Excitement in the Air (Part 5) Megan Buckland: Pushing Through

This installment of Excitement in the Air is a little different.  Every player on the team inspires me in some unique way and there are things they have in common that make them an easy group to support.  There are all kinds of stories among these young women.  This post is about someone who keeps rising from adversity.  Most teams have a player you look at and find a lot of intangible reasons to cheer for them.  UNC Women’s Basketball is no different.  Meet #3, Megan Buckland.  (photo from www.goheels.com)

The number 3 is significant.  It’s the number of seasons prior to this one she’s been at UNC.  It’s the fans’ favorite shot to see her hit and she’s proven to be very good at it.  Two seasons ago she set Carmichael on fire hitting five long balls in one half.  Whenever it left her hands, you felt like it was going in the basket. (photo from www.dwhoops.com)

The number 3.  It's her jersey number.  It’s also the number of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears she has suffered during her basketball career.  Two of them happened since her arrival at UNC so she has spent a great amount of her time in college in rehab.  And cheering on her teammates as they go to battle each game.  Some players would have placed their sneakers on the shelf and been perfectly justified in doing so.  But no.  (Photo from Daily Tar Heel).

She’s done what she could in support, been a great influence from the bench and lead the team in their pregame cheer at center court at home and on the road.  Being in that spot can’t have been easy.  Instead of running out with the team as the band plays, she’s out at center court waiting for them to gather around her.  But she appeared from this fan’s view to take every bit of pride in doing that as she does in playing.  She was faithful to it and to some it likely seems like a small thing; but it said something to me.  It made me admire her perseverance watching the confidence she showed night in and night out.  

But there was one game in particular.  I generally make it to UNC’s road game at North Carolina State.  I smiled as I watched Megan with an admirable boldness take her walk to center court that afternoon.  Watching her you might have thought it was a home game in the safe confines of Carmichael Arena instead of a road game at Reynolds Coliseum against one of UNC’s arch rivals.  I noticed her confidence and pointed it out to my daughter.  “I know this is a basketball game; but, look.  That’s how you walk through adversity even in enemy territory…head and shoulders up, taking confident strides without a worry about who is in the room.” 

Now it’s a new season and Megan has come back again and again.  What it must take on the inside to come back and hit the court after not one, not two, but three ACL repairs and rehabs is probably something one can’t measure.  She’s quoted as giving the credit to her faith and the support she’s received over the years.  She’s the kind of player and person you want to cheer for no matter what kind of contribution she gives you in the box score.

I’ve had a few opportunities to watch her so far and I can tell my daughter understands the significance of her being back by the way she squeals when Megan enters the game.  Having been through some adversity herself, AC knows it is a blessing to her to see Megan on the court.  So do I.  Of course after a rehab of that length, there’s going to be some adjustments.  But she doesn’t appear to exhibit that timid nature I have seen in some players returning after an ACL tear.  She’s not hanging around on the perimeter all of the time.  She’s moving around and mixing it up on the inside.  She’s rebounding the basketball and fighting for loose balls and taking contact.  And that's good.  She'll eventually get her stroke back but the joy I and other fans should get watching her is how her play shows you that her love for the game and her teammates is pure. (photo from www.dwhoops.com)

You might look at her and think physically she’s small and of course you can’t miss that there is now heavy duty brace on each knee.  But don’t be fooled.  Height and weight you can measure.  You can’t measure heart.   As to heart, and those things you can't teach that make the big difference...Megan stands tall and UNC Women's Basketball is better for it.