In the midst of her best season as a Tennessee Lady Volunteer, Ariel Massengale suffered a concussion Jan. 23 that would sideline her for the rest of the year.
On Monday, the senior point guard returned to her team’s first official practice of the 2014-15 campaign with no setbacks and acknowledged that she has felt fully recovered for nearly a month.
“I’m 100 percent and feeling great,” Massengale said. “The doctor at Vanderbilt, along with one of the best specialists in the country, said I was ready to go. I’m excited to be back out on the court with my teammates.”
The concussion, which resulted from a collision with an opposing player during a conference win against Florida, was not the first of her career. Therefore, the injury’s sevirty held her out for the final two months of the season – including Tennessee’s Sweet 16 run.
In her time away from the action, however, she still remained confident she could overcome her injury.
“I’ve always been pretty confident with my injuries,” Massengale said. “I have a strong faith in God and know that everything does happen for a reason. I know at the end of the day he knows the desires of my heart and will take care of me.”
While her injury took away her ability to produce on the court, Massengale was able to respect the game she loves even more and learn more about her teammates from seeing them play.
“We can’t take this game for granted,” she said. “Everyday we step on the court it’s an opportunity, because in a matter of seconds you never know when that opportunity can be taken away from you. There’s nothing better than being here.”
Last season, the 5-foot-7 point guard started all 19 of her games and averaged a career-high in points (12.5), three-point percentage (0.385), free throw percentage (0.838), rebounds (3.2) and assists (5.8).
Her teammates believe that she can come right back in and provide a strong impact, once again, at a position that has plenty of depth.
“I’ve got all the confidence in Ariel,” senior forward Cierra Burdick said. “It’s always good to have your teammates back on the court healthy. She will always be a great point guard and a great leader. I think we are going to have a competitive run for that point guard spot.”
So far, leadership has been at a premium from the Lady Vols point guard position, which accounted for 71 of its 160 made three-point baskets last season.
“We are getting great leadership from Andraya Carter, Jordan Reynolds and with Ariel Massengale coming back, it’s been awesome,” third-year Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick said. “They’ve all stepped up. All Ariel needs to do now is get back in basketball shape.”
With the first exhibition game nearly a month away and the Lady Vols’ home opener set for Nov. 14 against Penn, Massengale is focused on her progression towards game speed and is ready to make the most of her final season at Tennessee.
“It’s gone by so fast,” Massengale said. “When you get here, you really don’t think about how fast time will go by. The girls tell you just to enjoy the game because time does go by really fast. We are trying to make the most of this year and leave a legacy in this program and leave no regrets.”
