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Friday, January 19, 2001
Ivey grows strong for fifth season with Irish
By Beth Mowins
Special to ESPN.com
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Niele Ivey lay on her back on the basketball court at Rutgers, her knee throbbing and one thought racing through her mind -- "Oh no, not again."
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It was March 1, 1999, and Ivey was trying to propel Notre Dame past Rutgers in the Big East tournament semifinals when she felt her left knee pop. Her body went down hard, her heart fell harder. She had been through this experience once before so she knew what was wrong.
It was her ACL ... again. Pain ... again. Heartache ... again. Rehab ... again.
"I knew right away," Ivey recalled recently. "I was so upset and so frustrated because I had come back from a knee injury once before. I knew about the pain and I knew what I had to do to come back and play. I fought so hard with the first injury and made it all the way back and now I had to start from scratch."
Ivey has come all the way back to play again. She has turned the pain into perseverance and the depression into determination. She has drawn on the experience to enjoy basketball like never before. And Ivey, who is averaging 13.4 points and shooting 55.7 percent (34-for-61) from 3-point land, has become the driving force behind the nation's lone unbeaten and soon-to-be top-ranked team.
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SEASON OF SENIORS
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The Class of 2001 -- which includes Tamika Catchings, Svetlana Abrosimova, the Miller twins and dozens of other standouts -- is touted as one of the country's best in history.
But before we say goodbye to this talented group, ESPN.com will take a closer look at several of these super seniors. The Season of Seniors began over the summer and will resurface throughout the season.
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But the road has been a rocky one.
In November 1996, Ivey blew out her right knee in a game against Bowling Green. The promise of a new season and a budding young career was put on hold.
"The first time it happened I knew I was in trouble," said Ivey, who has dished out 123 assists and made just 62 turnovers in 17 games this season. "The pain threshold was very high and after I had an MRI done, the doctors told me it was my ACL. You're never prepared to hear that news and I didn't know what was in store until later.
"After the first one, I needed people to tell me to keep going, to keep working. I doubted if I could recover and questioned whether I would ever be as fast and as strong as before."
With support from family, friends and the team, Ivey went through extensive rehab and was ready to go the following fall. She remembers telling a friend that when she got back to South Bend she would "never want to do that again," referring to the months of knee rehab.
Ivey played the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons relatively injury-free. She was rolling along until she got to the Big East tournament and fate once again interceded her plans. Only this time, she was betrayed by the ACL in her left knee.
Ivey understood that Notre Dame was a spiritual place, and considering the tradition that includes The Luck of the Irish, Touchdown Jesus, The Grotto and the movie Rudy, she just figured there was a purpose to her battle with adversity.
"There was a reason it happened again," Ivey said. "I had to believe that. I had to believe that I wanted to play basketball again. I had to believe this is what I wanted to do. It was tough knowing what I would have to go through to play. But I knew I had to do it.
"I wanted to come back for the team, the coaches and my family. My mom, Theresa, reassured me that things would be alright, that things would work out. She showed so much support and encouraged me. She told me I was a fighter and that I couldn't give up."
Ivey didn't give up. Instead, she pushed herself even harder. Ironically, the first knee injury helped her rehab the second one. She already knew the game plan for recovery and had the plays committed to memory. She just had to execute it.
She went back to her roots in St. Louis and called upon her brothers to help her. The youngest of five children, Niele leaned on her four older brothers -- Thomas, Cedric, Nick and Phillip -- for support.
"I grew up watching them play," Niele said. "I started out in the fourth grade and played with them at the playground whenever they would let me. They have always been very protective of me and they were very encouraging after I got hurt. They helped me stay positive and kept me working hard.
"They are still coaching me now," Ivey added with a smile. "After games they'll call to see how I did. Or sometimes after a TV game I'll get a call with a critique of my performance. They'll say, 'You've got to stop turning the ball over!' "
There isn't as much to criticize Ivey about these days. Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw thinks she has the best point guard in the country.
"She's playing great for us," McGraw said. "She runs this team and leads this team. She's creating more for herself and for others. She's the total package and is so intense."
Ivey credits a tough workout routine over the summer.
"I feel much better this year," she said. "Last summer, I worked hard on my game and worked hard in the weight room. I think I'm as fast and strong as ever, even before the injuries."
As a fifth-year senior, Ivey says she knows there was a reason she had to go through the tough times.
"I treasure every moment I put on the jersey and get on the court," she said. "So many people around the world would love to put on the Notre Dame uniform. People at home are proud that I'm here, proud that I've come back. I want to take advantage of every opportunity and not take anything for granted."
Ivey is making the most of her third chance. Without the injuries she would have already graduated. She would not have been on campus this year, missing out on the camaraderie and Monday's win over Connecticut, which snapped the defending NCAA champion's 30-game winning streak.
She would also have missed the chance to play in the Final Four in St. Louis, her hometown.
"It would be incredible to get back there," said Ivey, who tallied 14 points and 10 assists against the Huskies. "People at home love basketball and they've helped me so much. After all I've been through, I'd like to finish where I started."
ESPN's Beth Mowins is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's women's college basketball coverage.
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Season of Seniors
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