A matter of days after arriving in ºüÀêÊÓƵ from the Netherlands, Stef van Bussel was in a doctor’s office getting news no one anticipated. Days later, he was being prepped for surgery.
A leg injury that wasn’t diagnosed promptly in 2022 was identified as a stress fracture in his right tibia.
Before he could play basketball for ºüÀêÊÓƵ University, the 6-foot-10 center needed a titanium rod inserted, stretching from the bottom of his knee to the top of his ankle to allow for healing.
Months had passed without progress since van Bussel was injured while playing in Germany. So, news of the surgery was actually good.
“I said, ‘Let’s go.’ If I could play, let’s do it immediately,†van Bussel said of his reaction.
He was told it would take a year for a full recovery, but he was ready for the start of practice and has played an average of seven minutes in six games for the Billikens, who host Hofstra at 2 p.m. Saturday.
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“I still have pain that’s sharp, but I’m doing load management,†van Bussel said. “I can play defense and run and jump off two feet and it’s painless. So, it’s fine. There are just some movements that still hurt.â€
van Bussel was on crutches for six weeks at the end of 2022 and eventually underwent a biopsy because a doctor in Germany thought he might have a tumor in his shin.
He tried to play through the injury early this year while seeking answers. Once he arrived in ºüÀêÊÓƵ the tumor theory was ruled out, but he was suddenly facing a long inactive period.
The healing process, however, was fairly fast in terms of his ability to begin light activities and build toward being ready for the season. In his brief minutes, van Bussel has brought SLU some physicality that it needs.
“I like the physicality that is allowed over here,†he said. “It’s a really physical game in college. It’s my game. If they called a foul on me immediately, I’d have five fouls in 10 minutes. Right now I’m not the main big, so I feel I have to play hard and make a statement sometimes. I don’t feel I have to adjust my game whereas if I played 20 minutes I’d have to be smarter about it.â€
With his recovery ongoing, van Bussel is behind Terrence Hargrove Jr. and Bruce Zhang at center. Zhang started the last game, so van Bussel came off the bench sooner and played nine minutes.
There was a time when van Bussel wasn’t sure that playing in the U.S was something he wanted to do. For a while, he was having to travel extensively from his home in Ommel in the Netherlands via bike and train to get to the school where he studied and played.
He was playing for a team in Germany when SLU assistant coach Chris Harriman saw him last year while coaching at Cal. They connected for the first time this year April 29 after Harriman had taken a job at SLU.
Eventually, he became convinced to make the move to the U.S. and needed only a few days to accept SLU’s offer.
“It’s great. I feel like it’s the best choice,†he said. “The school part is great for me. Everything is perfect. Even though I won’t play as many minutes, I can still work on my game with the gym, shooting gun, weight room. It’s perfect to develop my game.â€
With his first semester almost complete, van Bussel said he will choose between majoring in international business and finance.
His parents own a business and he said growing up with constant discussions about business and the stock market generated his own interest. For now, though, he said his focus is on basketball.
“I want to do everything I can to help the team,†he said. “My focus is on being physical, rebounding and setting good screens. Just being a good role player.â€