Brandon Sampay had experience in a swimming pool. The 6-foot-8, 255-pound Illinois State basketball player revealed Tuesday night he was on the swim team at Los Angeles' Crenshaw High School in addition to starring in football and basketball.

So when Sampay was told workouts in a pool would be part of his rehabilitation from August hip surgery, there was no reason to panic.

Or so he thought.

"It wasn't just up and down and having fun," he said of his return to the pool. "It was a lot of hard work."

But wait. You were on the swim team, right?

"Not like this," he said. "I wasn't running in the deep end with a vest on and stuff like that."

Sampay can smile about it now. He's back on the court, roughly a month ahead of schedule. Everyone associated with ISU basketball should be smiling following Sampay's performance in Tuesday's 81-57 exhibition victory over Illinois-Springfield at Redbird Arena.

The senior forward played 18 minutes and contributed 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. He ran the floor well, made five of six shots from the field and, in general, appeared in better physical condition than at any time last season.

With 6-6 junior forward Bobby Hill still rehabbing from knee surgery, ISU desperately needs Sampay heading into Saturday's season opener at Wright State.

His ability to play extended, productive minutes was the biggest positive to come out of the Redbirds' only exhibition game.

It was not all smooth sailing. Shortly after entering the game in the first half, Sampay took a fall while pursuing a loose ball. He fell on his surgically repaired left hip.

ISU coach Tim Jankovich said he "tried not to think about" a possible re-injury. Sampay couldn't think about anything else.

"I was like, 'Please, please, please don't let anything happen,' " he said. "It was in slow motion for me because I thought I hit the floor kind of hard.

"It was good mentally to be able to say, 'OK. It's not fully healed, but it's going to get there, and it's holding up for me right now.' "

Sampay estimates he is "80 to 85 percent" healthy, saying his strength and endurance "are not there yet." If so, Redbird fans can expect big things when he is all the way back.

Sampay looks like a different player. He sounds like a different person. He has a new perspective from having been in the weight room, in the training room and, yes, in the pool.

"When you get hurt, you see the game clearer," he said. "You see everybody else playing and able to practice. You want to get out there and make a change. You force yourself to get better."

So Sampay dedicated himself to getting back ahead of schedule. He worked harder than last year, his first at ISU after transferring from Howard College.

Even without the injury, teammate Emmanuel Holloway saw more focus and determination from Sampay. With the injury, Holloway said he "worked that much harder."

"It's almost a blessing in disguise," Holloway said of the surgery and rehab. "I used to watch those pool workouts and I was like, 'Dang, that's tough.' "

Sampay is tougher for it, and ISU is better, deeper.

Jankovich said experience enabled Sampay to play well Tuesday on limited practice time. As for the rehab and early return, the ISU coach chalks that up to newfound maturity.

"He was always a nice kid. I loved him from day one. But he was not the most energetic, most outgoing, or the most confident maybe," Jankovich said. "I've watched him over the last year, and I think it's his brother that's here now to be honest with you. He's so different.

"He's turning into a leader. He has high energy. He's communicating, he cares about his teammates. He understands it's his last year, and he gets it. He really does. He gets it, and I love coaching guys who get it."

Randy Kindred is a Pantagraph columnist. To leave him a voice mail, call 820-3402. By e-mail: rkindred@pantagraph.com. The Randy Kindred Blog is at www.pantagraph.com/blogs