In one scenario, Noelle Quinn is summoned off the bench in the
final minutes of the season’s last game, upon which she
carries the Bruins to a triumphant victory.
In another scenario, Quinn decides that coming back from a knee
injury too quickly jeopardizes her future basketball career, thus
she shuts it down for the remainder of this season.
The sophomore standout has thought and dreamt of both.
But Quinn’s probable return to the UCLA women’s
basketball team (16-10, 10-7 Pac-10) lies somewhere between the two
extremes.
Quinn, who is expected to be able to walk without crutches today
for the first time since Jan. 17, doesn’t expect to be ready
for the Pac-10 Tournament, which starts Mar. 4, but most likely
would be able to play should the Bruins continue into the
postseason.
“Hopefully I’ll be back for the NCAA
Tournament,” said Quinn, who was the team’s leading
scorer (16.9 ppg) and rebounder (7.1 rpg) before she went down due
to injury.
“The Pac-10 Tournament is a little bit too soon. I really
want to go out there, but in the back of my head, I know I have a
future and I have to take care of things right now so that in the
future things won’t revert to this knee being bad.”
Yet it’s the injury to Quinn’s left knee that
dramatically altered the theme of UCLA’s season from one of
promise to one of precariousness.
Standing with a record at 11-5 and coasting toward an apparent
NCAA Tournament berth at the time of Quinn’s injury, the
Bruins have since gone 5-5, leaving them in sixth place in the
Pac-10 and hanging precipitously on the tournament bubble. Even
though Quinn hasn’t produced on the court for over a month,
her status can have a substantial impact on whether UCLA’s
name is called on Selection Sunday. If Quinn were able to show that
she can be near-full strength in time for the NCAA Tournament, the
Bruins’ chance of qualifying for the postseason would most
likely increase.
Of course, UCLA coach Kathy Olivier and the rest of the Bruins
want to make it as easy as possible for the committee to select
them, agreeing that 18 wins should get them an invitation. Getting
to that magic number, however, has been a frustrating process.
While coping without Quinn has been a difficult experience for
the players who are still competing every weekend, it’s been
equally burdensome on the sophomore herself, who has been watching
her team from the first seat on the bench for the past month.
“It’s been very hard,” Quinn said. “I
want to help my team so bad. Sitting there, not being able to help,
that’s the hardest part.”