A.J. Rutter's season and basketball career came to an unfortunate and premature end with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee against Illinois State Feb. 7. However, the graduating senior still describes his time at Drake as a 'dream come true.'
Rutter, the only child of head coach Jeff Rutter and his wife Shari, joined the Bulldogs when his father became an assistant coach at Drake in the spring of 2013. Upon taking the position, Jeff asked then head coach Ray Giacoletti about the possibility of A.J. joining the team as a walk-on.
Giacoletti's answer was an emphatic, 'gotta have him,' according to Rutter. Thus began the realization of A.J.'s dream.
"I never thought I'd get to realize my lifelong goal of playing college basketball, let alone for my dad, which has made it even better," A.J. said. "I always wanted to be part of a team and these last four years have been what I've always wanted to be a part of. I grew up watching my dad's teams and now I was one of those guys. That's pretty cool."
A.J. was a standout athlete at nearby Gilbert High School in both basketball and baseball but suffered two torn ACLs that created speed bumps in his athletic career. Despite those hiccups, he has been a critical member of the men's basketball team for the last four seasons in practices, game preparation and on the court when his number is called. Cognizant of his role, A.J.'s biggest source of pride as a Bulldog has not been his moments under the bright lights, but in the success of his teammates.
"Being excited for the success that other guys have has probably been the best part of being a teammate," Rutter said. "I know my role is not to be a star or anything close to that, but seeing stars emerge and guys who work hard at it become really good players has been fun to see."
Off the court, time with his father has been one of the most tangible and significant results of his time as a Bulldog.
"It's been a blessing. We probably didn't get to spend as much time with each other as either of us would have liked when I was younger because of the job," A.J. said. "These last four years have really made up for it. Getting to see him every day and spending so much time with him. It's been a dream come true."
Right now, A.J.'s goal is recovering from his third reconstructive knee surgery in time to walk across the stage at the Knapp Center and receive his degree in health sciences in May with a nearly perfect grade point average. He has recorded a 4.0 GPA in five of his seven semesters to date at Drake and is on pace to do it for a sixth time.
Those who he has supported as a teammate will no doubt be those who help him get there.
"It's been tough to go out this way, but I've been here before so I know I can get through it and all the guys on the team have been super-supportive," he said. "The level of relationship you have with your teammates in college is so much different than any other level. It's more of a family."
Diploma in hand, he intends to pursue a role that mirrors his basketball career – helping others and dealing with unexpected adversity – by entering the medical field as either an EMT or other position in direct patient care with the ultimate goal of attending school to become a physician's assistant.
"I want to help people. I'm leaning toward emergency medicine or orthopedics, especially since I've spent a lot of time in that part of the hospital," A.J. said. "I like the excitement of not knowing what can come in and the adrenaline that comes with that."
