It was June 17, 2019. A younger Allie Museles sprinted down the court, trying desperately to prevent her opponent from getting one last shot in to tie the game. The clock began to countdown. Ten…nine…eight. Allie tuned out the roar of the crowd and squeak of her sneakers as she lunged for the ball. Seven…six…five. Suddenly, her whole world came to a halt as she tumbled to the ground, crying out in pain. Three…two…one. The time was up, and so was Allie’s chance at her first high school season.

Flashforward a year and a half: sophomore Museles looks back on the injury that caused her to miss her freshman year of basketball, and shares her hopes for the future.When Museles signed up for the school’s summer league team, she did not expect it to result in a torn ACL and meniscus that would take multiple months to recover from. “It was the last three seconds of the game. I was running down the court and my knee just popped. I was rolling on the ground crying and the pain was taking over everything,” Museles said.

A month later, after multiple doctor consultations, Museles had surgery on her knee, and the recovery was much tougher than she expected. She was on crutches for six weeks and began physical therapy to work on regaining her strength. “I started needing help with everyday tasks that I normally took for granted,” Museles said.

Museles was devastated when she received the news from her doctor that she would not be able to try out for her first season of high school basketball. For her, it was torture knowing that her teamamtes would be playing on the court and she would have to watch from the sidelines. “I felt horrible for her when she couldn’t try out. I’ve been playing with Allie forever, and it sucked that we both couldn’t start our high school careers together,” varsity athlete Kaitlin Marani said.

Despite her injury, Museles still found a way to be an active part of the team as manager and hype person. She manned the shot clock, did special handshakes for the starting five before each game, and attended all practices, games and team dinners. “I know that she wanted to play more than anything, but she still chose to support her teammates. That spoke volumes about her as a player and person,” varsity Coach Maggie Dyer said.

Despite her bad luck, Museles managed to form close bonds with her teammates and began to prepare for her next year. “Watching the team play gave me motivation for the next season. It made me work harder to get back to where I was before I got hurt,” Museles said.

However, 2020 and the pandemic threw Museles’ plans for a curveball. As of now, the sport season is online, but Museles and her team are hoping for a chance to play in person. “I was crushed when I learned that I might not get to play for a second year in a row,” Museles said.

Dyer and the team have shown how much they appreciate Allie’s support. “I am so impressed with Allie as an athlete, but more importantly as a person. She always supported and encouraged her teammates during practices and in games. She never let her injury define her, even on her bad days. I can’t wait for her to be out on the floor and to be able to coach her. It will be a privilege that I have been waiting for many years,” Dyer said.