2009 All-Area Boys’ Basketball ?Player of the Year:

So many things went through Coltrane Powdrill’s mind last summer after he landed awkwardly following a slam dunk while playing for his travel team.

Powdrill crumpled to the floor, feeling a sharp pain in his left knee. That triggered a series of questions, ranging from what kind of injury did Powdrill sustain to would he be able to participate in the upcoming season for the Crescenta Valley High boys’ basketball team. Powdrill needed those questions answered before he could tackle the additional hurdle of learning the offensive and defensive systems used by Crescenta Valley after transferring from St. Francis.

“I didn’t know if I could play again,” said Powdrill, who was diagnosed with a torn meniscus. “I had planted my left foot when I came down and I felt something go wrong.

“The doctors couldn’t pinpoint the injury at first. Then I got a second MRI and it showed the tear.”

While he felt bouts of pain while rehabbing for several weeks — he missed virtually all of Crescenta Valley’s extensive summer league schedule — Powdrill didn’t let the injury bother him. He stuck to a regiment rehabilitation schedule to make the knee as sturdy as possible before joining the Falcons.

Powdrill might not have been 100%, but he certainly gave his all to the Falcons. He averaged a team-high 18.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game to help the Falcons finish in a three-way tie for second in the Pacific League. Crescenta Valley then qualified for the CIF Southern Section Division I-A playoffs in February.

“I think I could have done better had I been 100% or close to it,” said Powdrill, who was selected the All-Area Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year for the first time by the sportswriters and editors of the Crescenta Valley Sun, Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader. “I just went out there and did the best I could to help my team win.

“Before the season [began], I went through rehab and had a lot of workouts. I was able to strengthen my knee and the muscles around it. I’m glad it worked out.”

So were the Falcons, who relied heavily on Powdrill to help them post a 16-win season. Proving he wasn’t shy about drawing contact, Powdrill averaged nearly two blocks per game to give Crescenta Valley a legitimate inside presence.

Once Powdrill became more comfortable, Crescenta Valley Coach Shawn Zargarian could see things beginning to take shape.