Pass through Memorial Coliseum in recent weeks and one would likely find Kentucky center Jason Parker, sweat pouring from his brow, going through the paces of a grueling rehabilitation for his surgically repaired knee.

The big 6-8 forward, only three months removed from an operating room, had advanced to the point of doing some delicate pivot moves before going up for a short jump shot. It was a far cry from battling for position in the SEC, but it was also testimony to how far Parker had come since the days of having a machine bend his knee for him.

Clearly, Parker was on the way back. Perhaps, he might even beat the Jan. 1 return date, a monumental task for someone of Parker’s frame and strength.

So imagine the mental anguish Parker now endures after a freak mishap caused the sophomore to re-injure the knee. Three months of rehab have been wiped clean. Another surgery looms. And, Parker must come to terms with the fact there will be no basketball in 2002, a year in which the Cats are poised to bid for the national championship.

As enthusiasm builds for Kentucky basketball in the coming weeks, we should pause frequently to reflect on Jason Parker, who faces a bigger challenge than any of those who will suit up for the Cats come Nov. 15.

“Jason is just devastated right now,” coach Tubby Smith said Saturday. “He was doing exceptionally well in his rehabilitation and was on track to return to our team later in the season.”

Incredibly, Parker hurt his knee moments before Kentucky kicked off a new season with Big Blue Madness. Smith explained that Parker was “horsing around” with a couple of his teammates in the locker room before team was introduced at midnight.

“He said he just stepped, planted and rotated on that knee,” Smith said. “It was a freak accident.”

An MRI confirmed the tear to the new ligament, a cadaver ligament that had been attached with bone grafts during a July 2 surgery by Dr. David Caborn. Parker will undergo surgery in about a month, after swelling subsides.

What’s most troubling about this event is that Parker had been progressing beautifully in what is one of the most grueling and mentally taxing rehabs an athlete can endure. It’s an often lonesome six months that will test any person’s mettle.

“His limitation right now is just keeping up with where we are in the rehab and not pushing himself beyond that,” UK trainer David Kindy said just a few weeks before the second tear.

“The knee looks good. It feels good. But it’s not ready,” Kindy said. “Fortunately, Jason knows that.”

After going through a variety of exercises in UK’s expansive, and expensive, hydrotherapy whirlpool, Parker was allowed to move his game back to the basketball court in early September. He began doing stationary shooting drills and he quickly advanced to pushing off the knee to take short baseline jump shots.

“We’ve done some shooting drills, just to get him back on the floor and to get that feel of the basketball in his hands again,” Kindy said at the time. “From now on, he’ll be doing individual sessions just like the rest of our guys. We’re allowed two hours a week, and he’ll be out there.”

Ironically, Kindy had been bracing for a tough mental hurdle Parker would face in October.

“The hard part for Jason is going to be when we start practicing, and I think everyone realizes that,” Kindy said. “The next hard thing will be when that first game comes. He going to miss it, he already misses it.

Sadly, the same quotes carry even more weight today. Hopefully, what Kindy said next also still holds true as Parker puts the setback behind him.

“Jason has a realistic timeline, and he understands that his rehabilitation now is so important,” Kindy said in September. “Jason knows we’re not going to do anything to jeopardize his future. We’re going to do everything to make sure he is ready to go for good.”

And that still stands as solid truth, even though it means Kindy, Parker and UK have to go back to square one.