Hammon tears right ACL

Women's Basketball, Oct 2003 by Elfman, Lois

On the night of June 27, the odds weren't in Becky Hammon's favor. The New York Liberty guard entered the game vs. the Detroit Shock in the first half with 14:55 left on the clock. A few seconds later her season was over, as she had torn her right ACL.

"I just came down on it wrong," said Hammon, 26, who was in her fifth and best WNBA season. "It's one of those things that you're dealt. You've got to play with it now."

Up to that point in the season, the 5'6'' Hammon was averaging 14.7 points per game, shooting 57 percent, making 47 percent of her 3-pointers and sinking 95 percent of her free throws. She scored a career high 33 points in a game against the Minnesota Lynx on June 6.

"When the doctors came in after they'd looked at the MRI, it was pretty upsetting, devastating," she said. "By pretty much the next day I was like, 'I'm not going to sit here and feel sorry for myself. I've just got to get better.' "

Due to minimal swelling, surgery was performed on July 7. Rehab began immediately after surgery. By Aug. 1 she was off her crutches.

Hammon is well-aware she's in good company when it comes to knee injuries.

"As bad as it may sound, it's encouraging to me," she noted. "You can come back and be just as good if not stronger."

Hammon had tirelessly prepared for the 2003 WNBA season, working out three to four hours a day and leading the NWBL in scoring.

"I'll probably even work harder this off-season to get back," she said. If possible, she will play herself back into shape this winter with the new NWBL franchise, the Colorado Chill. "That preparation has already been put in, so now it's just a matter of getting back to where I was. Getting me in the gym and getting me to shoot shots has never been an issue." - Lois Elfman