Duanesburg's Jeffrey Mulhern, back from major knee surgery, eyeing a section title in his senior season

DELANSON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- There may not be a basketball player in Section II more impactful, or more integral to their team's success than Duanesburg's Jeffrey Mulhern. But when you look beyond the statistics and record, you'll find a young man who personifies toughness, resilience, and has defied the odds to be on the court this year for the Eagles.

Last season, Mulhern emerged as one of the section's most prolific scorers. As a junior, he averaged nearly 31 points per game, and reached 1,000 points for his career.

What the stat sheets didn't show is that Mulhern was putting up those gaudy numbers while battling a knee injury that had nagged him for years, and had been aggravated earlier in the season.

As fierce a competitor as Mulhern is, one can only imagine the pain he was enduring, as he decided to cut his season short, and miss both the Class C sectional semifinal and championship games.

"It was [an] extremely difficult [decision]," said Mulhern. "It took a lot of thought. At the end of the day, I had to do what was best for my career, and [it] was just the best option for me and my family."

Six days after Duanesburg lost in the final to Maple Hill by just one point, 44-43, Mulhern underwent major reconstructive knee surgery on March 7, which put his senior season in jeopardy.

The surgery was also just the first step in a grueling rehabilitation process, made more manageable, though, by a strong support system.

"I had my mother, who's the No. 1 encouragement in my life," said Mulhern. "And then my physical therapist, Chris Magel; I saw him, like, four times a week. There were some days I just went, "I'm done. I can't do this anymore." But having those two, and my family, it really made everything worth it. And being back on the court, now I know why it was worth it."

It hasn't even been 10 months since his surgery, and Mulhern is back, re-affirming his status as one of the top talents in Section II. He's currently averaging 34 points per game, and has the Eagles ranked seventh in the state for Class C.

"We weren't even sure if he was going to be able to play this year," said Duanesburg head coach Brett Simpson. "I mean, he had major surgery, where they were taking bone out; trying to fix the entire knee. So, honestly, our hope was just to have him [at all]. And to see him already competing at this level - averaging in the mid-30's - is a blessing. It's great to have him back, but health for a kid who's lookin' to play college ball is the most important thing."

And Mulhern said his health is still improving daily. He's only operating at about 85%, so the fact he's out there competing, while still rehabbing, tells you everything you need to know about the kind of player Jeff Mulhern is.

"His work ethic is second to none," said Simpson. "I think people have seen that since he's been on varsity since ninth grade. He probably started this season way less than 85%. He's getting stronger every day, but that doesn't happen without him working on and taking care of his body. We're glad to have him even at 85%. [I'm] just hoping [he's] 100% by February."

If Mulhern can get to 100% by February, there will be few teams capable of denying Duanesburg a sectional championship, which would be the ultimate reward for Mulhern's inspiring efforts.

"That's the whole reason why I got up every morning looking to work," said Mulhern. "We have never won a sectional final in my book. We never really made it out of the section [in 2023], so I'm looking to really get out of sectionals, and make a deep run. It's an encouragement every single day, and I'm looking to go."

Duanesburg won the Class C title during the 2022-'23 season when Mulhern was a sophomore, but lost in the C/Class CC crossover game to Chatham, who represented Class C for Section II in the state tournament.

Mulhern and the Eagles (5-1) return to the floor Sunday to take on Section III's Frankfort-Schuyler.