Post by rainman on Nov 1, 2007 6:02:10 GMT -5
Back on the hardwood
By Mickey Furfari
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— Meg Bulger, coming off two separate knee operations, fell a couple of times in the West Virginia University women’s basketball preseason preparations and got up without any help.
“My teammates were more worried about me than I was,” the 6-0 guard from Pittsburgh said Wednesday. “They were saying, ‘My gosh, are you OK?’ And Coach (Mike) Carey shouted, ‘Get up from there!’
“He told me afterward that he said what he did to make sure I wasn’t thinking about it. I really didn’t think much about the falls. My knee brace was in place. Knock on wood, I don’t think about it anymore.”
Carey said, “Meg is doing well. Every day I see some improvement. She’s getting more confident everyday. It’s going to take a while, but I think she eventually is going to get there.
“Yes, she’s had a couple falls. I said in the beginning, she needs to fall a couple times, get back up, brush it off, and continue to work. The more that happens, the more confidence she’s going to get.
“She’s going to be fine. She knows what has to be done on the floor.”
Bulger, an all-Big East selection two years ago, tore her anterior cruciate ligament in a game at St. John’s on Jan. 29 after playing only 18 games in 2005-06. She was the national leader in three-point field goals at 3.5 per game.
The tough, gritty, hard-nosed veteran, who was third in Big East scoring (19.5 ppg) at the time of that injury, then repeated the injury and missed all of the 2006-07 season.
“I’m working on the mental part of the game right now, trying to get back,” Bulger said. “I feel like I’m getting closer to where I was two years ago.
“But, to be honest with you, I don’t even remember how I used to play. I don’t remember things I used to do.”
Reminded that her numbers certainly were most impressive, Bulger continued: “I do remember the confidence I used to play with. And that’s what I’m trying to get back more than anything else. I need to get back on the attack.”
She said it’s a good feeling for all of the WVU players that the team is ranked in the national Top 25 going into this season. “We’re going to have a bull’s eye on our backs. It’s a credit to my teammates who got us there with what they did last year.”
Carey remains confident that Bulger will be back in full swing of things soon.
He said, “She’s experienced. She’s been through all this before. So there’s no doubt in my mind, as we get on into the season, you’re going to see her return to where she was.”
By Mickey Furfari
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— Meg Bulger, coming off two separate knee operations, fell a couple of times in the West Virginia University women’s basketball preseason preparations and got up without any help.
“My teammates were more worried about me than I was,” the 6-0 guard from Pittsburgh said Wednesday. “They were saying, ‘My gosh, are you OK?’ And Coach (Mike) Carey shouted, ‘Get up from there!’
“He told me afterward that he said what he did to make sure I wasn’t thinking about it. I really didn’t think much about the falls. My knee brace was in place. Knock on wood, I don’t think about it anymore.”
Carey said, “Meg is doing well. Every day I see some improvement. She’s getting more confident everyday. It’s going to take a while, but I think she eventually is going to get there.
“Yes, she’s had a couple falls. I said in the beginning, she needs to fall a couple times, get back up, brush it off, and continue to work. The more that happens, the more confidence she’s going to get.
“She’s going to be fine. She knows what has to be done on the floor.”
Bulger, an all-Big East selection two years ago, tore her anterior cruciate ligament in a game at St. John’s on Jan. 29 after playing only 18 games in 2005-06. She was the national leader in three-point field goals at 3.5 per game.
The tough, gritty, hard-nosed veteran, who was third in Big East scoring (19.5 ppg) at the time of that injury, then repeated the injury and missed all of the 2006-07 season.
“I’m working on the mental part of the game right now, trying to get back,” Bulger said. “I feel like I’m getting closer to where I was two years ago.
“But, to be honest with you, I don’t even remember how I used to play. I don’t remember things I used to do.”
Reminded that her numbers certainly were most impressive, Bulger continued: “I do remember the confidence I used to play with. And that’s what I’m trying to get back more than anything else. I need to get back on the attack.”
She said it’s a good feeling for all of the WVU players that the team is ranked in the national Top 25 going into this season. “We’re going to have a bull’s eye on our backs. It’s a credit to my teammates who got us there with what they did last year.”
Carey remains confident that Bulger will be back in full swing of things soon.
He said, “She’s experienced. She’s been through all this before. So there’s no doubt in my mind, as we get on into the season, you’re going to see her return to where she was.”
