Major Player

Almost instantly, Jhasmin Player knew the landing was a bad one. Like so many times before, Player had darted ahead of the defense and tossed in a lay-up in that February game against Kansas State. But when she came down, Player went one way and her left knee went another, resulting in a torn ACL that cost the Baylor guard the remainder of the 2007-08 season.

The physical pain Player had to endure was intense, with the injury and subsequent surgery and rehabilitation that followed. But the emotional scars cut even deeper—such as the emptiness of not being able to engage in her usual therapy of shooting a basketball.

Then there was the helplessness of watching Baylor games with no more involvement than the fervent fans of the Ferrell Center’s nosebleed section.

"It was really emotional seeing the team play without me," Player said. "That was tough. At the same time, I always had to step back and say, 'Okay, this is preparation for my destiny.' I'm glad I looked at it that way, because if I had felt sorry for myself, it would have put me way back even farther than where I needed to be."

That first day, though, the grief over a lost season was unbearable. Baylor was 20-1 at the time of Player's injury, and she was playing superbly, averaging 12.2 points, 6 rebounds, and a team-high 3.5 assists per game.

Baylor defeated Kansas State, 63-49, that February night, but tears of sorrow flooded the postgame locker room—including plenty from Player herself.

"The first step I had to go through was, 'Okay, I'm not going to play again this year.'" Player said. "I had to get that in my mind, because if I tried to rush and come back, I could tear something else. I'd seen three doctors, and [the ACL] was torn. I had to get that through my head. I can honestly say, the flight home from Kansas State, two hours, that day was emotional. I was scared, my mom was scared. After that, I thought about it and was like, 'Okay, it's done. What's the next step? What do I need to do to get better?'"

Helping to ease the pain was the outpouring of support. Even before Player was handed the first pair of crutches she'd ever owned, she found people on whom to lean. Some—like her family, friends, and teammates—were expected. Others were not.

"When I got back home, I did what all college students do—I got on Facebook," Player said. "And I had at least one message from a player on every team in the Big 12. It was amazing. It let me know that this thing is bigger than basketball. It's life. It's no longer basketball for me, because I didn't play that for eight months. But it was life."

The knee was Player's first major injury of her life, and she became determined to make it her last. She attacked her rehabilitation with the same gusto with which she drove to the hoop, and in September, just seven months after doctors operated on her knee, she was cleared to practice.

For Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, whether or not Player ever reached her pre-injury level of play was irrelevant. She was happier for Jhasmin Player, the person.

"I've said it once and I'll say it again—80 percent of Jhasmin Player is better than 100 percent of a lot of players," Mulkey said. "You know what you’re going to get with Jhasmin. I have no doubt she's come through this whole process a stronger person."

Mulkey made sure of it. Not wanting her star guard to fall into a pit of self-pity, the coach gave Player a swift kick in the rear on her road to recovery.

"One thing I can say about Coach Mulkey is, even when I went through it, she was still hard on me," Player said. "She was like, 'Jhasmin, stop your crying; suck it up.' When it happened, she told me that she felt terrible, that her heart went out to me, but, 'There’s nothing you can do about it, and you need to be here for this team next year, so deal with it.' What can you say about that kind of coach?"

Mulkey didn't start Player in Baylor's exhibition opener against the Houston Jaguars, and wouldn't put her into the game until the senior convinced the coach she was ready. That's because as soon as Player stepped on the court, any chance of gaining an injury redshirt season would disappear.

Finally, Player told Mulkey she wanted to play, and she entered the game—to a raucous standing ovation from some five thousand Baylor fans in attendance.

"I was to the point where I just wanted to turn around and say, 'I need to grasp this,'" Player said. "I missed this so much. I didn't know how much I missed it. I don't know why, but I had never gone without playing ball for two days in my whole life. I had to go three-and-a-half months without even walking and picking up a ball. [The ovation] was the warmest feeling. To have my mom there, my dad there, my niece there, it was like, 'I've beat this.' That was the point where I was like, ‘I can come back and I can be the worst player in the country, but I beat you, ACL.’”

Player has been anything but the worst player in the nation. Through Baylor's first seven games of the 2008-09 season, she averaged 12 points, 4.4 rebounds, and a shade over 2 assists per game while starting every game at point guard.

Player understands she’s not all the way back yet. There are still moments when she feels hampered by her surgically repaired knee, though those moments are popping up with less frequency as the season progresses.

Player knows there will still be painful days ahead. But she's content with the reality that she's part of the team again.

"I still don't think I'm completely there, but I do see flashes of me coming back, so that makes me feel really good about myself and the team. I'm finally getting there."