By Sean Cartell – UK Media Relations
While most college students spend their summers relaxing at the beach or hanging out with friends, three Kentucky women?s basketball players are working hard this summer to get a ?leg up? on the upcoming season.
Literally.
Sophomores Sarah Elliott, Afton Perry and Eleia Roddy each have been spending the summer months rehabbing and recovering from knee injuries suffered last season. They have put in countless hours prepping to get back into form just in time for the 2005-06 UK Hoops season.
And while the work to get back on the court is not always easy, Senior Athletics Trainer Trisha Matysak lauds the trio for discipline and dedication.
?Each of these girls have worked exceptionally hard,? said Matysak, who works directly with the women?s basketball squad. ?They have had great attitudes throughout their rehabilitation.
?It is a long, hard process,? she said. ?The players can get sore and they really just have to push through the pain. This group has done a great job of persevering.?
The three players each came to the Bluegrass from very different backgrounds but found a common bond sitting on the UK sidelines.
?These three have really done a great job this off-season to do what it takes to get back on the court,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?I am looking forward to having them back healthy and we will look for them to make big contributions this season.?
Elliott, a highly touted recruit out of rural McKee, Ky., played through the second knee injury of her basketball career for much of the Southeastern Conference slate last season. Despite her knee troubles, she found herself in a starting role during the longest postseason run in school history.
?It wasn?t that difficult for me to play through my injury, because I wanted to be out there on the court helping my team,? Elliott said.
Matysak agrees.
?It?s hard for these girls when they can?t do things with their team,? she said.
For Elliott, who played in each game of her freshman season, being unable to hoop it up during the off-season was more difficult than the intense cardiovascular exercises she had to perform as part of her rehabilitation process.
?It?s hard not being able to play,? said Elliott, who has been playing varsity basketball since the eighth grade. ?When your teammates are playing pickup or running suicides, you feel like you ought to be out there with them.?
The 6-foot-6 sophomore says she?s ?ready to go? for the upcoming year after becoming the first freshman in UK history to earn an SEC Player of the Week nod.
?Sarah was such a key to our success last season,? DeMoss said. ?It will really be exciting to see her at 100 percent.?
Perry comes from a military background and has been rehabbing from a knee injury, suffered in Kentucky?s 2004 exhibition season, in her hometown of Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.
?This was Afton?s second knee surgery,? Matysak said. ?It was kind of a step back for her. She is currently working with a physical therapist back home to get ready for the season.?
?Afton is a player who really improved her game after her freshman season,? DeMoss said. ?Hopefully she will come back strong and really begin to help us in the post this year.?
Roddy, a native of Columbus, Ohio, posted a strong showing in UK?s first 15 non-conference games. She was averaging 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game before she was forced to sit out the entire league schedule with a torn meniscus. Billed for her intense style of play, Roddy will provide an important post presence this season.
The Independence High School graduate had surgery to repair the tear in early January and has been ready to play since May, Matysak said.
?Eleia was probably our most aggressive player last season,? DeMoss said. ?She is fully ready for this season and we look for her to be a force down low for us.?
Roddy, who has not played since Jan. 4, 2005, is all too ready to get back on the court after spending countless hours of rehab on an exercise bicycle.
?Everything?s going really well,? Roddy said. ?I?m at 100 percent right now and I?m definitely excited for the season to start.?
While the second-year player did all she could to support her team last season, Roddy longed to leave the sideline for the baseline.
?It?s very hard to sit there during the games,? Roddy said. ?You know that you?re a part of the team, but at the same time you can?t do much more than cheer.?
That will not be a problem for the three this upcoming season. The fans will be the ones cheering for the Cats this season as they continue to establish their presence among the nation?s elite.
