If anyone can sympathize with the current plight of the Gophers men's basketball team, it's Apple Valley.

Like the Gophers, whose starting point guard Al Nolen could miss the rest of the season because of a broken foot, the Eagles had to make do without their freshman floor general, Tyus Jones, for 13 games this year.

Jones, one of the state's top high school players, lacerated his kidney in the team's season opener against St. Louis Park. The injury, Jones said, was every bit as painful as it sounds.

"It was a loss of breath, my whole left side was in pain. ... It was a freak accident, something that I'd never felt before," Jones said.

During his absence – in which the Eagles' senior scoring leader Tom Schalk also missed three games because of a sprained ankle – Apple Valley went 6-7. But now that the Eagles are back to full strength, Schalk said he and his teammates can't afford to look back on the slow start.

"It was really frustrating having [Jones] out," Schalk said, "but I think overall we all had to do things that we weren't used to doing so now that we have him back, I think everyone just improved and it really helped our team for the better."

With Jones sidelined, senior Isaiah Stephens and sophomores Dustin Fronk and Harry Sonie shared point-guard duties, an experience Eagles coach Zach Goring said was at first difficult, but ultimately beneficial for the players.

Goring said running the offense improved the ballhandling skills of Fronk and Sonie, and made them more aggressive. But, Goring said, both are natural shooting guards.

Supernatural might more accurately describe Fronk's shooting in Jones' second game back, a 76-44 drubbing of Bloomington Jefferson on Friday. Fronk tied a school record with seven three-pointers. Schalk scored 20 points, while Jones finished with 12 points and 11 assists.

Jones' ability to create opportunities for scorers such as Fronk and Schalk has made him the talk of high school basketball in Minnesota.

"Tyus has a knack for hitting guys right on their fingertips, on the run," Goring said. "That's one thing I really noticed with him last year is that he put the ball in spots where the kids could succeed."

Schalk was one of those kids.

"I know just from playing with [Jones] this year and last year, if I'm running the court I'm going to get rewarded with a basket," Schalk said. "[I try to] just always be ready, because he's getting it to me."

With their leader back on the court, Goring said the Eagles – considered a Class 4A contender during the preseason – can still claw their way back from a lackluster start.

"Our goals are still very attainable," Goring said. "We're looking to contend for the conference and section title."

Goring conceded, though, that for all that to happen a big run from his team and some help from their foes will likely be required. Looming on the schedule is a four-game stretch that includes three of the top four teams in the South Suburban Conference.

For now at least, Jones and the Eagles appear rejuvenated and up to the challenge.

Andrew Baker is a U of M student reporter on assignment for the Star Tribune