Lady Griz Countdown: Misty Atkinson
9/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sept. 17?? ::?? Preseason prospectus
Sept. 18?? ::?? Kellie Cole
Sept. 19?? ::?? Torry Hill
Sept. 20?? ::?? Lexie Nelson
Sept. 21?? ::?? Carly Selvig
Sept. 22?? ::?? Jordan Sullivan
Sept. 23?? ::?? Katie Baker
Sept. 24?? ::?? Kenzie De Boer
Sept. 25?? ::?? Ashley Ferda
Sept. 26?? ::?? Alexandra Hurley
Sept. 27?? ::?? Alyssa Smith
Sept. 28?? ::?? Misty Atkinson
Sept. 29?? ::?? Tianna Ware
Sept. 30?? ::?? Sarah Ena
Oct. 1?? ::?? Jessa Loman Linford
Oct. 2?? ::?? Stephanie Stender
Oct. 3?? ::?? Season outlook (first day of practice)
Quick hitter: Misty Atkinson is a 5-10 forward whose career dating back to high school has been defined by injury, particularly recurring shoulder injuries that have required three different surgeries. She redshirted the 2007-08 season, then played in 19 of 33 games as a redshirt freshman on Montana???s 2008-09 NCAA tournament team. Primed to be an increased contributor on last year???s team, Atkinson found a new body part to injure: she tore her MCL during the team???s final practice before departing on its season-opening road trip to Colorado State and Wyoming. She returned late in the season to play in four games. Though a junior in eligibility, Atkinson will be graduating in 2011 and anticipates this being her final season with the Lady Griz.
The big question(s) for 2010-11: One, will her body be able to hold up for an entire season, and two, can she make up for her lack of size inside with intelligent and physical play?
Coach Robin Selvig???s thoughts: ???Misty has just had a litany of injuries, so it???s been tough on her. If she could just get healthy.
???She???s shown that she can be an effective post player. She???s undersized at 5-10, but she???s strong and has developed into a very good scorer inside. She???s also a good rebounder.
???Misty???s shoulder has been kind of a perennial problem, so hopefully she can stay healthy.???
Atkinson???s injury history: ???I had my first shoulder surgery my sophomore year of high school. I had a lot of pain in my shoulder, so they did a regular MRI and couldn???t find anything. So they went in with a scope just to clean out what they thought was scar tissue, and they found a tear in my labrum.
???The summer before my senior year I had another surgery because I tore it again. Then the spring of my redshirt freshman year (at Montana) I had another surgery.
???It hasn???t been an injury where I was like, ???Oh, I just really hurt my shoulder.??? It???s always been progressive, with pain that gets worse and worse to the point where it???s finally intolerable. Then I go get an MRI and have another surgery.
???I had just gotten released last fall (following the third surgery), and then I tore my MCL, which was another eight weeks. By the time I returned, everything in the rotation was kind of set.???
Atkinson???s current health status: ???I???ve been cleared and I???m good to go, but (my shoulder) still causes me pain. The doctor was pretty honest with me. He said it???s my third shoulder surgery, so now it???s deciphering what???s real pain and what???s tolerable pain. Now it???s just kind of a nagging injury.???
The most important things she???s learned her first three years: ???I don???t feel like I???ve really gotten a chance to play because I???ve either been hurt or playing behind some really good players. So I guess I???ve learned that there are other roles you can have on the team.
???In high school, everyone who comes here was probably the star and hometown hero. Here I???ve learned that there are many different roles and that every role is important for one reason or another.???
What she did last summer (non-basketball related): ???I was in Missoula all summer. I took two sessions of summer school, and I worked full time in a group home and part time in a respite care place for kids, so I was working a lot and going to school. I took two weeks off at the end of the summer to go to North Dakota and then to Washington to get a little vacation before school started.???
What she did last summer (basketball related): ???I was working out in the weight room three days a week, but that kind of tapered off a little bit mid-summer. I played some through the summer and shot, but probably not enough. I took two sessions of summer school, and I was working 50 to 70 hours per week in my area of study (psychology and sociology). I wanted to pay my car off, which I did, and graduate with no debt, which I will.???
2010-11 season outlook (individual): ???I plan on leaving it all on the floor this year, because I???m not coming back next year. I???m graduating, and with all my injuries it???s just what I feel like I want to do. So I???m really prepared to try my hardest and have a lot of fun this year. It???s kind of hard to set any expectations, because I???ve found that every time I have expectations, something bad happens. I just want to help the team any way I can and not get injured.???
2010-11 season outlook (team): ???I think we have a great team this year, and we???re going to be good, but this team is also a ton of fun. Everyone gets along.
???(Senior) Steph (Stender) has done really well, (senior) Jessa (Loman Linford) came around a lot last season, and (senior) Sarah (Ena) is a natural-born leader. (Sophomores) Alyssa (Smith), Kenzie (De Boer) and Katie (Baker) have a year under their belts, and they all really contributed last year.
???One thing I???ve noticed about last year???s freshman class and this year???s freshman class is that they really came in hungry and want to contribute right away. We???re a young team, so it???s very valuable that we have those players that can contribute.???
Atkinson???s personal scouting report (strengths): ???Probably that I???m really strong and I???m pretty tough. I really know how to use my body underneath, and I???m pretty strong going to the hoop. I may not be quick and graceful, but I can get there one way or another.
???I can shoot if I get my shot off quick enough. I think I have 3-point range.???
Atkinson???s personal scouting report (weaknesses): ???I???m slow and not very fast around the perimeter. And I don???t have a lot of experience (for a fourth-year player).???
Meet the parents: The daughter of Greg and Patti Atkinson. Greg is a merchandiser for Frito-Lay. Patti is a stay-at-home mom.
