James Jongejan tried to walk it off. The fall out of the bed of a truck at work was a big distance, but Jonegan didn't think it was too serious. It took about 10 seconds for him to realize the complete impact of the fall.

"I tried to get up and walk around but I passed out again and I hit my head," Jongejan said. "They took me to Alta View [Hospital] and then ambulanced me to Murray. I spent a week there."

Jongejan fractured his skull, suffered a severe concussion and sustained some tissue damage in his lower back in the fall. Basketball season was still about four months away but he couldn't even think about getting back onto the court.

It was looking bleak. There was a time Jongejan didn't think he could join his Hillcrest teammates this season. And even if he could, the two months he spent rehabilitating left him unconditioned and out-of-shape.

But Jongejan fought for his senior season and is back with his teammates to battle through a tough Region 4 schedule.

"I wanted to get back on my feet," Jongejan said. "And basketball was a motivator."

The Huskies are happy to have him back. Without him, Hillcrest would have no presence in the middle. He's the tallest player on the roster and even though he is a little thin -- he lost a considerable amount of weight throughout the ordeal -- he gives the team options on offense.

"If it wasn't for him, we'd be the under-6-foot league," said Hillcrest coach Sam Richins. "He's our only legitimate big man and we want to run our offense through him."

He is also counted on for his rebounding ability and his defensive presence. With a wingspan as big as his, naturally, he will throw off some offenses.

But those things didn't come easily. He had a long road to travel to catch up with his teammates so he decided his work ethic needed to get stronger. After brutal fall practices, he would go out to the track by himself and try to improve his time in the mile. He put in more effort and energy into the weight room.

The team has seen the difference it has made.

"He couldn't do anything for three months so he's had to work three times as hard," said Hillcrest point guard Bridger Dallimore. "He's our answer inside and he makes us more versatile."

No matter how hard he's worked to catch up and get back to playing condition, it still doesn't guarantee that he won't get hurt again.

Against Cottonwood at the beginning of December, he suffered another concussion. Since then, the coaches have gotten him some protective head gear, the kind that soccer player wear to offset the occurrence of a concussion.

It does look a little out of place -- a basketball player wearing a sort of helmet -- and he took slack for it for the first time his season against Brighton last week. The Brighton crowd chanted "Head Gear" every time he touched the ball. But he didn't pay too much attention to that.

"I'm just glad it's behind me," Jongejan said. "And that I'm back on the court."

mthach@sltrib.com