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. 

Send sports news to stevestein502004@

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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