'Couldn't wipe the smile off my face': USI women’s guard is playing again, 605 days later
EVANSVILLE — Chills. Emotions. Goosebumps.
Addy Blackwell had them all.
The University of Southern Indiana women’s basketball point guard waited for her return to court on Nov. 6 at Screaming Eagles Arena against Wright State. Two tibia fractures, three surgeries and 605 days had passed since she last played. She redshirted last season, staying involved in what bordered on an assistant role — “Almost like a coaching internship,” her mother, Nichole Blackwell, said.
After the struggles, pains, doubts and belief, Addy found herself sitting on the bench, waiting for her name to be called for the starting five. The painstaking, hourglass-tipping wait was finally over. Her time had come, been taken from her and was now back. The spotlight was on her, with the pregame music blaring. She was being announced again.
At guard, a redshirt senior, number 21, Addy Blackwell.
“Definitely grateful just to be able to put a uniform back on, be out there again on the court with my teammates,” Addy said. “A lot of that’s credited to my teammates, coaches, athletic trainers, doctors, parents, family in general: Just people that supported me and believed in me from the beginning.”
Blackwell brings steadiness to USI’s backcourt, not to mention an extra player in an area that was thin last season. Now back, she provides a variety of threats: 3-point shooting, driving to the basket, finding the right pass when it comes open, and defensive steals.
“It’s a blessing,” said USI guard Tori Handley, who played AAU with Blackwell in high school. “She was always the fire on the court, she was constantly getting people where they needed to be. … When we started playing again this year, it was like she never left.”
Blackwell has long overcome basketball norms — she’s listed at 5-foot-4 but regularly faces players 6-foot or taller — but this was a new challenge entirely.
The obstacles? Sitting back and watching. Physical therapy and doctors appointments. Taking the game in from a different point of view.
Waiting.
“It was tough, for sure,” Blackwell said. “That’s what you gotta do. You just gotta stay positive.”
Addy Blackwell ‘absolutely loves basketball’
Before this season, Blackwell last played in the Division II NCAA Tournament against Walsh University in Ashland, Ohio. “She was dragging her leg,” her father, David Blackwell, said. “She had a broken tibia and she was playing on it.” Addy took Ibuprofen before the game and at halftime to make it through.
“As a parent, you watch your kid play from the time they’re old enough to play,” David said. “We could tell she wasn’t able to play like she normally did.”
That hurt, physically and mentally. One surgery came. “OK, I’ll be alright,” Blackwell said. “Then another surgery and another surgery.” She had to redshirt and become a pseudo-coach during USI’s first D-I season. The game she loved was taken from her.
Blackwell last season: Stress fractures sidelined USI's Addy Blackwell, so she is helping coach instead
“She has been in a relationship with this basketball since she was about a year old,” Nichole said. “We’ve got pictures of her in a bouncy seat watching an NBA game. She absolutely loves basketball.”
Blackwell remained positive despite those hard times, though it was hard to keep that mindset. She wanted to be on the floor and she couldn’t do that. Blackwell offered help and advice to teammates to stay as involved as she could, which was good — but she wasn’t playing. She wasn’t where she wanted to be.
Blackwell never missed doctor or physical therapy appointments. She was always on time, eager to do what she could to get back on the court. Days came with physical therapy followed by treatment before going to a practice she couldn’t compete in.
“It was an arduous process and I don’t know how she did it,” Nichole said. “She’s just a determined firecracker and that’s how she got through it.”
“It was tough,” Addy said. “I would say mentally, just understanding that you can overcome obstacles and adversity when you utilize the support system around you. It’s not just basketball, it’s gonna translate to life, too.”
After all the surgeries, appointments struggles and hardships, Blackwell returned to the floor this summer. There were still difficulties ahead — getting back into game shape, getting acclimated to new teammates — but she was where she wanted to be.
Now she’s starting and contributing to USI’s non-conference slate that’s seen games against high-major opponents and NCAA Tournament teams like Missouri, Purdue, Saint Louis and Cincinnati on Sunday next.
“(I’m) just so happy for her that she’s out here and doing it. So proud of it,” coach Rick Stein said. “Our players see her determination, they see her fight and how committed she’s been to the process. To see all that hard work paying off is really cool.”
Blackwell ‘couldn’t wipe the smile’ off her face
Blackwell has now been an unmoveable figure in the Eagles’ starting five. Every game this season, home and away, she gets introduced pregame. Few, if any, can replace the feeling she had on Nov. 6 at home against Wright State.
That was the culmination of two tibia fractures, three surgeries and 605 days of preparation. Appointments and work; patience and optimism. Everything led to that moment.
At guard, a redshirt senior, No. 21, Addy Blackwell.
USI won 67-63, and Blackwell’s work to get back was part of an opening-night win in front of friends and family. There’s still work to do, but she’s back, getting better and contributing.
“It was definitely emotional, especially after the game,” Blackwell said. “I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I got goosebumps. I was just grateful to be out there.”
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Southern Indiana Eagles: Guard Addy Blackwell's return from injury
