When it came to playing the game she loves with two stress fractures in her left leg, ignorance was bliss for Sinclair Lady Pride forward Emily Frey.
“I was having pain in my leg for a while and I would go to our trainer and she would try this and that to see what is was (before she) finally brought me to the doctor where I got x-rays (that showed) I had two stress fractures,” Frey said. “The doctor said I could play (in games), but not practice so that was kind of difficult.”
With the Lady Pride already down center Jessica Pierre for the year with a knee injury, Frey – who at the time was both the team’s leading scorer and rebounder – said the decision to continue playing was not difficult.
“I wanted to keep playing,” Frey said. “They weren’t going to keep me off the court.”
Frey continued to play well, posting 15 points and 9 rebounds in a Feb. 24 win over Lakeland Community College, but said the psychological effect of playing injured ultimately affected her play on the court.
“(Playing basketball) was painful before I went to the doctor, but after I found out what it was, it kind of got in my head like, ‘Is this going to be the one to hurt it even more,’ ” she said. “Once it got in my head my performances started to slack a little bit because I didn’t trust my leg as much.”
With her playing time reduced because of a lack of timing due to not practicing, Frey only managed to convert three field goals in a 70-54 loss to Grand Rapids in the second round of the District XII Tournament. Frey ended the season as the Lady Pride’s leading rebounder at 8.1 boards per game and second leading scorer at 11.6 points per game.
Looking back on the season, Lady Pride coach Jeff Dillon said Frey brought a great dimension to the team being that she was a 6-footer that could shoot 3-pointers at a high percentage. Dillon also said that Frey raised the bar for everyone in terms of intensity.
“She brought a level of intensity to the team that great high school programs like Versailles send their kids out with.” Dillon said. “She basically spent the last ten games playing on one leg.”
Frey said her intensity comes from her competiveness.
“I don’t like to lose at anything whether it’s basketball or a board game,” she said.
Frey said the highlights of her season were a Feb. 20 upset over No. 2 Owens Community College, being named OCCAC Player of the Week on Jan. 20 and the friendships she formed with her teammates.
“You get into a lot of deep conversations when you’re on a four-hour bus ride and you’re completely drained and bored,” Frey said. “A lot of inside jokes got told (on those bus rides) that I can’t even explain.”
Frey said her leg injury will not require surgery, but she is unsure whether she will come back to Sinclair Community College for her sophomore season.
“(My decision) depends on how healthy my leg gets again, what other offers I get or maybe just going somewhere else to continue my career,” she said. “I have a lot of decisions to make (over) the next month or so.”