Chance Westry’s mind and his body were at odds with each other.

Auburn’s four-star freshman had trouble squaring that conflict since he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee in early October and tried to return to the court earlier this season.

“It’s like my mind’s there,” Westry said Wednesday at Legacy Arena, where Auburn had a shootaround ahead of its opening-round NCAA Tournament game against Iowa on Thursday. “My mind wants to be like, ‘Oh, I can go out there and play,’ but then my body is responding like, ‘You need to be a little bit patient,’ you know, just take some time off so I can get back to my old self.”

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Westry hasn’t played for Auburn since Jan. 4 against Georgia, when he logged one minute off the bench in the Tigers’ loss in Athens, Ga. Bruce Pearl and staff shut down the freshman for the season after he struggled to get right post-surgery, with the hope of seeking a medical redshirt this season.

In the two-plus months since his last appearance, Westry has been quietly working behind the scenes to fully recover from the knee issue that essentially cost him his first year of college ball.

He spends time daily with strength coach Damon Davis in the weight room; he’s up to 197 pounds after arriving at 183 last summer. He does individual work on the court with assistant coach Ira Bowman, slowly regaining the form and the promise he displayed back in August during Auburn’s overseas tour of Israel. In between, he gets treatment on his knee and spends time “soaking up the film” so he’s ready for his return next season.

It has been a tireless process but one that has also worn on Westry, a versatile 6-foot-6 guard out of Harrisburg, Penn.

“It’s been pretty hard, you know, because I’m not out there playing,” Westry said. “Seeing everything and also being the player that I am, I want to go out there and tyr to fix some things, but it’s been hard. I’ve been getting stronger every day… and getting ready for next year so I can be out there myself.”

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Westry was expected to be a key piece to the formula for Auburn this season as it tried to follow up a historic 2021-22 campaign after the loss of two All-Americans and first-round NBA Draft picks in Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler. Westry was the No. 39 overall player in the 2022 class and brought a versatile skillset to the backcourt. He could be a taller playmaker at point guard, work off the ball as a shooting guard or provide a slashing ability off the wing. During the team’s trip to Israel in August, Westry showed glimpses of that ceiling and was arguably the Tigers’ top guard during their three-game exhibition tour.

Westry credited his mindset—coming in and taking a businesslike approach to his freshman year—contributed to the strong first impression he made during that trip and in the offseason months.

“(I was) giving 110 percent and just being myself, being the dog that I am and just wanting to dominate,” Westry said.

After Auburn returned for the fall semester, though, Westry reaggravated a prior injury to his right knee where the kneecap “kind of dislocates,” as Pearl described it last month. They tried to see if rest would help with the recovery, putting off surgery as long as they could. When that didn’t work, Westry opted for the arthroscopic procedure on Oct. 6—the same day Pearl had a similar procedure on his own knee. Renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery on both player and coach. Pearl returned to practice shortly thereafter, while the timeline for Westry’s return was set at 3-4 weeks.

It took longer than that, and Westry finally made his on-court debut six weeks later on Nov. 15 against Winthrop at Neville Arena. Westry played in each of Auburn’s next 10 games, including the first two in SEC play against Florida and Georgia, but his last three appearances saw him log just a single minute off the bench. He struggled to find his form post-surgery after being sidelined for much of the preseason.

He averaged just 2.5 points and one assist in 9.5 minutes across those 11 games while shooting 31.6 percent from the floor, including 0-for-14 from beyond the arc.

That lost time caught up to Westry, and Pearl ultimately decided it was unfair to Westry to try to throw him into the rotation in SEC play after missing so much time and still not being 100 percent. Despite Westry’s struggles as a freshman, Pearl maintained confidence in him and expressed excitement about his bright future at Auburn.

“I mean, it means a lot,” Westry said. “He believes in me. Obviously, he sees the best, so I’m just going to live up to what he sees and be even better.”

That opportunity won’t come until next season. Westry confirmed Wednesday that he will redshirt this year, but he’s eager to return and live up to the potential that Pearl sees in him—and that he sees in himself when his mind and his body are aligned.

“I feel like I’m back to my old self,” Westry said. “I’m back and I’m better.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.