Editor's note -- This semester Abilene Christian's media relations office has teamed with Grant Abston's
Topics in Journalism class to bring additional feature content onto ACUSports.com. The following story on
Kolton Kohl was written by junior communications major, Madi Miller. The Wildcats will open their season on November 25.
ABILENE—As an incoming freshman,
Kolton Kohl entered ACU hoping to make an immediate impact on his new team. The 7-footer from San Angelo had received numerous accolades coming out of Central High School, including a First-Team All-District selection and Defensive MVP, and was ready to begin his collegiate journey.
However, his plans ended abruptly after tearing his ACL shortly after arriving on campus, requiring surgery that kept him off the court his entire freshman year and required countless hours in the training room.
"It was definitely tough coming out of high school and getting to college and the first thing you do is tear your ACL," Kolton said. "You kind of want to be the man, but that didn't always work out for me."
After undergoing surgery to fix his knee, Kolton committed to the training room, participating in daily rehab to rejoin his team as quickly as possible. Over the course of rehab his knee got infected, setting back his recovery timeline, but he eventually returned to full strength and began his college career. Looking back, Kohl is now able to find some humor about his experience.
"Funny thing is I was actually sitting in a chair waiting to play pickup," Kohl said. "When I got up to play my knee kind of locked and popped, and after that day it was pretty swollen. I just like to say I landed wrong in practice because it sounds more realistic than a chair attack."
For Kohl, one of the biggest advantages of sitting out that initial year was getting to watch and study his team every day, seeing the game from a different perspective and understanding what to expect when it was his time to suit out.
"I learned that the pace of the game was completely different from high school," Kohl said. "Also, it was a lot more physical, so just preparing to adapt to the speed of the game and the physicality of it was something I focused on."
Kohl participated in 55 games during his first two seasons on the court, but his contributions increased significantly from his sophomore to junior year, where he averaged 9.6 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game and led the team with 24 blocks.
"Kolton has had a unique journey and battled a lot of adversity early in his career that delayed his development a few years,"
Joe Golding, Head Men's Basketball Coach, said. "Those experiences have made him who he is today though and that is one of the best big men in the Southland Conference."
During his sophomore season, Kohl and the Wildcats won the Southland Conference tournament championship, advancing to play in the program's first NCAA postseason tournament.
"It was so surreal, it felt like I was at an NBA game with all the security and bright lights," Kolton said. "I've just never been on a stage that big and playing in front of that many people, so it was scary, but at the end of the day it's just another day of what I've been doing my whole life."
Last year the Wildcats were on a mission to repeat as Southland Conference postseason champions when COVID-19 abruptly ended their season.
"It reminds you to never take anything for granted," Kohl said. "Last year was devastating for the seniors because they didn't even know they had played their last game. Moving forward, I'm taking every day and practice like it is my last one."
After injuries, setbacks and unexpected pandemics, Kohl enters his final season with a leadership mentality and a chip on his shoulder.
"It's always been a 'we not me' attitude, and I'm fighting for those dudes in the lockers next to me," Kolton said. "I want to win more than anything."
Kohl and the men's basketball team will have a delayed start to their season, which will begin November 25. With 11 players and five seniors returning from last season's team, Kohl believes great things are ahead, both on the court and within the culture they have built and instilled in the younger players.
"Like I said before, I'm playing for those dudes in the locker room," Kolton said. "We have given this basketball program a culture and when we leave we don't want that to change. I want nothing but success for my team and I want to help them anyway I can."
