She thought she might coach someday. Down the road. In the future.
When she was done playing, that is.
But that coaching career will prematurely begin this evening for Wheeling Park High’s Lala Woods when the Lady Patriots welcome Spring Mills to The Palace at 6 p.m. Woods, an all-stater last year for the 4-A state champions, scored 1,213 points (including 168 three-pointers) and dished out 304 assists during her first three years for head coach Ryan Young’s team.
There won’t be a fourth and final season. Not for Woods anyway.
Back on June 12th during a summer league game, Woods tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while driving to the hoop like she had done thousands of times before. So, the University of Maine recruit will grudgingly fill a different role.
“I can be another coach on the bench because of the experience I have,” Woods insisted. “We’re going to be a younger team overall, and we’ll be very good. Of course, having (Alexis) back will be huge for us, but I think I’ll be able to help our younger players see what I’m seeing so they can make the adjustments they need to make on the court.
“When I found out for sure it was my ACL, all I thought about was not being able to play with my teammates so we could defend our state title (during) my senior year at Wheeling Park, but now that I’ve been rehabbing and getting stronger every day, I’ve realized it could have been a lot worse. It could have been the end for real.
“I know I’m going to play again in college so that’s what I’m focusing on.”
“Pop”
Lala was playing in the Wheeling Park Shootout at West Liberty University, and she was on the wing with the ball.
“I was going to pull up for a 3,” she recalled. “But that time, I drove to the bucket.
“Probably should have taken the 3, huh?”
Woods made contact and fell to the hardwood. She heard IT, too.
“I knew something was wrong when I heard that pop,” she said. “And usually when I would fall during a game, I’d just get right back up. Well, I didn’t get right back up this time. I had a gut feeling something was really wrong this time.
“I was hoping it wasn’t the ACL, and when I walked off the court and to the car afterward, I was hopeful,” the senior said. “I was hoping it was just a twist or something.
“But after we went to the doctor and had the tests, it was my ACL, and here I am.”
Lala had surgery in August, was fitted for her first of many knee braces, and she’s attended every physical therapy session with the same tenacity that helped make her the Division I recruit that she is. But rehabbing a knee from ACL surgery not only is a physical challenge but the inevitable ups and downs are daunting for a person’s mental health.
“I’ve had some rough patches since the surgery. I’ve been down and sad sometimes,” Woods admitted. “Mentally sometimes it’s not easy to keep working so hard without being allowed to play. But I’m navigating my way through it because I know I’ll be able to play again soon as long as I don’t push it too hard now.
“And I think about missing my senior year, especially after winning the state title last year and how fun that was, but this season is going to be good because I’ll keep rehabbing while helping my teammates this season,” she said. “And it’s helped that we got a new puppy in the summer, and Tilly (a Cavapoo) makes me smile and laugh all the time. That’s helped me a lot.”
The Maine Goal
Head Coach Amy Vachon honored Lala’s scholarship despite the injury and her lost year of competitive basketball, and she can’t wait to prove it was a wise decision.
The University of Maine Black Bears are 3-6 so far this season after a 60-51 loss to Purdue on Wednesday, and the team begins playing its American East Conference next month. Vachon is now in her seventh season as the head coach, and she signed a four-year extension earlier this year.
“I feel like after all of this rehab, I’m going to come back stronger than I’ve ever been, and I feel this adversity is going to help me get it all right,” Woods said. “When you tear your ACL, you have to work hard to get it back to where it needs to be not only to play basketball, but for everything else, too.
“It’s not fun. That I can tell you for sure. And it’s a long recovery, but that’s OK now,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect when it first happened, but I learned quickly what I needed to do to get better and that’s what I’ve been working on every day. It’s an everyday thing.”
On the court, Woods knows one speed, and it’s been her full-throttle energy that has promoted her to team leader and, well, to coach for just this season.
“The doctors haven’t given me an exact day when I can play competitively again, but they’ve told me not to rush back before a year after surgery. So, I still have a lot of time to work on my recovery and get ready to play college next year,” Woods said. “I’ll be at my 12th month by the time I report to Maine so I should be good to go by then.
“I definitely miss playing, but I have to believe this happened for a reason,” she added. “But I have been running and shooting and jumping, and I’ve been working on my ball handling and doing the workouts I’m allowed to do right now.
“I just want to get back on the court and play the game again.”
