Injury report

Devastating is an adjective that often describes sports injuries. But, last season a major injury was oddly beneficial for the IU women's basketball team. When senior Kristen Bodine tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the third game of the season, things looked bleak. But the team benefited because of the experience gained by other players, players who will be counted on this season to produce.\nBodine, who will be looked upon as a floor leader and scoring threat, said it has taken her a while to get her feel back. She said it would probably take her until December or January before she will be completely back and fully healthy.\nEven though Bodine feels she is not entirely back, coach Kathi Bennett has seen her improve.\n"Kristen is more quicker and explosive than she has been in the past," Bennett said. "She just has a great feel for how to play. It will be nice to see her on the floor again when we begin the regular season."\nIn addition to Bodine, who is practicing while still fully recovering from her injury, every Hoosier player has their share of nicks and bruises. Senior Jamie Gathing is recovering from off-season knee surgery. Two years ago, Gathing also tore her ACL in her right knee and was forced to redshirt a year.\nBennett said she foresees a big year from the experienced Gathing, who averaged 13.2 minutes per game last year.\n"Gathing will be a huge key for us," Bennett said. "She's a lot better than she was last year. I admire her courage because I don't know if she's ever played without pain." \nFurthermore, senior Lisa Eckart had back surgery in May to repair a ruptured disc. She said she feels 80 to 90 percent healthy, but that everyday is different. She added she does not see herself getting completely healthy until the conference season begins.\n"We all aren't going to be 100 percent once we start Big Ten season," Eckart said. "We'll reach our full potential by late February to early March, when the games mean more."\nBennett said that Eckart's lateral quickness is hindered, but she is really pleased with her progress.\nBennett said all the injured players are ahead in the recovering process, compared to where the coaches thought they would be.\nFocusing their attention on this season, the players do not want to lose a major contributor, like they lost Bodine last season. There is a consensus among the players that the injuries have prepared the team for the upcoming season. \n"I'm a stronger person because of my injuries," Gathing said. "Also, your teammates see you coming back from injuries and see how hard you've worked and see your desire and how much you want it."\nThe players said there was a lesson to be learned from the loss of Bodine last season.\nSenior guard Khisha Asubuhi was one of the guards who replaced Bodine.\n"You never know when a player is going to go down with an injury," Asubuhi said. "Look at last season, no one expected for Kristen to go down with an injury, but she did and we were forced to deal with it; and I think it did help us."\nSome other injuries of note, freshman Brigett Branson broke her hand about a month and a half ago and has been wearing a cast on it. \nSophomore Me'sha Salters, who redshirted last season as a partial qualifier, suffered through various injuries while practicing with the team last year as well. \n"All the injured players are responding well, especially Lisa and Kristen. I think that is a real tribute to their toughness," Bennett said. "If we can stay healthy this year and maintain that team toughness, we will be competitive in one of the best conferences in the country"