It’s a fact that human sight is attracted to motion, so it’s hardly surprising that Jordan Kozloski is quickly noticed. She’s a blur of activity, on and off the court.
One of 10 players on the roster of the Houston Sharks wheelchair basketball team, 9-year-old Kozloski stands out for her passionate, enthusiastic play.
“It comes from my heart,” she said.
She’s usually the first one down the court. And while she’s not yet physically mature enough to be a consistent offensive threat — shooting a ball from a seated position takes a measure of strength she has yet to develop — Kozloski is a fearsome defender.
In a semifinal game of the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs JV state tournament Saturday, Kozloski was assigned to defend the Hurricanes’ top player, a high schooler named Jerome Payne.
She handled the job so well that the Henry County coaching staff began to run two and three “blockers” in her direction, hoping to free up Payne. Instead, Kozloski consistently got to prime defensive position before screens could be set.
“I know where he’s aiming,” Kozloski said. “I just feel it coming.”
That type of defensive pressure earned Kozloski a nickname: The Agitator. Payne scored just four points, and the Sharks advanced to the championship game, where they lost to the Dekalb Eagles.
Kozloski, a third-grader in LaShanda Latimore’s class at Quail Run Elementary, lost her left leg almost seven years ago after she ran in front of her father’s lawnmower. Surgeons amputated the leg at about mid-thigh.
She recounts the details of the accident haltingly, reluctantly, but her parents encourage her to tell the tale.
It’s important to be able to speak of it.
The blessing is that Jordan remembers little of life before the accident.
“She adapted as well as you could hope for,” Jordan’s mother, Sandra, said. “I think Mom had a harder time with it than she did.”
Jordan was fitted for a prosthetic and took to it almost immediately. Her father, Mike, said Jordan was out riding her bike the day after the false leg was attached.
“We had to duct tape her foot to the pedal,” he said.
Even before the accident, Jordan had already suffered her fair share of life’s difficulties. She was born in a California hotel room to an indigent mother, then placed in an orphanage. On a list as potential adoptive parents, the Kozloskis were notified. They brought Jordan into their home when she was 1 year old.
The prosthetic leg is “natural” to the point that Jordan misses out on few able-bodied activities. But she still cherishes her time with the Sharks.
“I like to support my team,” she said.
“I make everybody smile.”
Her parents are thankful for the Sharks, as well.
“It’s been a blessing,” Mike said of the program. “It puts her on the same level as everyone else — even seniors in high school. She’s got no lack of confidence because of her age.”
That much is obvious when you watch her play. In fact, you can’t miss it.
Contact Chris Deighan at cdeighan@cox.net
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