San Diego State women’s basketball sophomore forward Mallory Adams is nearing the end of recovery from an ACL injury that ended her 2019-20 season early.
Adams said she will be cleared to play near the start of the 2020-21 season, according to her trainer.
“I’m most likely going to miss a couple of games like the Thanksgiving tournament we are supposed to play in,” Adams told The Daily Aztec. “But after that I should be good.”
Adams said she is currently able to participate in drill and weight training with her team. She has not yet been cleared for three-on-three play.
“For the most part, I’ve gotten to integrate some of the drills; I’m just not cleared for contact yet,” Adams said. “No three-on-three sadly, which is my favorite. I’ve also been doing a lot in the weight room and stuff.”
Adams views the timing of the injury as a “blessing in disguise” since she was able to have her surgery at home and recover with her family.
This is not Adams’ first ACL injury, as she went through the same injury and surgery during her freshman year of high school. She felt isolated during that season since she couldn’t participate with her teammates.
This time around, Adams knew the rest of her teammates were also at home while she was recovering, and that made her feel better. While at home, Adams was able to focus on her recovery without worrying about going to class or team workouts.
Adams will be playing with an A22 ACL knee brace, which is the lightest version of a post-ACL knee surgery brace. At first, Adams felt restricted by the brace but said she now feels more comfortable playing and lifting weights while wearing it.
“I felt really restricted, but now it makes me feel more comfortable when I don’t have it on during weights or something,” Adams said. “I prefer to have it on. I think it’s just a mental aspect but it makes me feel better.”
According to the National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, female athletes are 3.5 times more likely to suffer an ACL injury playing basketball than males.
“It’s literally too common for women, it’s sad,” Adams said.
Adams was devastated when she heard her potential final season at SDSU may have been canceled due to COVID-19. In July, the 6-foot forward was granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA due to the injury, but she said she was concerned about getting back into game shape following her recovery.
“I was pretty devastated, to say the least, because I felt like this was just going to be a good year to … come back from that type of surgery,” Adams said. “So to not be able to play again, I was concerned about how hard it would be for me to get back into game shape two years later and just remember exactly how to play.”
Moving forward, Adams said she is looking forward to spending time and building relationships with her teammates.
“I just want to have a good time with my teammates, honestly,” Adams said. “This has given me a newfound respect and I’m just very thankful to be in this position with these girls and with this staff because I’m just excited for us to be back together. There’s just nothing like being in season together and getting to travel, so I’m just super excited for the bonding relationships.”
With women’s basketball’s season set to begin Nov. 25, Adams said she is grateful that her team’s season will happen considering the circumstances surrounding COVID-19.
“I’m very happy, obviously, that it is looking very good for our season,” Adams said. “And honestly, I’m kind of happy it did get pushed back a little bit because I’m not exactly cleared yet, but I’m still super thankful that it is going to happen.”
