Injuries Can Change Your Life

We hear all the time people  while working during their lifetime get injured and they never are able to return to a normal life after that.

Sports is the same, an injury to a key player can make a contender a pretender.  Northern girls last year were never quite the same after Alexus Hill injured her knee during a regular season game.  She played to the best of her ability with the injury but the Lady Knights never were as strong as they were when she was healthy.

Duke this year has the same problem.  The #1 team in college basketball and one of their best three point shooters goes down and Duke is a top 20 team but no where near a final four product now.  Coach K has said that they are really good when all the pieces fit and right now they don't fit with Kelly on the sidelines.

Rocky Mount girls went through the first round of conference play at 4-1 with Northern being the only team they can't handle.  J'Kyra Brown's injury and right now they can't beat anybody.  Once again not being full strength is hurting the Lady Gryphons.

Nash Central has suffered a major blow losing Timyra Staton.  They head into Friday night with an opportunity to finish second out right.  Nash Central is a case of a team that those that have replaced Staton have stepped forward and her loss is not as noticeable because the bench has answered the statement "Next one up"  Throughout sports coaches preach to bench warmers to work hard and be prepared that it only takes one play and you are in the lineup when an injury occurrs.

Every injury effects teams differently depending on how good the player hurt is and how the bench comes up and fills the gap.  Duke's case I don't see that anyone player has stepped up to fill the Kelly's injury as much as Coach K just knows how to hide a teams short comings.

Rocky Mount simply doesn't have anyone one the bench that can replace one of the best players in the state.  N C State is going through the Lo Brown injury right now.  Tyler Lewis played well as his replacement last time out and if he plays that well the rest of the season then Brown's injury will have help improve the Wolfpack for down the road where they may fall again with him out.

Injuries are never good as any player who misses time  because they can never get it back.  What all teams hope that happens is a 1983 that happened for the Wolfpack.  Those who played during the Whittenburg injury strengthened the Pack for later in the season.  They could depend on the bench in the playoffs where they could not until those replacements got more playing time.

Time is running out on the high school season and those filling in now must step up quickly or the season will be over soon.