There was a lot extra to this comeback than the monotony of all of it.
Positive, Charlisse Leger-Walker needed to educate her quadriceps muscle to fireplace once more, the UCLA level guard sitting in her room connecting her thoughts to her physique in order that her thigh would tense up, strengthening it only a bit extra.
She needed to learn to stroll once more, run once more, leap once more, usually rising two hours earlier than her teammates in order that she may get the work in on the anti-gravity machine and different weight coaching gadgets that may put her one step nearer to enjoying once more after a devastating knee damage.
Specializing in all these muscle teams finally left the graduate switch feeling stronger than ever. She spent a lot time on her capturing, hoisting one three-pointer after one other, that she developed probably the most consistency on her contact she’s felt throughout a embellished profession by which she was an All-Pac-12 participant at Washington State earlier than taking place on that horrible late January day inside Pauley Pavilion.
Washington State guard Charlisse Leger-Walker shoots throughout a recreation in opposition to Washington on Dec. 11, 2022, in Seattle. Leger-Walker has transferred to UCLA and is poised for an enormous season after recovering from an damage.
(Stephen Brashear/AP)
Perhaps the most important good thing about being sidelined for nearly 1½ seasons got here in her new grasp of the sport. Watching from the bench allowed her to develop a extra nuanced understanding of coach Cori Shut’s system and which spots on the court docket gave every teammate a better probability of scoring.
“I knew coming back this season,” Leger-Walker mentioned, “that’s going to be a big part of my role on the team is making sure people are in the best positions to succeed and really understanding how I can make the individual pieces of our team come together better collectively.”
The long-awaited payoff begins Monday night time on the Honda Heart.
A group already crammed with expertise may overflow upon the return of a participant who intends to assist put all of it collectively throughout what the third-ranked Bruins hope is a championship run starting with their season opener in opposition to San Diego State.
It’s conceivable that Shut may have 4 All-Massive Ten gamers by season’s finish in Leger-Walker, heart Lauren Betts and guards Kiki Rice and Gianna Kneepkens. Leger-Walker offers UCLA one other elite level guard and veteran presence alongside Rice, their video games complementing each other as a substitute of offering redundancy.
“One’s more of a downhill driver, going to put pressure on the defense with her aggression and off the bounce,” Shut mentioned of Rice, “the other is more of a surveyor, pass-first kind of point guard, and isn’t that great that they’re both on our team?”
Leger-Walker tormented her coach earlier than she joined her trigger, serving to seventh-seeded Washington State make an inconceivable run within the 2023 Pac-12 event. Dominating throughout the board with 23 factors, seven rebounds and three assists, Leger-Walker helped the Cougars maintain off the Bruins within the championship.
“She sort of took over the game,” Shut mentioned. “It was Charlisse Leger-Walker’s world, and we were just living in it.”
Almost a yr later, having scored 17 factors in 19 minutes along with her group on the way in which to a different victory over the Bruins, the 5-foot-10 guard crumpled to the Pauley Pavilion court docket within the third quarter. She briefly rose to check her injured knee earlier than giving up, the ache insufferable.
It was a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Her season was over.
The timing was particularly merciless on condition that she had been scheduled to play for the New Zealand nationwide group the following week, serving to the Tall Ferns attempt to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in one thing of a household custom. Her mom, Leanne Walker, had performed level guard for his or her dwelling nation within the 2000 and 2004 Summer season Video games, however with Charlisse sidelined the Tall Ferns did not qualify in 2024.
“There were a lot of disappointing things in that moment,” Charlisse mentioned, “involving more than just the injury itself.”
With one season of eligibility remaining, Leger-Walker sought an improve — with encouragement from Washington State coach Kamie Ethridge, who realized that her star participant had maximized her potential with a group that didn’t have real looking nationwide title aspirations.
What occurred subsequent stays a playful dispute between Leger-Walker and her new coach.
Pouncing on the chance to pursue Leger-Walker as soon as she entered the switch portal, Shut mentioned she had hassle getting the purpose guard to return her messages. Knowledgeable of her coach’s declare with Shut standing close by at Massive Ten media day, Leger-Walker expressed mock exasperation.
“Oh my gosh, that’s her biggest thing,” Leger-Walker mentioned. “I did — you can check the text message receipts.”
As Shut broke into laughter, Leger-Walker added, “I did. Maybe it was a couple of hours later, but I definitely returned her messages. She exaggerates that.”
As soon as she agreed to turn out to be a Bruin, the sidelined star turned a de facto coach, not solely studying about her teammates’ tendencies but additionally encouraging them throughout practices and video games.
By final February, having accomplished her prolonged rehabilitation, Leger-Walker confronted a tough choice: Ought to she return to assist the Bruins contend for a nationwide title or wait to come back again for a full season?
She selected the latter path, making everybody grateful for the prolonged alternative to play collectively lengthy earlier than she dazzled with 11 assists and solely two turnovers in a latest scrimmage.
Stated Rice: “To now be able to be in the backcourt with her, to learn from her, she’s brought a lot of new things.”
Stated Betts: “I mean, everybody knows she’s like one of the best guards in the entire country.”
After all, being surrounded by so many expert teammates may make issues extremely straightforward for the Bruins’ new ballhandler. Leger-Walker is aware of there might be moments when she will be able to nearly reflexively assist her group.
Simply get the ball to Kneepkens past the three-point line, the place her photographs are a coin flip.
“That’s probably an assist,” Leger-Walker mentioned.
Simply throw a lob to Betts within the publish, the place she makes nearly all the things.
“That’s probably an assist,” Leger-Walker mentioned.
Labeled probably the greatest passing guards that her coach has ever seen, Leger-Walker has been primed for this second. The monotony over, these muscle tissues firing once more, it’s time to begin successful.
