Sophomore Timofey Bogatikov immediately began his high school basketball career facing a challenge. According to Bogatikov, his basketball injury was the biggest obstacle he faced in his life.

 During the offseason going into freshman year, Bogatikov stated, “I was very proud of the improvement I saw during the offseason.”

During tryouts last December, Bogatikov was having many decent performances and was getting looks from the coaching staff. They loved his enthusiasm and his strong efforts in all the drills, Freshmen coach Mateo Tonelli said,” What stood out to me about Tim is how athletic he is on both ends of the floor. Great footwork as a freshman and can work the ball in and out. Brought good energy and did everything I asked him to do.”

Although his efforts were promising, his moment was cut short after his performance in a drill went wrong. Sophomore Owen Duggan stated, “During the drill, Tim and EJ ran into each other running towards the ball and collided knees, and Tim’s knee hyperextended, then me and most of the players walked over and Tim looked bad.”

Bogatikov had suffered an ACL tear, but at the time, he was informed it was a sprain. He was later informed that he tore it completely. Bogatikov said, “The day of the injury, they told me it was a sprain, but two weeks later they told me it was a tear.”

Bogatikov began to experience emotions that definitely impacted his perspective on things. He stated, “I felt alone since I felt like I wasn’t part of the team.”

Bogatikov’s recovery was long, causing him to miss his freshman season. After undergoing his surgery on March 10th of 2025, Bogatikov found a passion for becoming a surgeon. He found it very intriguing when he met with all the doctors, explaining all the things he had done to his knee. Bogatikovs said, “ I liked how some of the doctors were very talkative and informed on the situations; those are the ones that stood out to me.”

During Bogatikov’s recovery, he found comfort in the gym, working out 4-5 days a week, after his surgery. He later started working six days a week when he began to feel more flexible. Bogatikov’s parents were greatly supportive and helpful towards his injury. His father had the same ACL injury as him, helping Bogatikov with all his struggles.

Although his injury was a major setback, Bogatikov was able to overcome all his hardships and found growth through the struggle.