Eastern Randolph guard Kenly Whitaker has been playing her senior season of girls’ basketball despite another knee injury. (Jann Ortiz / For Randolph Record)
RAMSEUR — Kenly Whitaker wasn’t about to give up a chance to play a final season of high school basketball even with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
So she has been on the court for Eastern Randolph’s girls’ team.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to be a Wildcat, and so I knew I wanted to finish it out,” Whitaker said. “I didn’t know what it would look like, but I knew if I had a chance I was going to try.”
The preseason injury was the latest setback for Whitaker, a senior who’ll undergo a fifth surgery on her left knee when the season ends. The senior’s torn ligament came in the team’s first preseason scrimmage.
“I was playing defense and I planted too hard and ended up tearing my ACL, which made me have to take a step back and kind of re-evaluate what the season was going to look like,” she said. “I took three weeks to strengthen my knee, my muscles around my knee. Through that time, I had to learn a lot of lessons that helped me when I got to come back to play.”
First-year coach Chad Revelle had a surprise because following the injury “I told her we’re going to miss you,” he said.
Not for long. She was back in early December vs. Lee County after missing two games.
“It’s nice to have her. It was up to her to make that decision,” Revelle said. “She has the most incredible grit, determination and toughness.”
She also has new twists. She doesn’t do some of the things on the court that she once did.
“You could definitely tell that there was a difference in my game,” Whitaker said. “That was going from running, sprinting, cutting to kind of playing a big (on) defense. It has been a learning process to say the least. Learning what my body can handle and kind of changing how my body moves, turns, shifts.
“I knew I had to get tougher. I knew I had to get stronger. I knew that this was not going to be easy. But with the people around me and with God, I knew I could see some type of game.”
Travis Whitaker, the player’s father and a former multi-sport standout at Eastern Randolph, said he understood her desire to find a way back into games.
After all, she ranked second on the Wildcats with 9.7 points per game during her sophomore season’s 19-win campaign. Last season, she provided a team-leading 12.2 points per game to go with 6.6 rebounds and a team-high 3.4 assists.
She said she understands that she’s no longer a major scoring threat.
“That has changed quite a bit since my injury,” she said. “Not being able to shift and get to the basket like I used to. … If I can’t score, I’d rather every one of my teammates score to get a chance to win. That has become more of my goal. As long as we’re scoring, I’m happy.”
There has been an upside for the 5-foot-7 guard.
“My passing has gotten a lot better because there were some (times) when I would just take it down the lane and go,” Whitaker said. “Now I kind of had to change up how I get people to score or how I get to score.”
Yet her impact hasn’t gone away.
“She plays with a torn ACL and she still makes us better,” Revelle said. “I know she’s hurting and frustrated with the lack of ability to perform like she used to.”
Whitaker, 18, also played volleyball for three seasons after a knee injury wiped out her freshman season in that sport. The ailments have become familiar.
“I’ve had four knee surgeries prior to this ACL tear,” she said. “I tore my meniscus all four times. The last time they had to completely take out my meniscus. The first four were awful, but I think this one is really going to show me who I am.”
The senior-year injury was a test of her mental health, Whitaker said. “Just decide whether I was going to play or I was going to give it up. Just that part took a toll on my body and my mind.”
She said her physical therapists and athletics trainer have been instrumental in keeping her available for games. After all the surgeries, she’s used to wearing protective gear.
“She has a surplus of braces if anyone needs one,” Revelle said.
Whitaker’s basketball days might not be done at season’s end. She received an offer from Division II Montreat earlier this month.
But she knows there’s months of rehab ahead regardless of the next stop.
“I am not 100 percent, but I’m thankful every time I get a chance to play,” Whitaker said. “I’m thanking God that I can even step on the court and I’m still walking. Kind of seeing how strong I am. It has been interesting to see what I can handle, and it’s going to help me going into the world.”
