Some might question the sanity of a college basketball coach signing an athlete coming off two seasons cut short due to serious knee injuries.
Kennesaw State University women’s coach Colby Tilley, however, had no hesitation when it came to Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe senior guard Kayla Weaver, who is coming off a second ACL reconstruction in two years. Tilley, in fact, feels as if he just hit the lottery.
“We love everything about Kayla,” he said via phone after Weaver signed her letter of intent Wednesday. “She can shoot the basketball and is probably the best pure shooter Kennesaw State has ever signed. We’ve had great post players here for some time and teams have often doubled-down on them, so to get a shooter like Kayla in here ... I just can’t wait to get her on campus.”
Weaver, who played just six games last year before injuring her knee, is optimistic the days of sitting on the sideline are over.
“The knee’s doing really well,” said Weaver, whose latest surgery was performed by renowned Dr. James Andrews. “In fact, it feels stronger than it did anytime in the previous year. I’m practicing really hard right now, and I’ve had no problems. I also plan to be a little smarter this year with it and maybe not take so many risks. I’ll still play just as hard — but smarter.”
Weaver averaged 19 points her freshman season, 25 her sophomore season and was averaging 19.5 last year when injured. Her months of recovery, on top of what she went through the year before, made Wednesday’s signing even more meaningful.
“I am so excited about Kennesaw,” she said. “I was the first scholarship they offered, even though they hadn’t seen me play in months. When they offered I really didn’t want to wait and have to worry about everything. They have a strong program and they are eligible to play in the (NCAA) tournament this year.”
Kennesaw’s program is entering its third season of NCAA Division I play, having gone 16-12 and 11-5 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Lady Owls are favorites to win the league this year.
Lindsey Young is a sports writer at the Chattanooga Times Free Press who started work at the Chattanooga News-Free Press 24 years ago. He covers the Northwest Georgia prep beat and NASCAR. Lindsey’s hometown is Ringgold, Ga., and he graduated from Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School. He received an associate’s degree from Dalton Junior College (now Dalton State) and a bachelor’s degree in communications from UTC. He has won several writing awards, including two Tennessee Sports ...
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