There is no truth to the rumor that Bryar Bailes sleeps in the basketball gymnasium.
However, an argument can be made that he lives there.
Thursday morning, the long hours of hard work in a place he has pretty much called home, paid huge dividends for the Midland Trail guard.
With family, coaches, teammates and friends in attendance, Bailes signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball for Glenville State University.
“I just kept thinking about sixth grade. I told myself I was going to be playing college basketball someday,” Bailes said. “Since then I have been in the gym every day of the week, five hours plus a day just grinding to get to that spot. It finally happened.”
The signing comes on the heels of a promising senior season that was altered by a knee injury just five games into the season.
While admitting that Thursday was full of emotion, Bailes also never succumbed to the doubts that his dream was over due to the injury.
“I’m not going to lie, when I signed that paper, I had a couple tears in my eyes. It was just a dream come true,” Bailes said. “I always knew something was going to work out. I knew God had His control over the situation.”
Bailes was off to a hot start before he was slowed by the knee injury in game five against PikeView.
In the opener against Independence, Bailes dropped 25 points and backed it up with 20 against Summers County.
The future Pioneer then scored 14 and 10 in lopsided wins over Pocahontas County and Richwood, seeing limited action.
“At PikeView, I was filling the lane and Eli Campbell sent me a pass that was just a little too far,” Bailes explained. “I stepped for the ball and reached my foot a little too far. It planted into the ground and my knee moved without my foot. There was no contact at all.”
Going to the ground, Bailes know the situation was not a good one for him.
“The first thing I thought was it had to be broke. We went to get x-rays and they thought nothing was wrong with it,” Bailes said. “I went to the doctor and they didn’t think it was an ACL (tear) at first. Then they did a MRI and it was a fully torn ACL.”
Bailes had a decision to make.
He would get the surgery before the season ended, or wait. He decided to be fitted for a brace and finish what he started.
“I could have had the surgery Feb. 7, but I always thought there was a chance of me coming back and playing,” Bailes admitted. “I did come back and play some. Nowhere what I normally played, but I came back and did what I could to help the team the best way I could. I felt my presence was a big deal to the team. I just brought energy and stuff like that.”
Midland Trail head coach Curtis Miller talked about the value of Bailes finishing the season with his teammates.
“Just him being on the sideline and being a presence was a big help. He was like having another coach over there. He is super smart and intelligent. I told him from day one if he saw something out on the floor, don’t be afraid to say something,” Miller said. “I trusted him more than I did myself sometimes. The kid knows the game of basketball.”
While his ability was limited by the injury, he was far from a liability on the floor.
“He was still the best passer on the floor and one of the best shooters, so teams had to honor him,” Miller said.
Prior to his senior season, Bailes had already made contact with Glenville State.
“I have known (assistant coach) Brett Morris for awhile and Cody McClung is good friends with Brett. Cody is my trainer,” Bailes said. “Before I was injured I went up and played pick-up (basketball) at Glenville, two or three times. They really liked what they saw and it has been on from there. We have communicated on and off ever since.”
Now Bailes will be tasked with rehab and recovery for his move to the next level.
“I plan to redshirt my first year. I think that is the smartest decision. I am three weeks and two days out (from surgery) tonight,” Bailes said. “They are saying in six months I should be starting to play a little bit of basketball again. One hundred percent should be around eight-to-ten months. It is going to be a process, but one I am willing to take.”
While the game dealt him a tough hand this year, it also taught Bailes all of his hard work was worth the effort. There is little doubt Bailes will eventually be back and better than ever.
“I am from a small town and I am not the tallest dude, so I knew I had to put in the extra time if I wanted to play. Bailes said.” I am going to keep doing that and put in even more time at the college level.”
