Grace personified
With a second knee surgery, Hall’s H-F career is over. Her journey to LSU is just beginning.
It hurts me to think about the thousands of Illinois athletes on the brink of losing their senior seasons because of COVID-19 restrictions.
All we can do is hold out hope while the clock ticks toward midnight.
It hurts me even more to think about how the clock for Homewood-Flossmoor girls basketball standout Grace Hall has already reached it.
On Dec. 2, Hall had her second ACL surgery on her right knee. The 6-foot-1 forward reinjured the knee in October during a workout with her AAU team.
“We were scrimmaging,” Hall said. “It was a freak accident. I was driving to the basket and a girl fell on my leg.
“It was a mismatch. She really wasn’t supposed to be guarding me, but she got switched onto me. When I drove to the basket, she couldn’t really guard me. When I tried to leave the ground, she kind of fell into my knee.”
Just like that, Hall’s high school career ended. Her legacy as a Viking was left standing as a question mark.
So much could have happened. H-F coach Tony Smith didn’t downplay the possibilities.
“If she wouldn’t have gotten hurt, she had a chance to be one of the top players here,” Smith said. “This upcoming season, I think she’d have been unstoppable.
“She could have been a McDonald’s All-American. She’d have had a chance to maybe win two state titles. When you do that, you’re in a different place.”
I still think we’re going to see everything that Grace Hall is capable of during her college career. I also think the staff at LSU appreciate what they’re getting.
Hall said the LSU coaches have gone out of their way to let her know they’re thinking about her.
“Definitely,” Hall said. “My coaches, they call me and text me to let me know that it doesn’t mean anything bad. They are used to girls getting injured.
“The assistant coach called me a couple of days before surgery to wish me the best of luck. They are trying to help me keep my spirits up.”
If 2020 has been bad for everybody, it has been particularly difficult for Hall.
She injured her knee the first time during a Jan. 30 game against Lincoln-Way East. It ended a great junior season where she averaged 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
Hall had surgery just before the COVID-19 restrictions went into place and worked her way back. She was with the team when H-F had contact days this fall. Smith tried to make it a smooth return. “Grace was actually playing, doing the drill work,” Smith said. “I would take her out of some drills and she’d get frustrated with me like, ‘I can do everything.’ And I’d say, ‘We’ll, you’re not doing this.’
“Unfortunately, she went someplace else and did a little bit more. She was looking really good. I think she probably pushed it a little too fast.”
Smith said as long as Hall is ready, he’s ready for rehab, Round II.
“We’re going to have Grace work on Grace and get ready to play at LSU,” Smith said. “We want her to finish up school strong and make sure she rehabs.
“That’s what I will have her do, rehabbing every day, getting in that weight room every day, doing what she needs to do to get better.”
Which has always been Smith’s way. Hall will not play another game for him, but she said she’ll never forget his guidance.
“Playing for H-F was one of the best things that could have happened for me,” Hall said. “I was very immature and I had a lot of growing to do, and they never gave up on me.
“They helped me grow. Especially coach Smith. He gets you ready for the college level. All the conditioning, the practicing, the team bonding, the study halls. I really appreciate everything H-F and the program has given me.”
Rehab, Round II? She’s ready. “After surgery I was kind of down on myself, but now that I’m moving around now it’s getting better,” Hall said. “It makes me happy watching college basketball.”
I can’t wait until she’s playing.