Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Purdue guard KK Houser had heard horror stories about ACL injuries.
Months of rehabilitation, maybe a loss of speed or a tendency to baby the injured leg.
She wasn't having any of it.
"Everyone said it would be a struggle, but it wasn't all that difficult for me," she said. "I had a really positive attitude, so it went really quick for me."
Houser, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee a year ago in November, healed quickly and jumped back in the lineup this season.
She's averaging nearly 10 points a game for the Boilermakers, 18-4 overall and first in the Big Ten at 8-1. They'll host Nebraska at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Purdue coach Sharon Versyp said she was amazed at how well Houser handled the injury. She's thrilled to have the 5-foot-6 sophomore back in the lineup.
"We're so much faster with her on the court. We defend better, and we run better," Versyp said. "She's probably quicker than she's ever been. I didn't think she could get much quicker."
Houser, injury-free while playing for the Cornhusker Shooting Stars and Lincoln Southeast, was determined to avoid a "down in the dumps" attitude after her injury. She impressed her coach by becoming the team's biggest fan in what would have been her sophomore season.
A couple of hours every day with the trainer and her positive outlook got her back on the court nearly two months early, even though surgeons took a piece of patella tendon from her left knee to fix her right.
She started working out with the team in April and further benefited when Purdue traveled to Europe last summer. The team got 10 extra practices, as well as a chance to bond.
"It was awesome," Houser said. "I was able to get some experience after being out a whole year. I got a couple of games out of the way and the first-game jitters and turnovers out of the way."
Houser had played in every game as a freshman, becoming the first Nebraskan to compete for Purdue. Versyp said she's matured, and the time on the sideline made her more aware of how to help her team and find the open person. Houser is averaging 3.7 assists a game, more than double her average in 2009-10. She also has 58 steals.
Her speed kickstarts the offense with those steals and the resulting layups.
"Her defense is what gets our team going," Versyp said. "She usually defends one of the top players."
Houser said Purdue's success this season hasn't been a surprise. The Boilermakers expected big things from themselves, and excitement is rising about the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament.
Purdue is 10-1 at home, so Thursday's game won't be easy for the Huskers, 18-3 and tied for second in the Big Ten at 7-2.
"I just love how they play," Versyp said. "They play hard defensively, go hard offensively and don't take a possession off. Kudos to Connie (Yori) and the staff."
Houser said it will be fun to play her hometown team.
"But other than that, it's just another Big Ten game," she said. "We've never played them, and they've never played us. It will be interesting."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1034, marjie.ducey@owh.com
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