The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Recovery from hip surgery slow for Dangerfield
EAST HARTFORD — Crystal Dangerfield believes she’s still on track to return for the start of the preseason, even though her recovery from surgery hasn’t gone quite as planned.
“It’s taking a little bit longer than I wanted to, obviously,” UConn’s senior point guard said Thursday after signing autographs before the football opener at Rentschler Field. “It’s just healing.”
Dangerfield underwent surgery to repair an impingement in her left hip on May 30, which came with an estimated recovery of four months. Since then, she’s been limited to mainly upper body workouts.
“I was on crutches for a month,” she said. “After
that, it was just trying to strengthen everything else out.”
The Huskies begin the preseason Nov. 6 against DivisionII Trevecca Nazarene, a team guided by Dangerfield’s high school coach, Chad Hibdon. After participating in the autograph session with her teammates Thursday, Dangerfield expressed mild optimism that she’ll return by then.
“As far as I know, yeah, but things can change,” she said. “They’re kind of doing the same timetable as it was for my first hip (surgery), and it’s a little bit different than it was for my first time.”
Dangerfield had her right hip operated on during the summer before her freshman year. She missed four months but returned to play in 31 games, mainly in a reserve role for a Final Four team.
She’s now shouldering more responsibility, to say the least. After she averaged 13.4 points and 5.9 assists last year, the Huskies are counting on Dangerfield to be one of the country’s best point guards.
Right now, she’s just antsy to get back.
“More so because the months that I did miss is the most time that you put in (during the summer),” she explained.
THE WAIT GOES ON
Evina Westbrook still doesn’t know when she’ll make her UConn debut. The Tennessee transfer continues to await word from the NCAA on her waiver.
“I haven’t heard anything yet, but I’m very hopeful,” she said.
In the meantime, Westbrook is rehabbing from microfracture surgery on her left knee. She’s been training with Dangerfield and is also hoping to be back for the start of the preseason.
“It’s definitely hard going through this, with my knee and the waiver,” she said. “My teammates definitely help me, they motivate me every day. Even though, if it turns out I’m not able to play this year, my teammates are going to … keep encouraging me.”
Added Westbrook: “That threetofour months window, I’m still aiming towards that. It looks pretty good right now.”
Westbrook said her knee feels markedly better than last year, when she averaged 14.9 points and 5.3 assists for the Lady Vols. She transferred to UConn in May and has two years of eligibility remaining.
“I was here for both summer sessions,” she noted. “To be here and to go through the process with (my teammates), it’s been amazing. I couldn’t ask for better teammates and a better coaching staff.”
WORLD TRAVELER
Christyn Williams has spent the summer before her sophomore season traveling all over the globe with USA Basketball. She’s already been to China, France, Italy, Peru and Russia, and is leaving for Montreal on Thursday.
Her latest stop was in Los Angeles, where she and Olivia NelsonOdoda watched Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx play the Los Angeles Sparks. They also got a chance to train with NBA great Kobe Bryant.
“We were working out with Alex (Bazzell),” Williams said, referring to Collier’s trainer. “I didn’t know (Bryant) was going to be there.”
It wasn’t Williams’ first time meeting Bryant, but that didn’t make it any less memorable.
“I mean, yeah, it’s Kobe Bryant,” she said with a smile.