Bay Area top girls basketball player on the mend

Bay News 9 reports: 

One of the Bay Area's top girls basketball players is on the mend following surgery to repair a torn ACL.

Riverview junior guard Tesha Hanson had surgery nearly two weeks ago, her father Reggie Hanson said, and has already begun physical therapy.

Reggie Hanson, USF's Men's Director of Basketball Operations, said his daughter will be ready for the high school season.

Last season, Hanson was the Sharks second-leading scorer with a 19.0 points per game average. She was also second on the team with 3.9 steals per game.

Hanson, and Riverview's leading scorer Faith Woodard, form one of the best combos in Hillsborough County. Riverview (21-5) closed out the season with two-straight losses - to Tampa Bay Tech in the district championship game and to Haines City in the first round of the playoffs.

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Penny Taylor underwent successful surgery

WNBA.com reports:

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Phoenix Mercury forward Penny Taylor underwent successful surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, the club announced today. The surgery was conducted in Melbourne, Australia by world-renowned knee surgeon Julian Feller. Taylor is expected to make a full recovery by the end of 2012.

Taylor sustained the injury March 29 while playing for Fenerbahce (Turkey) in the Euroleague Final 8 and will miss the entire WNBA season as well as the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The three-time WNBA All-Star will rejoin the Mercury for the 2012 season to continue the rehabilitation process. She is expected to return to Phoenix prior to the May 20 season opener in Minnesota and is cleared to participate in all team-related activities. While unable to play, Taylor will be listed as an active player on the team’s 11-player roster.

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Katherine Simon on top after knee injury

The New Haven Register reports: 


Perhaps only someone with the disarmingly friendly, infectious personality of Katherine Simon could consider tearing up their knee a blessing in disguise.

But that’s exactly how the Amity junior shot put star views the injury she suffered a little over two years ago, and she’s got a good point.

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Had she not torn her meniscus, ACL and MCL while playing indoor soccer in March, 2010, Simon, who was a strong sprinter as a freshman, may not have shifted her full focus to the shot put and emerged as one of the best in not only Connecticut, but all of New England.

“Initially, I thought it was a huge setback for track,” she said. “But it turned out well and allowed me to focus more on shot put, which I realized was my best event.”


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Finding the positive in an injury

The Washington Post reports:

If anyone ever found a positive from getting hurt, it’s Tennessee’s Vicki Baugh.

Baugh, a 6-foot-4 senior, tore the ACL in her left knee in February of 2009 and had surgery three weeks later. Less than a year later, she had another operation on the knee and sat out the entire 2009-10 season.

“After I injured myself the second time, I didn’t know if there was any more basketball for Vicki Baugh,” said Baugh, whose second-seeded team plays No. 11 seed Kansas in the Des Moines Regional on Saturday.

Enter Jenny Moshak, Tennessee’s veteran trainer.

“Jenny Moshak is the greatest in the country,” Baugh said. “She told me if you want to continue to play, you can. You can be better than what you were before and I didn’t believe it. But now I do.”

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Alyssa Gratien adjusts to new role

Postbulletin.com reports:

Alyssa Gratien has had to adjust to a new role recently.

It's a good thing the 5-foot-4 point guard from Onondaga Community College (Syracuse, N.Y.) is as tough as they come. After fellow guard Dionna Grant went down with a torn ACL in the NJCAA Region III tournament, Gratien was left as her team's most reliable ball-handler.

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"The perfect way to describe Alyssa is, she's one of the fiercest competitors I've ever coached," Onondaga head women's basketball coach Mike Wheeler said. "She sees the floor well in transition, gets the ball inside and makes plays when we need them.
"She just doesn't want to lose and we saw that tonight."

Gratien overcame a slow start Thursday to lead the No. 2-ranked Lazers to a 57-56 victory against Northland Community and Technical College in an NJCAA Division III women's basketball national quarterfinal game at University Center Rochester Regional Sports Center.

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Coming back from injury: Nerve-racking, but exciting

Argus-Press.com reports:

The story of the 2010-11 girls basketball season may have been the knee injuries that plagued the area.

The 2011 Argus-Press Player of the Year, Durand’s Kristen Long, fell victim to a torn ACL in last season’s district finals. In that way it’s somewhat fitting that the 2012 winner — Corunna’s Payton Birchmeier — came back from the very same injury to put herself at the top.

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“I definitely wasn’t expecting to be selected,” Birchmeier said. “It kind of came to me as a shock.”
Birchmeier tore her ACL in the first game last year as a freshman against Mason. She didn’t even play a full half before her season was already over.

“Coming back from an injury is kind of nerve-racking but it’s exciting at the same time because you’re excited to get back on the court,” Birchmeier said. “You just want to show everyone what you can do.”

What she did in 2011-12 was finish third in the Shiawassee area in points per game at 13.2 and scored the most points as the only player to eclipse 300 points on the season. The 6 foot 1 forward also showcased a knack from the perimeter, hitting 22 3-pointers this season.

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Haley Steed didn't let ACL injuries hold her back

The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

Haley Steed was done, finished with a college career that had not really begun.

In 2009, for the third consecutive season, the distraught member of the BYU women’s basketball team was down, pain ripping through her from yet another torn ACL, a vital ligament in the knee.

To come back from one such injury is hard enough. To do it three times, well, "Initially, I thought I was done," said the 5-foot-4 guard. "For a month or so, I thought I was not going to play again.

"I never thought I’d have three healthy years."

Not only has Steed, a senior who technically has one year of eligibility remaining, come all the way back, she has been a key component in the Cougars’ (26-6) drive to their first NCAA Tournament since 2007, a 10th seed playing DePaul on Saturday in Chicago.

Steed was a freshman when BYU was knocked out of its last tournament, by Louisville at USC. She was also nursing the first ACL tear and not available to play.

"I haven’t met a kid in all my coaching and playing days who has the heart and determination Haley has," BYU coach Jeff Judkins said. "To go through one ACL is hard, and she went through three.

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Jess Knapp bounced back after ACL injury

CBS Philly reports:

The Penn Quakers women’s basketball team will visit Brown tonight as they come down the homestretch of the 2011-12 campaign.  There are just three games left in the season — and in the career of forward Jess Knapp, whose uplifting senior year has made a permanent impression on the Quaker program.

The 5’11″ Knapp missed her entire freshman season after tearing the ACL in her right knee.  She was able to bounce back, however, to become a key contributor as a sophomore and a junior.

Then she got her senior season off to a really good start and was playing well early in a game in California against San Diego State on December 30th.   That’s when things went off script.

“There was no contact.  I caught the ball sort of near the block.  Broke through, took a dribble, went to jump stop and on the jump stop – it wasn’t really landing on the jump stop, it was sort of like the power up off  of it – and something just went wrong.”

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Kristen Long recovers from ACL injury and plays her final HS game with style

Argus Press reports:

On an emotional night when first-team All-State point guard Kristen Long was playing her final home game of her career, she made her final shot a memorable one.

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Long, the lone senior on the Durand roster, playing just her fifth game this season after recovering from torn ACL surgery she was honored before the game by her coach and teammates and then scored the game-winning 3-pointer from near the top of the key with one second left as the Railroaders rallied past Lake Fenton 52-51 Thursday.


“(Durand coach Phil Partlo) just told us to be ready to shoot,” Long said. “I’m so proud of my teammates. Jacqueline DeClerg was on fire tonight and Jalynne Cunningham too. It’s a great win but it’s also a sad night as well.”

The Railroaders had pulled to within one point with 13 seconds remaining when junior guard Jacqueline DeClerg made her fourth and final 3-pointer of the night from the baseline.

Lake Fenton’s Jordan Newman then made a free throw with 11.1 seconds left but missed the second to put the Blue Devils up two.



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Addison proves she is more than good enough

The NYPost reports:

Playing Division I soccer was always a goal for Taylor Addison, but not one she always thought she would reach. The Cardinal Spellman star suffered a torn ACL that cost her nearly her entire sophomore season and made her wonder if that would hold her back from playing at that level.

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 “I had my doubts,” she said. “I didn’t think I was good enough because of it. Obviously I proved myself enough.”

Addison made history last week becoming the first girls soccer player in Pilots history to head to a Division I program, verbally committing to Delaware State. Addison chose the Great West Conference school over Division II Lincoln College.

“It is overwhelming, I’m not going to lie, but it also is an honor, Addison said. “I never thought that was going to happen for me.”

The sure-footed forward, who played her club ball with the Riverdale Panthers, checked out the school over the summer, went on an official visit Jan. 3 and felt right at home. Addison, an All-Bronx first team selection by The Post, called head coach Nitan Soni, his staff, the players and the people at the university inviting. She is looking to study psychology and got to speak with one of the professors in that field and left impressed.

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Briana Rusnak back in the game after two knee injuries

Centre Daily reports:

Briana Rusnak has been quite the inspiration this basketball season.

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She should be inspiring others, too. The Philipsburg-Osceola junior forward has played all season, is in good shape, has been helping her team, and most importantly, she’s been healthy.

Suffering torn ligaments in both knees — less than a year apart — is not exactly the best experience for a high school athlete.

“I love basketball so much,” Rusnak said. “I just want to keep playing and playing.”

The 5-foot-10 junior certainly loves the game, and she has shown plenty of perseverance to keep going no matter the obstacle.

She’s been playing for years, not only with the Lady Mounties but also with the Central PA Runnin’ Rebs club team.

As a freshman, she averaged only 1.7 points a game, but played in all but one varsity game for a team loaded with upperclassmen that produced the Lady Mounties’ best record in more than a decade.

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Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2012/02/07/3081061/perseverance.html#storylink=cpy

Ashley Young recovered and back on the court

Milford Live reports:

Ashley Young was supposed to be a young phenomenon playing for Milford’s girls’ basketball team. That was before she tore her ACL and some of her meniscus.

It all happened during her sophomore year on Feb. 18, 2010. About six games into the season as Milford battled rival Dover, Ashley nabbed a first-quarter steal on broke loose for a fast break. While she went up for a lay-up, a Dover player “bridged her,” or hit Ashley’s legs under her, and she went down.

The injury proved severe. Young got surgery at Christiana Hospital on her right knee and went to physical therapy two weeks after surgery at Southern Delaware Physical Therapy.

“I was devastated when I learned I could not play basketball for six months,” said Young.

Finally, during her junior year, Young started off at open gym eager to play. She failed to wear her brace and tore her right ACL a second time. Young got surgery once again at the same hospital and started going to physical therapy all over again.

“It was an emotional toll,” said Young, who still attended games and remained supportive though she couldn’t play.

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Becky Williford makes a great recovery

The Chicago Tribune reports:

Becky Williford finds extra joy in nights like last Friday, when Waubonsie Valley dashed Bartlett's hopes for an undefeated regular season.

She realizes how close she came to missing those moments.

The Warriors' point guard had surgery to repair the torn ACL in her right knee July 15. She went to physical therapy several times a week and returned to the court a month earlier than expected, only five games into her senior season.

Williford's presence has been key in helping No. 9 Waubonsie to a 19-2 record and a share of the Upstate Eight Valley lead after the 58-45 victory to end Bartlett's 26-game conference winning streak.

"I had a talk with my parents that this was just a slight detour in my route," Williford said. "They said, 'If you put your faith in God and work hard, you'll be back for your season.' I appreciate the game of basketball more because I'm aware anything can happen at any moment."

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Jen Black is back in action after ACL injury.

Stars and Stripes reports:

Sarah Richardson experienced a sinking feeling last February when tiny, speedy point guard Jen Black went down with a torn knee ACL. The Robert D. Edgren girls basketball coach seemed positively giddy when Black returned to the lineup on Saturday.

The return paid immediate dividends for an Eagles team that had gone winless in nine games this season; the senior scored 17 points and Edgren raced ahead by 21 points after three quarters before settling for a 41-30 victory at E.J. King.

“It felt great,” Black said of her return, giving no indication of any discomfort. She did sit out the team’s 55-40 loss later Saturday to Nile C. Kinnick.

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Sexson-Lyle Recovered and Back on the Court

Tri-State Media reports:

Sara Sexson-Lyle never expected to play for the Tecumseh girls basketball team again.

After tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee twice in 2011, the senior thought that her days as a Tecumseh Brave were over. With a proposed eight months recovery from surgery in September, Sexson-Lyle could not possibly make it back in time for Tecumseh's season.

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But Sexson-Lyle defied those long odds, shortening her recovery time from eight months to three months. She is once again starting for the Braves and has been since early January.

"It feels really good," Sexson-Lyle said. "I wasn't expecting to come with what the doctor said, but it ended up working out. It feels really good to be back."

Sexson-Lyle first tore her ACL in the last regular season game of 2011 against South Knox. The Braves won that game then went on to win a sectional championship for the second time in school history, but Sexson-Lyle was forced to watch from the bench.

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Two Athletes Overcome Injuries

The Battle Creek Inquirer reports:

A knee brace. It can be a friend or a foe.

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The knee brace can be a friend, because it is a much-needed device that lends support and allows an athlete to get back on the court or field of play.

But it is also a foe, as it serves as a constant reminder that the same athlete isn't completely 100 percent.
Two of the better city girls' basketball players live with the good and the bad every day as they pull on their knee braces, allowing them to continue stepping on to the court to play a game they love.

Battle Creek Central's Kayla Freeman and Lakeview's Lydia Drikakis are both thriving this season after suffering severe knee injuries that slowed or interrupted their high school careers previously.

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Katie Jenson back in action and leading her gymnastics team

The Bemidji Pioneer reports:

A year ago Katie Jensen was looking forward to leading the Bemidji gymnasts at the section meet.

Jensen and the Lumberjacks had improved each week and they were eager to test themselves against the section’s best competition.

“In our sport you have to perfect the skills you have and that takes a long time,” Jensen said shortly before last winter’s section meet. “Once you perfect a skill, right away you have to work on getting a new one. Right now we have many girls who are ready to put in some new skills. We’re going to have them perfected by the section meet and we’re going to be good,” Jensen predicted a year ago.

Jensen, unfortunately, discovered a few weeks later that fate can be cruel. During a floor exercise practice session Jensen landed awkwardly on her knee and the result was a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Instead of leading the Jacks to the section meet, Jensen would be on crutches and would be facing a long rehabilitation process before she could return to the sport she loves.

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Recovery is an important part of training

The New York Times Well blog reports:

At the gym last week I saw a guy lifting weights, working out his shoulders while two friends urged him on. He alternated two similar exercises with heavy weights, repeating one exercise 10 times and then the other one 10 times, never resting between sets.

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“We want to burn out his shoulders,” one of the man’s friends explained to me.

Exercise researchers would be appalled.

While public health officials bemoan the tendency of most people to do little exercise, if any, physiologists are fretting over the opposite trend: an increasing focus on extreme exercise among some recreational athletes. Weight lifting with no rest between sets and with no days off. Endurance training with no easy days or days off. Competitions that encourage excess.

To enter a recent race, my friend Joel Wilbur had to sign a waiver acknowledging he could die. Still, Joel was disappointed to find the race wasn’t all that dangerous. After signing a death waiver, he said, he expects some serious risks.

My workout partner Jen Davis once signed a race consent form that said: “There are sections of the trail that travel along cliffs. If you’re not careful you could fall to your death. Very few runners go the distance without taking one painful spill. Most runners take lots of them.”

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Athletes back in action after ACL tears

The Examiner.com reports:

This week brought the incredible story of Ireland's Kieran Behan, who qualified to the Olympics in spite of tearing both his ACLs within the past few years (not to mention a host of other problems, but that's another post). 

 

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The last month has shown what Aliya Mustafina was capable of eight months after tearing her ACL at the European Championships.

Now Canada's Jessica Savona, who tore her ACL vaulting at the Japan Cup in July, has posted a video of herself tumbling on soft surfaces five months to the day after her surgery.

Savona, who finished second all-around at the Canadian Championships last May, showed a double layout, Arabian double pike and other impressive work.  Her knee, operated on in August, is 100 percent.

 

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Bucking the ACL trend

NorthJersey.com reports:

MarQuette Burgess unfortunately has seen his fair share of ACLs.

Throughout the years, the Kennedy girls basketball coach has had several of his top players go down with the devastating knee injury, including his daughter, Ashlee, in the 2003-04 season.

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This season, the list grew longer when Erika Brown heard a pop in her left knee as she was going up for a layup during an AAU game in July.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had to deal with injuries before,” Burgess said. “This is part of the game and we have to deal with it.”

Still, Burgess said he wasn’t expecting to experience life without the 5-foot-8 junior point guard until after she graduates in 2013.

But there’s a chance Brown could shock everyone by making it back onto the court this season.

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