28 | FEBRUARY 1 • 2024 J
N

T

hree months after
undergoing a two-hour
shoulder arthroscopy to
repair a frayed labrum and other
issues, then working through five
weeks of physical therapy, Ethan
Endelman said his recovery is
going well.
“My shoulder is about 90%,
” he
said. “It will never be 100%. But
I shouldn’t have any problems in
my daily life and I’m back lifting
weights again, although I need to
be cautious when I lift. Working
out is a big part of my life.
”
Endelman is a senior at
Bloomfield Hills High School. A
member of the Division 1 state
champion Bloomfield Hills boys
tennis team, he combined with
junior Asher Langwell to win the
No. 4 doubles championship at the
state tournament in mid-October
in Midland.
Six days after winning that title,
Endelman underwent surgery on
his left shoulder. He played in the
state tournament, in his words,
“with basically one arm.
”
Endelman said he had pain in
the shoulder off and on for four to
five years.
Then about a month before the
state tournament, he fell on the
shoulder making a diving catch
while playing football with friends.
“It stung at the time,
” he said.
“The next morning, I was in
excruciating pain.
”
Endelman motored on through
the tennis season. But the week
of the state tournament, after
winning his flight championship
in the regionals, serious shoulder
issues flared again.
“I could hardly sleep. I couldn’t
raise my arm to put on a T-shirt or
use deodorant,
” he said.
As for tennis, he couldn’t toss
the ball in the air for a serve.
He got a cortisone shot in the
shoulder to ease the pain and give
him some mobility, but he learned
he needed surgery. First, he had a
job to do.

“I was going to do whatever it
took to play for my team. The guys
were depending on me. We’re like
a family,
” he said. “But I worried
how much my shoulder injury
would affect my play in the state
tournament.
”
Endelman and Asher, the No.
1 seed at No. 4 doubles, won all
four of their matches at state,
including a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 three-set
marathon in the flight semifinals
vs. Northville.
They beat a team from Troy
7-6, 6-4 on Oct. 21 in the flight
championship match.
“It was great to win state,
”
Endelman said. “Was it sweeter
because of what I had to go
through? A bit.
”
Endelman also won the No. 4
doubles state title when he was
a sophomore. His partner that
season was Dominic Pascarella.
A two-sport athlete at
Bloomfield Hills, Endelman,
17, also plays baseball for the
Blackhawks. He’s a second
baseman and outfielder. His
season ended early last spring
because of an injury suffered
during a game.
“I tore ligaments in my left
thumb,
” he said. “I did a head-first
slide into third base trying to steal
on a turf field and my thumb hit
the corner of the base.
”
To make matters worse, he was
out on the steal attempt.
Endelman hopes to attend the
University of Michigan after he
graduates from Bloomfield Hills.
Eric and Alyssa Endelman are
Ethan’s parents. Ethan’s brother
Jordan, 14, is a freshman at
Bloomfield Hills. He also was on
the boys tennis team in the fall.
Both boys went to Hillel Day
School from pre-K through eighth
grade before attending Bloomfield
Hills. The family attends
Congregation Shaarey Zedek.

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SPORTS

Bloomfield Hills High School
senior Ethan Endelman won
a state championship in boys
tennis with a shoulder that
needed surgery.

Playing
Through Pain

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The thrill of victory: Ethan Endelman and Asher Langwell react after
winning the No. 4 doubles championship at the Division 1 boys
tennis state tournament last fall.

GRACE SHAYA