For the bulk of his high school sports career, Brady Deterding’s version of normal has been battling various injuries that have sidelined and bothered him throughout his time at Kiowa County High School. 

Now, Deterding is embracing what he calls his “new normal” -- playing pain free for the first time in a long time. 

A promising multi-sport career for Deterding has been constantly interrupted by a long list of injuries including a torn ACL and meniscus, a torn labrum and a freak injury on the football field in which he lacerated his liver and spleen. 

Deterding, the Capitol Federal® True Blue® Student of the Week, is now fully healthy and soaking up every moment of his senior basketball season with the Mavericks. 

“You don’t realize how bad that you’ve had it until it’s good again,” Deterding said. “I was kind of used to (fighting injuries). It was the normal. 

“Having a new normal, it’s just a great feeling. I’m super happy. Super glad to be able to play.”

After playing through significant injuries the last two seasons on the court, Deterding’s finally been able to show what he can do when at full strength. He entered the Southern Plains Iroquois Athletic Association Tournament averaging 24 points for a young Kiowa County team that is hoping to make a mid-season run. They opened the SPIAA tourney on Tuesday with a 64-57 upset of No. 2 seed Hodgeman County at Dodge City’s United Wireless Arena. 

“We lost a couple close ones early,” Deterding said. “I think just inexperience played into that. Now that we’re getting some games under our belt, I think it’s going to make a big difference.”

Deterding finds himself appreciating big moments like Tuesday’s win even more after going through a string of injuries that started his eighth-grade year. 

After being bothered by his knee at times during his freshman and sophomore seasons in high school, doctors determined Deterding had been playing on a torn ACL that they believed he suffered as an eighth grader. An MRI his sophomore year also determined that he had more recently torn his meniscus. 

He had surgery on his knee in March following his sophomore basketball season. He was gearing up for his junior year on the court when he suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder during a pick-up game. 

Deterding played through the shoulder injury the entire season, averaging 14.4 points and 6.5 rebounds a game. He admitted after the season that his shoulder popped out of place at least 10 times during the season. 

“It would pop out and I would have to have help to get it back in,” he said. “The relief once it got back in was amazing, but after that for the next couple days, I couldn’t do anything.”

He had surgery to repair the torn labrum after the season and missed track season for the second straight year. 

Deterding put everything he had into being back at 100 percent for his senior year in basketball. 

“By about June and July, I was back in the gym shooting close to 1,000 shots a day,” Deterding said. “Through the fall, I was just in the gym constantly. I really had no other focus. The weight room and the gym, that was my life for awhile, and I’m OK with it.”

Deterding’s first love had been football when he was younger, but his high school football career only lasted half a season after he went through a serious health scare during a game his sophomore year. 

While chasing down a ball carrier from behind, Deterding landed on the player’s upturned cleats, lacerating his liver and spleen. He was flown to Wichita for treatment and spent a couple days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. 

“I don’t think I ever realized how bad it was until afterward when they were talking about internal bleeding and surgery and things like that,” said Deterding, who avoided surgery for the lacerations, just needing time to heal. 

Deterding does his best to block out his past injury history from his mind when on the court. 

“With my knee, I never really thought about it after it was over,” Deterding said. “But with my shoulder sometimes, when my arm’s going over my head, it’s still scary sometimes, but I think that’s finally getting better. I’m more comfortable grabbing rebounds and things like that with my right arm.”

This year has brought a chance for Deterding to evolve as a leader for a young Kiowa County squad that has battled injuries early in the year but shown positive signs recently. 

“It’s a blast,” Deterding said. “Younger guys don’t always know what they’re doing sometimes, and that’s OK. I think it helps me be a better leader myself, talking on the floor and communicating. Having that role is something that I think helps me grow in that area.”

Kiowa County coach Matt Hoffman said he’s been impressed by Deterding’s resolve to bounce back from his setbacks. 

“With everything that has happened to Brady, I am surprised time and again that he comes out stronger than ever,” Hoffman said. “He is the only basketball player I have had in 11 years of coaching that put in more time than everyone else combined – shooting one thousand shots daily in the summer and continuing to get shots up on his off days, all while being an outstanding student and leader for our high school.”

“Brady has never once complained about any of the injuries that have happened to him,” said Brady's father, Brian Deterding, who is Kiowa County's athletic director. “He has taken all of the setbacks in stride, and he has worked hard to come back from them stronger than before. The time that he has spent in the gym over the past few summers rehabbing his various injuries and working on his game has been impressive. It would have been very easy for him to quit or at least feel sorry for himself, but that has never been the case.”

Deterding has also worked to develop his leadership qualities for his school, serving as STUCO president. 

“Speaking in front of people, I’m getting better at that all the time I feel like,” Deterding said. 

In his community, Deterding is a mentor through for the Maverick Match program, meeting with his mentee once a week. He also coaches youth basketball for the 3rd and 4th grade team for the Greensburg Recreation program and has officiated junior high basketball games for Kiowa County. 

“I love working with kids,” he said. “Both of my parents work at the school, so from a young age I’ve just been around people all the time. I really enjoy being around people, trying to make connections.”

Deterding’s ultimate goal is to play college basketball. 

“It’s definitely on my radar. I’ve talked to a few schools here and there,” he said. “But if that falls through, I still want to care about my education and after college as well. If (basketball) falls through I’ll probably end up at Wichita State. But I’d still love to have the opportunity to play college basketball somewhere. 

“I’d like to study business with a focus on real estate.”

Deterding, who holds a 3.89 grade-point average, said he’s cherished his time at Kiowa County and Greensburg and is savoring his senior year. 

“Our community is great,” he said. “All the people there and all the teachers are great, I love them. I’m sure it’s different from a big town – I’ve never got to experience that. But it’s what I’m used to, it’s what I’ve grown up with, so I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“It goes fast. I’m trying to take advantage of everything I can and take everything in.”