman couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong during the season opener at New Castle in November. He just sensed he was a lesser version of the player who averaged 12 points a game as a junior.</p><p>In the crowd, Dawn Hoffman could tell something was wrong.</p><p>“Bryce’s movements were a bit off,” she said. “I could just tell he was not feeling well.”</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>Hoffman’s condition could be traced back three months to the opening game of the Woodmen’s football season. During a 33-13 loss at Bloomington North, Hoffman, a wide receiver, sustained a concussion that caused him to vomit on the sideline after being taken out of the game.</p><p>“We were running a screen,” Hoffman remembers. “I got a few yards, tried to make a move and got spun around and some kid came out of nowhere and hit my chin up.”</p><p>Hoffman missed the next three football games, wins at Indian Creek and Martinsville and a home loss to Mooresville. He was medically cleared on Sept. 13, but still didn’t feel completely like his old self. Nonetheless, Hoffman went on to complete the season with a team-high 23 receptions for 317 yards.</p><p>Exactly four weeks separated the end of football season from the opener in hoops.</p><p>In that time, Hoffman continued to experience concussion-like symptoms such as nausea, dizziness and issues with his vision. His parents continued to take him in for testing but couldn’t get anyone to sign off on the possibility that Hoffman was still adversely affected by that blow to the head during football.</p><p>On Nov. 30, the night after Greenwood’s 12-point victory at New Castle, the Woodmen hosted Greenwood Christian. Hoffman was battling a Cougar player for the ball near midcourt right before halftime when he was inadvertently elbowed in the jaw.</p><p>At halftime, Hoffman, whose grit and fearlessness are contagious within the Greenwood locker room, was driven to Community South Hospital by his parents. Despite informing medical personnel of their son’s recent concussion, Ryan and Dawn Hoffman were told to contact the family’s physician.</p><p>On Dec. 2, the family contacted Dr. Tony Origer, a chiropractor for Methodist Sports Medicine. Dr. Origer ordered two different MRIs and Bryce then went to see Dr. Thurman Alvey III the following day to take a computer impact test in which he was asked to answer a variety of challenging questions.</p><p>Based on test results, Dr. Alvey sidelined Hoffman from both practice and competition. Hoffman missed Greenwood’s next 12 games — hardly the way he had envisioned his senior season playing out.</p><p>“I would be fine for a few minutes and then get light-headed. People would be talking to me and I would be confused. Things like that,” Hoffman said. “Missing games was really difficult, but it was also a good learning experience. It was fun to watch the team compete and learn what we wanted from a coaching standpoint.”</p><p>On Jan. 20, Dr. Alvey, Dr. Tony Origer and physical therapist Mary Kay Bishop, the team at Methodist Sports Medicine that had been tending to Hoffman, cleared him to begin playing competitive basketball again.</p><p>Dawn Hoffman said her son endured a total of 30 doctor appointments from the time he was hurt at Bloomington North until he was cleared to resume his basketball season.</p><p>Hoffman, who had been running drills and shooting during Woodmen practices, returned to game action in a 68-57 victory over Bishop Chatard on Jan. 29. Two nights later, he led the Woodmen with nine points in a crucial 38-30 Mid-State Conference win at Perry Meridian.</p><p>“Just seeing him go through all of this his senior year, it’s emotional,” Dawn Hoffman said. “It might have been the second or third game back where he was the leading scorer. I could just tell that he was back.”</p><p>Greenwood coach Joe Bradburn, whose squad is 15-5 entering tonight’s game at Indian Creek, is glad that he is.</p><p>“It’s a big hit when you have a Mr. Clutch down the stretch who you count on and who energizes your offense,” Bradburn said. “You take that away for 12 games and that’s really tough. But it did allow other guys to step up.</p><p>“Our guys are pretty resilient, and they have good attitudes. With Bryce back, hopefully we can spread the floor and have a little more scoring punch.”</p><p>Hoffman is considering attending IUPUI where, initially, he wanted to major in business. Recent events have him entertaining the possibility of pursuing a career as a physical therapist.</p><p>“I was thinking about it because I can relate to a lot more people,” Hoffman said. “I know a lot of things about concussions now.”</p>