Standing Tall
Sophomore overcame surgery to star on the hardwood
By Clint Often
Less than two years ago, one of the country’s dominant basketball players was ready to chuck her college court career. Liz Hickey, now a University of Mary Washington sophomore, had just undergone surgery that left her with a steel bar in her rib cage.
Despite an arduous recovery and the fact that she plays every game with metal in her chest, Hickey has helped the Eagle women’s basketball team to a historic run of success over the past two winters.
At 6 feet 3 inches tall, Hickey was a daunting presence in basketball and soccer at Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School in her hometown of Virginia Beach. As strong and as athletic as she seemed, Hickey suffered from a hereditary condition that created tension in her chest. Right after her high school graduation, Hickey underwent the serious surgery in which a steel bar was implanted to elevate her rib cage from her heart and lungs.
She thought the surgery robbed her of her chances to be a viable candidate for college basketball; she even told her high school coach, Don Proehl, not to contact colleges to recruit her.
But UMW women’s basketball head coach Deena Applebury had seen Hickey on the court. And she knew some talent is worth waiting for.
“I knew the first time I saw Liz play, I wanted the opportunity to coach her,” Applebury said.
Even if Hickey wasn’t confident, Applebury was. “Coach Applebury spoke with me and was adamant about me playing basketball for her, even if I had to miss my freshman season to recover from the surgery,” Hickey said.
With a coach who believed in her, and with a school known not only for athletics, but also for academics, Hickey headed to UMW. She was on the court just five months after surgery, helping the UMW Eagles mount their best season ever, with 23 wins against only seven losses. With Hickey on the team, the Eagles won the program’s first-ever Capital Athletic Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament’s second round.
Like many freshman players, Hickey encountered an initial slump when moving to the collegiate level. But she quickly recovered, banking a school record of 104 blocked shots in just one season. By the end of her freshman year, she was one of the best offensive players on the team as well, shining in the CAC Championship win over Salisbury and in both NCAA Tournament games in which the Eagles played.
Applebury knew her decision to recruit Hickey had been a good one. “She’s so coachable and has an amazingly high retention level,” Applebury said. “Her development is fun to watch.”
The 2005-06 season has been a series of unprecedented highlights for the women’s basketball team, which ended its season with a 29-2 record, breaking by six the school record for victories set just last year. The Lady Eagles advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Division III women’s basketball tournament, falling 62-54 to Bowdoin College on March 10 in a sectional semifinal at the University of Southern Maine. For most of the season, the team was ranked in the Top Ten nationally.
For her part, Hickey continues to develop. Though she averaged only about 21 minutes in each forty-minute game, her points per game (10.1), rebounds per game (7.1) and blocked shots (90 through 18 games) are all well above last year’s output. Her blocked-shots total ranks third in the nation, and the Eagles are listed in the top 50 nationally in every statistical category, including the one that means the most to Hickey and her teammates: winning percentage.
Despite all she’s overcome to be successful, Hickey has her eyes on the prize – a chance at advancing far into the NCAA tournament.
“Our returning players have had the experience of playing in the NCAA tournament, and the freshmen all came from successful programs that played in big games,” Hickey said. “It’s exciting to think about what we can accomplish.”
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