TOLEDO, Ohio — To say this has been a long road back wouldn’t be doing it justice. AJ Edu has just had some awful luck since he got to the University of Toledo.
In 2019, he tore his ACL playing for the Philippines in a tournament in Greece. He fully recovered and in November of 2020, he tore his meniscus in the same knee in just his second game back.
He rehabbed, he returned, and it happened again. This time, his other knee. He tore his ACL in a scrimmage in July of 2021.
"It definitely doesn't get any easier every time it happens. It was pretty tough initially," said Edu. "I have a good support system around me, good coaching staff, good family back home."
One thing that has never wavered is the belief that he would return to the court. Three major knee injuries would signal the end of a career for most, but Edu just kept coming back.
"AJ's one of the nicest guys and hardest workers I've been around," said Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk. "He's had some bad luck. Structurally his knees are unbelievably strong, he's just had bad luck. I think all that bad luck is behind him so there's going to be a lot of fun days for him ahead."
"It's not all sunshine and rainbows for sure," said Edu. "But my biggest thing is my faith. I trust in God's plan for me. I believe that everything happens for a reason and I believe that these injuries have made me grow as a person. It's made me not take anything for granted."
Edu acknowledged that his game is different now. He’s grown so much in the last few years. He’s about to return to a team that’s having an incredible year and he is just hoping to contribute in any way he can.
"It's been great to watch this team play," said Edu. "It's almost like I'm a fan watching them and enjoying the great basketball that's played. If I can add to that, it would be amazing. This is already a championship team, to add to that would just be unbelievable."