It’s been almost a year since Briante Weber has stepped on the court in an organized game of basketball.
On January 7 of last season Weber went up for a jump shot in the second half of a game against Richmond, only to see his ACL and MCL fail him upon his return to the floor, seeing the point guard buckle under the pressure of his own weight while hitting the court in what proved to be the final play of the VCU legend’s college career.
After months of rehab Weber will have defended the threat of a premature end to his hoops playing career effectively, returning back to the floor in his debut appearance with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, an NBA D-League affiliate of the Miami Heat.
“I have been working hard to get back to this day,” Weber told VCURamNatin.com. “I kind of had this whole situation in my head like a jail sentence and my trial has been for about 11 months, calling it the Free Breezy Trial with a release date of Jan 7, 2016, so excited isn’t even the word right now.” He added, “I’m just going to do what I do best and of course it’s just the start of the #NewBeginning.”
Weber signed a September free-agent deal with the Heat to attend training camp but was unable to pass a team physical during that process of his recovery. The following month Weber signed a contract with the team in order for the Miami franchise to secure his rights while bringing him along slowly through their D-League affiliate.
He’ll see his first bit of action with the Skyforce tonight at 8PM EST against Raptors 905 on NBA TV.
Weber finished his career just 12 steals shy of the NCAA’s all-time record. He was on pace to break that record within the following three games and would have likely obliterated the record due to VCU’s additional 15 games the senior missed due to injury.
The Chesapeake native was a three-time A-10 Defensive Player of the Year and led the country in steals percentage all four of his seasons at VCU. His teams played in the NCAA tournament all four of his seasons with the Rams.
