First comes the pressure, intense and abrupt, and it’s followed by a loud telltale popping sound.
Then finally, the pain.
It’s an increasingly all too familiar scenario for young athletes—the dreaded knee injury.
Seemingly every team has a story of one of its players whose season was cut short. Each tale is different. Sometimes they make a full recovery, and sometimes they retake the court only to find out their bodies aren’t able to function at quite the same capacity as before the injury.
They can cost scholarships. They can cause heartache and disappointment. But the journey to overcome them can also be a positive one. Perseverance, an unyielding sense of determination and a never surrender attitude can be forged in the fires of adversity.
Wheeling Central’s Hannah White and St. Clairsville’s Katie Strama are both seniors and integral parts of their respective basketball teams. Both take the court with pulled-back blonde ponytails and both stand at a similar statute—5-8 for White and 5-6 for Strama.
But proximity in height, appearance and importance to their teams isn’t all the two share because both players had their junior seasons destroyed by an ACL tear.
They Remember It Well
“I came down and instantly knew something was wrong,” Strama recalled of a February 6 game at Fort Frye. “My main worry was that I broke my leg and that my season was going to be over. It was only later after a few doctor visits that I knew I had torn my ACL.”
Roughly a month later, Strama went under the knife to have her anterior cruciate ligament repaired. In two days, she began physical therapy, taking it slow with easy movements and a regiment of ice.
A month before Strama’s left knee buckled, the Maroon Knights’ White suffered a similar fate.
“I jumped to get a rebound and when I landed, my knee popped out,” White remembered. “I instantly thought about my ACL and how I couldn’t miss out on this huge year for me.
“I couldn’t stand so I had to be carried off the court.”
It’s still a vivid memory for White as she still recalls the finer points of the date, that it happened during the third quarter against Parkersburg Catholic and that at one point, she pondered going back in the game. A precautionary decision kept White out of the game which, in hindsight, was the right move.
Following an MRI, White had her surgery on Jan. 16, 2019. Those first days following her surgery were difficult.
“The first month was horrible because I couldn’t walk or even lift up my leg,” White said. “My mom basically helped me with everything. I couldn’t have done it without her help.”
The Arduous Road Back
Five days post-op, White began her physical therapy. She started small, with leg lifts and stretching, not wanting to put too much pressure on the rebuilt knee.
“The first couple of months were super hard because you have to teach yourself how to walk and lift your leg … I almost had to teach myself how to move my leg to run again.”
Both girls started to delve deeper into their recovery at the three-month mark, incorporating more agility drills and running as they cautiously tested their limits. Like White, Strama credits her mother with being her support system.
“She really helped me get through both the mental and physical pain that came with the injury,” Strama said. “She supported and encouraged me every day and made sure I had what I needed. She still does.
The Mental Battle
A half-year after her surgery, White was able to resume dribbling and shooting, but that was the limit of the intensity. Two months later, she was able to resume playing as usual. Still, being told you are cleared to play, and trusting your body enough to respond to the increased demands is a different story.
“I was a little hesitant to go hard at practice at first, but after the first day or two I was fine,” White said. “It’s more of a mental thing than physical. I had to keep telling myself that my knee is stronger than it’s ever been and to be confident.
“It was challenging to overcome that fear, but once I did, I felt so much stronger.”
Strama shared a similar story. She was able to begin preseason workouts with her team in late October, noting she didn’t experience any physical setbacks.
“I did have a few mental ones, though,” she noted. “I was always worried about going to get injured again; that and being able to do my every-day routine the same as before was really hard on me.”
One ACL tear can lead to a second, usually on the opposite leg. She pondered about her playing future in general before the season.
“Every time, I asked myself if it was worth the risk to keep going, and in the end, it was. I want to keep playing for as long as I possibly can.”
Going Forward
Rehab completed, mental blocks pushed through, fears overcome; both White and Strama are experiencing success in their senior seasons.
Both girls experienced success prior to their injury.
Strama was named second-team all-Eastern District as a junior averaging 14 points per game, a season removed from a breakout sophomore campaign. She plays with a tenacity and a motor that doesn’t quit and has a penchant for pulling up in the paint and popping jumpers in traffic.
White was voted the MVP of the Knights’ 2018 state championship win against Huntington St. Joe after pouring in 18 points and nine boards in the title game. One of the better guards around, White is masterful running the offense and is an equally adept shooter and finisher.
Despite their ongoing recoveries, neither thinks twice about diving headfirst to the floor for a loose ball, showing a dedication and commitment to team over self.
“I like to play scrappy, diving for loose balls, steals, etc.,” White said. “That’s a part of my game that I always take pride in, even though it doesn’t always show up in the stat line.”
Stretching and ice are holdovers from the days of rehab and are daily fixtures before and after working out. Strama wears a brace that provides extra support for her left knee. White goes more minimalist with a patellar tendon band to help with the pain, but feels the full brace detracts from her speed and agility.
Neither has selected a college yet but are hoping basketball is a part of their collegiate plans. Strama is still weighing her options and is focused on the season at hand.
“Wherever I go, I would love to be a part of their basketball program,” Strama said.
Two of White’s teammates, Kaylee Reinbeau and Eden Gainer, signed earlier this season. White’s time is coming. As is her track season, where White’s speed helped the Knights win both the 4×100 and 4×200 relays at the state track meet, including a record time in the 4×2 her sophomore season.
White knows that the injury, and the time missed, may be a reason she’s yet to sign her name on the line, but like Strama, she’s proved she’s recovered from the injury and battled back to be just as big of a force on the court.
“That’s the one struggle I think every victim of an ACL injury faces … the feeling of being a year behind.
“I didn’t get to play any AAU or summer ball, which was also hard for my recruitment and my game in general. It puts you a step behind, so you have to work 10 times as hard to catch up.”
