The Pain Behind the Smile

Woodinville senior Warren Bullock is missing his final year with the Falcons after knee injuries ended each of the last two seasons before they started.

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – Warren Bullock stood along the baseline, feeding passes to his teammates during warm-ups before Woodinville’s game against Mount Si earlier this week.

The 5-foot-8 senior had a smile on his face. The guard appeared to be enjoying the moment, another opportunity to be with his teammates.

However, after suffering his second season-ending knee injury in two years before the season, that smile is his best attempt to mask the pain.

“It’s really hard,” he said. “You don’t see it on my face. I do my best to be positive for the team, but especially after working so hard to come back, and then having it happen again, it takes a big toll mentally.”

As a sophomore, Bullock started every game for the Falcons, and when the program looked toward the future, he was expected to be a key part of the team’s success. At the end of his sophomore season, while playing AAU for Friends of Hoop, he suffered the first injury.

“The first one,” Bullock said. “It was my junior year, not my senior year, so it was a lot different. I was just looking forward to my senior year mainly because I love high school sports and I love the environment. It’s a lot different than AAU ball.”

Then, toward the end of September, it happened again. Instead of joining good friend and fellow senior Liam Kelly as the other half of one of the most talented backcourts in the state, he can now only watch, smile, and support his teammates.

“You can’t really put it into words how hard it is,” he said. “It’s something you can only feel.”

While the injuries derailed his high school career, Bullock’s playing days are far from over.

“I’ve been talking to a couple of coaches, Whitworth especially,” he said. “I’m planning on playing there. I also have a lot more options. We’ll see. I plan on playing in college, for sure.”

Wherever he ends up, he’ll bring the passion of a player who could only watch for two seasons, an athlete determined to prove he can come back stronger than ever.

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