Senior forward Morgan Clyburn played with the Cardinal for the last time in the NCAA championship game in Tampa, Fla., last year. “It was a good game to go out in,” she said during a recent interview.
Instead of filling in at the post this season, she has been cheering from the bench, unable to play while recuperating from foot surgery. Congenital problems with her feet had caused her to play through pain. Orthotics would help somewhat, but they switched stress to other parts of her feet, and she was taking more pain meds than she wanted. She was told that even without playing basketball, she would have problems later in life if she didn’t have surgery. Consequently, she decided to have it after last season.
She had 10 procedures on her right foot in April and nine more on her left foot in June. “It’s been a long recovery,” involving crutches, casts for six to eight weeks each time and walking boots for another 12 weeks
She had hoped to return to the court earlier this year, but after going through some drills in December and experiencing pain, her surgeon in Houston (she’s a Texan) “told me to back off for about six weeks,” she said. Even then, she’d have to rehab, as she’s doing now. “I didn’t want to rush anything,” she said. It would be really risky if she were to play, so she made the prudent but emotionally difficult decision not to take any chances and to forgo the entire season. However, she was cleared to join in the FBC shoot-a-thon this month, filling in for sophomore guard Hannah Donaghe, who is awaiting surgery for a torn ACL.
Since she can’t contribute on the court, “I try to take more of a leadership role off the court,” she said. She mentors the freshmen and lends a willing ear. Although “the coaches understand where they’re coming from,” sometimes it helps younger players to hear from a peer who shares their perspective. Also, “it’s less pressure coming from a teammate.”
Head coach Tara VanDerveer has praised Morgan for her role as a mom to the team and for her loyalty and dedication. Morgan attends practices and can be seen talking with her teammates, presumably offering her insights, during games. Still, she misses playing. “Some days are harder than others,” she said.
Comparing this year’s and last year’s teams, Morgan noted that last year’s team could always count on a big game from record-setting guard Candice Wiggins, ’08. “This year, it’s a lot more balanced,” she said. “You never really know who’s going to step up. That makes us harder to guard, and it’s more fun for us.” She added, “This year’s team has a lot of potential” to get back to the Final Four.
When we spoke, her immediate plans were uncertain. She was hoping to be admitted to a Stanford graduate program in mechanical engineering. She also was interviewing for jobs.
A major in biomechanical engineering, “a broad-ranged field,” she aspires to work in the medical device industry and design cardiac devices. She also can see herself coaching basketball as a hobby, perhaps high-school age girls on AAU summer teams. She has done some coaching over the years and worked at Tara’s summer hoops camps. Having had great coaches and mentors at Stanford, she feels she can pass on knowledge from an elite standpoint. In the meantime, “I relish the team’s success.”
See the FBC's tribute to Morgan in “Stories of the Season”.
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