Healthy after a devastating injury, NC State’s Grace Hunter back to feeling like herself
In her mind she was back. She had been back and was ready to show the world that the knee was fine, that she could score at will and help No. 7 N.C. State win the ACC and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Seeing those three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter go through the net was all Grace Hunter needed. Those nine points were the spark the Wolfpack (21-1, 10-1) needed to knock off Duke on Sunday, and were the climax of a long road to recovery for Hunter, the senior guard from Raleigh.
She was back to scoring buckets, a part of the team, getting the minutes she felt she was ready for. The knee was fine, there was no bulky brace, she was back in rhythm. The Blue Devils forgot about her and she made them pay. For the first time in over a year, everything felt right in her basketball universe. But she still needed to hear it from coach Wes Moore, perhaps more than she realized.
So after the Duke win, in a room full of reporters, Moore’s words were music to Hunter’s ears, the reassurance she was looking for.
“I’ve told the coaches all along,” Moore said on Sunday with Hunter sitting two feet away, “Grace has the potential to help this team down the stretch. She’s been a great player before.”
As the words came from Moore’s mouth, Hunter didn’t react. She kept a straight face, perhaps she used up all of her emotions on the final 3-pointer that was the dagger in the heart of the Blue Devils moments earlier. But deep inside, that’s what she needed to hear from her coach.
“It definitely motivates me because you get to the point where (you question) if I’m even worth something on this team, can I help this team in any way?” Hunter told the N&O on Tuesday after wrapping up practice. “They’ve been winning and I haven’t been getting a lot of minutes and things like that, of course you have those second thoughts. Just hearing it from him motivated me to start working harder, not being so down. Going hard in practice, I’ve always done that, but just keeping my head up and staying positive about the situation.”
A BAD INJURY
Nine points in 16 minutes of action don’t jump off the page when looking at the final box for the Duke game. Hunter has played more minutes in games this season, and scored more points. Her three 3-pointers against the Blue Devils tied a season high and they couldn’t have come at a better time.
State was struggling against the Blue Devils and Moore needed a spark. He threw Hunter into the mix and she didn’t disappoint. The game was way more redemptive than most realized.
It was against Duke in 2019 when Hunter suffered a season-ending knee injury. Moore said she “did about everything to her knee that you can do to a knee” and that wasn’t hyperbole.
Hunter tore her meniscus and her ACL. If that wasn’t bad enough a piece of her bone had broken off. Even when it happened she tried to remain optimistic, praying it wasn’t as bad as she thought. The doctor gave her the results and that only confirmed the worst. When Hunter heard the news she had an anxiety attack right there on the spot.
“It was pretty bad,” she admitted.
She had surgery shortly after and two days later she started the long road to recovery.
Hunter couldn’t run until June or July. Some people recover in six months, but Hunter didn’t even start the bounce back process until the summer. Even then she had a slight hobble, which slowed down the process. Since she got hurt during the start of the conference season, the Wolfpack had to move on. They were ranked in the top 25 and rolling, en route to another Sweet Sixteen appearance. She was happy for her team, obviously, but it was tough for Hunter to be around. While the team was ripping through opponents at Reynolds Coliseum, Hunter sat in the locker room down stairs, choosing to watch the game on TV instead of from the bench. It was too hard to sit there, unable to help.
“It was hard to even come up to practice,” Hunter said. “Like, just having random breakdowns. It was just hard, it was hard, I’m telling you. I just think God for getting me through that mentally. It’s the hardest thing ever.”
Asked how she got through the hard times, Hunter, the child of a preacher, had a simple, short answer.
“God,” Hunter said. “I started praying, then I just felt a sense of comfort and I was like I can get through this. God didn’t bring me this far for no reason.”
Playing in her hometown also helped. Sure, she wanted to be able to perform in front of friends, family and coaches from Athens Drive, but the built in support system right up the road got her through the tough times.
They reminded Hunter of how far she had come since the injury, constantly encouraging her. And for the time being, until she could return, that would have to do.”
GETTING A CHANCE
Hunter has appeared in 19 games this season for the Wolfpack, five more than she played in last season. She started in 14 games before the injury. Hunter has come off the bench in all 19 games this season, and she’s fine with that.
In her mind she knew it wasn’t right to beg for a starting spot considering she missed most of last season and all of preseason camp. But she did want an opportunity. She’s averaged 8.9 minutes per game in ACC play.
After the Duke win Moore told a story of what it’s like to walk the bench, looking for a substitute and locking eyes with Hunter.
“So she looks at me with those dang puppy dog eyes the whole game every time I’m walking down the bench,” Moore said. “I finally told her to quit looking at me.”
Hunter would never stop looking.
“I always look at him, I’m always ready,” she said, her face lighting up with excitement. “When it’s a close game I thrive in those moments because I love to compete, I love playing against the best of the best. When we are playing against a good team and not looking as good as we can, I just stare at him like ‘please, give me a chance, it won’t be bad if you give me a chance.’
Against Duke Moore needed to try something different, so enter Hunter, who came through in the clutch.
When the game was over, Elissa Cunane, one of the best players in the ACC, was the first person to run over and hug Hunter. Afterwards, she talked about just how much having Hunter back meant to the team. How her positive energy, on and off the court, is contagious and spreads through the roster.
Last year at times she felt like a forgotten member of the team, when she was watching games alone in the locker room or sitting behind the bench at games. The team was focused so much on the season and she understood their tunnel vision. She didn’t take it personal. Now that she’s back, they’ve shown they still believe in her, that’s she’s the same player who averaged 15 points before the injury. But she had to believe in herself again. The big fourth quarter against Duke might have been the first step in the right direction, erasing any doubt.
“It was great. I’m telling you I was so down on myself,” Hunter said. “‘Am I crazy? Am I not good anymore?’ It was a relief, just playing well against a great team in the ACC.”
- No. 7 NC STATE AT VIRGINIA TECH
- 7 PM, ACCNX
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 2:23 PM.
