| Mashea Williams' knee buckled in the fourth game of the season, keeping her off the court. The injury could have derailed her season, but the hard-working Williams made sure that didn't happen. |
Every athlete must overcome an injury at some point in their career. But what is it like to be an injury-free freshman starter for a prominent Division-I women's basketball program, and suddenly go down in the fourth game of your collegiate career after months of preparation? Freshman Mashea Williams has experienced that first hand. And it wasn't easy. Williams started off the season averaging 10.7 points in 32 minutes per game as a starter over the first three contests. After one minute of action at Old Dominion on November 29, Williams' right knee gave out. The injury - Williams' first of her career - required rehab, and kept the 5-foot-10 guard out of practice and competition for almost a week and a half.
"I just remember going down and don't know exactly what happened," says Williams. "I got hurt in the first minute of the game so I sat in the training room the whole time watching the game and yelling the whole time. I didn't think it would be that big of an issue; I thought I would be back practicing in a day or two, but that didn't happen. I was mad but there was nothing I could do about it."
Williams found it frustrating to watch her Lady Lion teammates on the court, especially in the Lady Lions' first home win of the season versus rival Pittsburgh, and the double-overtime win versus Texas Tech two days later.
"That game was just crazy," says Williams. "I thought at one point 'I have to go in the game' but I enjoyed that game even though I couldn't play. I've never been injured and actually sat out some games; I always managed to make myself come back through the pain. It was really tough for me mentally because I saw everyone out there playing and I felt helpless on the sideline."
The fact that the injury was the Erie native's first of her career made it even harder for the freshman to deal with and overcome mentally, but support from her teammates, coaches and family helped her through it.
"I talked to my mom all the time and she told me, 'it's going to be OK;' you know how moms are," says Williams. "The team came in before or after practice to see how I was doing with rehab and talk to me a little bit. The coaches would come in too. It was great, and that really helped me a lot as far as emotionally pushing myself in rehab and trying to get back on the court quicker, instead of getting down and not doing everything I needed to."
Although she was unable to contribute on the court, Williams found that she learned some things by watching games from the sidelines, and that she was still needed among the Lady Lion ranks.
"During the games I always was talking to [point guard] Brianne [O'Rourke] on the sideline," says Williams. "If I saw something, I would try to help her and say 'they're doing this on defense' and 'she's doing this,' or 'make sure you box out.' I took a new perspective when I was injured and I think I gained a little bit from watching games and seeing how the game evolved. I was trying to reinforce the rules the coaches had told us and when I went into the huddle I was trying to speak to everyone and make sure everyone was on the right page."
As she watched her teammates in action on the hardwood, a familiar Lady Lion face sat next to her, breathing encouragement. All-American guard Tanisha Wright, who was known for her defense throughout her days in blue and white, was at the Old Dominion game when Williams went down and has been there for Williams and the rest of the Lady Lions all season. "She has helped me a lot during the season, and has helped us all with tips about defense," says Williams. "I'm really glad she's around. When I got injured, she told me keep my head up and stay focused. She said, 'don't worry; you'll get back in there' and that things would work out."
Williams' defense has led to comparisons between Wright and herself. "Those are huge shoes to fill," says Williams. "Tanisha was a great player and if I can live up to half the things she's done that would be great. Hopefully I can fulfill those shoes that she has left behind mostly on the defensive end. We need someone to step up on defense. I'm trying to be that person."
Since the injury, Williams has continued to provide a spark off the bench for the Lady Lions. She tallied a career-high 20 points versus Wisconsin in a January 8th home victory, and continues to be a threat on the defensive end of the court. As Williams would say - and has proven - only the strong survive.