University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: UNC Athletic Communications
GoHeels Exclusive: They're Back
November 6, 2018 | Women's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
When they were in the thick of it, the first few ACC games of their sophomore seasons, all Destinee Walker and Stephanie Watts wanted to do was keep playing.
Neither had sustained any injuries before then. A sprained ankle here, a sprained finger there, sure. But nothing compared to the sudden pain both North Carolina women's basketball standouts started experiencing in their right knees around the same time.
Recognizing their importance to the Tar Heels' success, Walker and Watts initially tried to push through the discomfort. Eventually, though, they couldn't push anymore.
Walker's mother, Sharon, saw her daughter hurting, and she encouraged Walker to sit out the rest of the 2016-17 season for her long-term health. Walker hesitated. But with nine games left, she, along with the UNC coaches and the medical and strength and conditions staffs, decided she shouldn't continue. Watts had developed a slight limp when the same realization was reached about two weeks later. She joined Walker on the bench, where they watched the last five games.
"Sophomore year was devastating for the both of us," Walker said, "because it all just happened and then we had to sit."
But nobody could've foreseen for how long.
'Playing in the fire'
Before coming to Carolina, Walker, from Orlando, Fla., said she'd heard stories of Watts, a fellow five-star prospect from Wesley Chapel, N.C. They later met on their official visit. But it wasn't until the 2015 McDonald's All-American Game that they started forming a bond.
"We stayed together the whole time," Walker said.
Shortly after that, they both played in the Jordan Brand Classic. The time they spent together at both events proved key once they arrived in Chapel Hill.
When they committed to the Tar Heels, Walker and Watts said they didn't expect to play considerable minutes as freshmen. They knew that changed when some roster turnover occurred in the summer of 2015. Even then, they didn't anticipate how much their roles would grow.
Likely reserves turned full-time starters, Walker and Watts finished the season ranked first and seventh in the ACC in minutes played, respectively. Walker's 37.3 minutes per game average was the second highest in a single season at UNC.
"We were both automatically starters, were automatically just thrown into the ACC games, were playing in the fire right away," Watts said. "There was no one really to learn from."
Yet they still shined amid a 14-18 campaign.
En route to earning ACC Freshman of the Year honors, Watts averaged 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds and set a Carolina freshman record with 76 made 3-pointers. Walker joined Watts on the ACC All-Freshman Team after averaging 13.9 points. She was also named the program's defensive player of the year.
The next season brought more of the same. With a year of experience, Walker and Watts served as leaders on a freshmen-laden team that showed glimpses of potential in winning 15 games. None was more memorable than a victory over No. 18 N.C. State on Jan. 29, 2017.
That, however, was Walker's last game. Watts' season ended shortly after. And neither has played in a game that counts since then.
Staying prepared
Walker says she draws a blank every time she's asked when she underwent surgery to repair her knee. But her comeback started in the summer of 2017.
It's then she began easing back into walking and playing again. With each attempt, though, she experienced a setback. Because she'd overcompensate for her knee issues, she said other injuries occurred. Subsequent procedures were also required to remove scar tissue.
"I think maybe two months out from the (2017-18) season," she said, "I figured out I probably wouldn't be fully back, my whole body, to play."
Watts didn't reach that conclusion until a bit later.
For her cartilage transfer surgery, she said doctors told her that her recovery could last a year. Yet she never considered it would. She planned to attack the rehab process and return in seven months. Gradually, she became less optimistic.
"When I realized it took me longer than I thought to get off the crutches or longer than I thought to get off my motion machine or longer than I thought to do each little step," Watts said, "I was like, 'Oh gosh, it's getting closer to the season. Maybe I won't be back in time.'"
Both players were ultimately ruled out for the entire season. But they worked closely with the medical and strength and conditioning staffs to ensure they'd be ready for the 2018-19 campaign.
A majority of their rehab centered around using an underwater treadmill for hydrotherapy. That allowed them to maintain their stamina and increase their range of motion without placing too much weight on their knees. Even if they had to sit, they kept lifting weights. They also shot and dribbled on the sidelines at times during practices.
In games, they made the most of their unique perspective, studying each of their teammates' tendencies and paying closer attention to the mistakes their coaches always point out.
"Sitting on the side, you just get to see a different aspect of the game," Walker said. "You get to see every single person do everything. … I feel like being able to take those details that we heard (the coaches) say and we actually saw and applying them on the court ourselves will help us improve a lot coming back."
They'll know for sure soon enough.
'Full strength'
The moment finally arrived this summer, when Watts played in her first full-contact pickup game since her injury. It marked a significant step in her recovery. Until recently, though, she still felt uncertain about her status.
Some days weren't as bad as others. But whenever her knee swelled up, her doubts resurfaced.
"I'd just be like, 'Oh my gosh, I thought it was better at this point,'" she said. "But in the last couple of weeks is when I've been feeling like, 'OK, my knee might actually be up to full strength and better.'"
It certainly appeared to be Thursday, when Watts, playing in her first game with the Tar Heels since February 2017, scored 28 points in a 115-74 exhibition win over Carson-Newman. She made 11 of 17 shots, including five 3-pointers. She also tallied six rebounds and six assists.
On Tuesday night at Elon, she'll look to build off the performance, when she takes the floor for UNC's first game of the 2018-19 campaign.
Walker will also be there, but still on the bench. A nagging hip issue has prevented her from being fully cleared. She's been in and out of practices this fall, though, and her much-anticipated return is likely imminent.
Once cleared, she'll join Watts on what might easily be the most talented team they've played on during their Carolina careers. The Tar Heels lost only one senior, Jamie Cherry, off last season's team. As revered as she was, UNC's added four newcomers – including Shayla Bennett, the 2018 WBCA Two-Year College Player of the Year – to a promising core.
"I feel like this is a team that's focused on winning this year," Walker said, "and getting back to how we used to be at Carolina."
Walker and Watts will push for that. And they'll push until they can't anymore.
When they were in the thick of it, the first few ACC games of their sophomore seasons, all Destinee Walker and Stephanie Watts wanted to do was keep playing.
Neither had sustained any injuries before then. A sprained ankle here, a sprained finger there, sure. But nothing compared to the sudden pain both North Carolina women's basketball standouts started experiencing in their right knees around the same time.
Recognizing their importance to the Tar Heels' success, Walker and Watts initially tried to push through the discomfort. Eventually, though, they couldn't push anymore.
Walker's mother, Sharon, saw her daughter hurting, and she encouraged Walker to sit out the rest of the 2016-17 season for her long-term health. Walker hesitated. But with nine games left, she, along with the UNC coaches and the medical and strength and conditions staffs, decided she shouldn't continue. Watts had developed a slight limp when the same realization was reached about two weeks later. She joined Walker on the bench, where they watched the last five games.
"Sophomore year was devastating for the both of us," Walker said, "because it all just happened and then we had to sit."
But nobody could've foreseen for how long.
'Playing in the fire'
Before coming to Carolina, Walker, from Orlando, Fla., said she'd heard stories of Watts, a fellow five-star prospect from Wesley Chapel, N.C. They later met on their official visit. But it wasn't until the 2015 McDonald's All-American Game that they started forming a bond.
"We stayed together the whole time," Walker said.
Shortly after that, they both played in the Jordan Brand Classic. The time they spent together at both events proved key once they arrived in Chapel Hill.
When they committed to the Tar Heels, Walker and Watts said they didn't expect to play considerable minutes as freshmen. They knew that changed when some roster turnover occurred in the summer of 2015. Even then, they didn't anticipate how much their roles would grow.
Likely reserves turned full-time starters, Walker and Watts finished the season ranked first and seventh in the ACC in minutes played, respectively. Walker's 37.3 minutes per game average was the second highest in a single season at UNC.
"We were both automatically starters, were automatically just thrown into the ACC games, were playing in the fire right away," Watts said. "There was no one really to learn from."
Yet they still shined amid a 14-18 campaign.
En route to earning ACC Freshman of the Year honors, Watts averaged 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds and set a Carolina freshman record with 76 made 3-pointers. Walker joined Watts on the ACC All-Freshman Team after averaging 13.9 points. She was also named the program's defensive player of the year.
The next season brought more of the same. With a year of experience, Walker and Watts served as leaders on a freshmen-laden team that showed glimpses of potential in winning 15 games. None was more memorable than a victory over No. 18 N.C. State on Jan. 29, 2017.
That, however, was Walker's last game. Watts' season ended shortly after. And neither has played in a game that counts since then.
Staying prepared
Walker says she draws a blank every time she's asked when she underwent surgery to repair her knee. But her comeback started in the summer of 2017.
It's then she began easing back into walking and playing again. With each attempt, though, she experienced a setback. Because she'd overcompensate for her knee issues, she said other injuries occurred. Subsequent procedures were also required to remove scar tissue.
"I think maybe two months out from the (2017-18) season," she said, "I figured out I probably wouldn't be fully back, my whole body, to play."
Watts didn't reach that conclusion until a bit later.
For her cartilage transfer surgery, she said doctors told her that her recovery could last a year. Yet she never considered it would. She planned to attack the rehab process and return in seven months. Gradually, she became less optimistic.
"When I realized it took me longer than I thought to get off the crutches or longer than I thought to get off my motion machine or longer than I thought to do each little step," Watts said, "I was like, 'Oh gosh, it's getting closer to the season. Maybe I won't be back in time.'"
Both players were ultimately ruled out for the entire season. But they worked closely with the medical and strength and conditioning staffs to ensure they'd be ready for the 2018-19 campaign.
A majority of their rehab centered around using an underwater treadmill for hydrotherapy. That allowed them to maintain their stamina and increase their range of motion without placing too much weight on their knees. Even if they had to sit, they kept lifting weights. They also shot and dribbled on the sidelines at times during practices.
In games, they made the most of their unique perspective, studying each of their teammates' tendencies and paying closer attention to the mistakes their coaches always point out.
"Sitting on the side, you just get to see a different aspect of the game," Walker said. "You get to see every single person do everything. … I feel like being able to take those details that we heard (the coaches) say and we actually saw and applying them on the court ourselves will help us improve a lot coming back."
They'll know for sure soon enough.
'Full strength'
The moment finally arrived this summer, when Watts played in her first full-contact pickup game since her injury. It marked a significant step in her recovery. Until recently, though, she still felt uncertain about her status.
Some days weren't as bad as others. But whenever her knee swelled up, her doubts resurfaced.
"I'd just be like, 'Oh my gosh, I thought it was better at this point,'" she said. "But in the last couple of weeks is when I've been feeling like, 'OK, my knee might actually be up to full strength and better.'"
It certainly appeared to be Thursday, when Watts, playing in her first game with the Tar Heels since February 2017, scored 28 points in a 115-74 exhibition win over Carson-Newman. She made 11 of 17 shots, including five 3-pointers. She also tallied six rebounds and six assists.
On Tuesday night at Elon, she'll look to build off the performance, when she takes the floor for UNC's first game of the 2018-19 campaign.
Walker will also be there, but still on the bench. A nagging hip issue has prevented her from being fully cleared. She's been in and out of practices this fall, though, and her much-anticipated return is likely imminent.
Once cleared, she'll join Watts on what might easily be the most talented team they've played on during their Carolina careers. The Tar Heels lost only one senior, Jamie Cherry, off last season's team. As revered as she was, UNC's added four newcomers – including Shayla Bennett, the 2018 WBCA Two-Year College Player of the Year – to a promising core.
"I feel like this is a team that's focused on winning this year," Walker said, "and getting back to how we used to be at Carolina."
Walker and Watts will push for that. And they'll push until they can't anymore.
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