When Craig Jipson isn’t excited about the start of basketball season, something isn’t quite right.

That was the case this year. The Oxford Hills girls’ basketball coach arrived at his first practice with plenty of apprehension and foreboding.

“I live for basketball season,” said Jipson. “For summer basketball, I count the hours and minutes down. This year I was just dreading it. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do it. I was just so tired. I’d coach my sons little pee-wee practice, and I have to go home and sleep for four or five hours. I’d just feel so worn out.”

Jipson has been trying to overcome injuries sustained in a car accident in late August. After major surgery to his hip and a lengthy rehabilitation, Jipson wasn’t even certain he’d be able to coach this year. He was concerned that coaching might drain him, but he’s proving it takes a whole lot more to keep him down. Rather than wilt under the strain of teaching and coaching, he’s been bolstered by it.

“I was dreading the first Monday of practice for the first time in my life,” said Jipson. “Monday came and the kids were great. They picked my spirits up.”

Jipson was on his way home from an Oxford Hills preseason football game when his vehicle was hit by a drunk driver. The other driver was charged with aggravated OUI. Jipson faced eight-and-a-half hours of surgery to repair his hip.

“The ball in my hip just blew up in the accident,” said Jipson. “They had to take part of my pelvis out and use whatever was left to make a temporary ball with like nine screws.”

He was in the hospital for 12 days, and he’s lost 25 pounds. He tires easily and is still trying to recover fully. It’s been quite an ordeal for Jipson, his wife, Missy, and their three children.

“My daughter woke up crying for a month because she thought her dad was going to die,” says Jipson.

He returned to the classroom at Oxford Hills a few weeks before basketball season began. He had a doctor’s appointment around that same time and got the go-ahead to coach.

“My doctor basically said that it’s not going to do anymore damage, but I’ll be exhausted” said Jipson. “He also said that there might be some medicinal things that could help – coaching and going back into the classroom. I have felt stronger. I’m tired when I get home, but during practice it’s all being around the kids and that gives you plenty of energy.”

Jipson can’t say enough about the support he’s gotten from athletic director Jeff Benson and assistant coaches Kyle Morey and Shane Slicer. Jipson could have even eased the job a little by cutting down on things like scouting, but he wouldn’t have any of that.

“I was like “If I can’t fully do this job, I’m not going to do it,'” he said. “I was not going to cheat the kids.”

With much of his club back from last year, the Vikings should be in the race for a playoff spot in a strong KVAC field. Having 11 returning players certainly makes his job easier, but Jipson still has to be careful. He hopes to be off crutches by early January. He fully expects to have arthritis and hip replacement surgery in his future.

“It’s a little scary and there’s some apprehension,” he said. “You don’t want to get caught up in something and do something stupid that you shouldn’t do or push yourself too much.”

Coaching and teaching is Jipson’s passion. It likely would have been harder for him not to coach. While his team helps fuel his recovery, he hopes his perseverance can serve them as well.

“Despite the fact that they’re going to have to deal with a slower coach, hopefully one thing they’re going to take out of this year is that you don’t give up when you really care about something,” he said. “Hopefully, they learn that you don’t let obstacles get in the way or things you care about.”