I’m pretty sure summer’s here

by JASON GORDON

Lindie Kimbro was a natural basketball player from the minute she opened one of her Christmas presents when she was five years old.

Out came an orange basketball she originally thought was meant for one of her brothers. When she learned it was hers, Kimbro has seemingly been on the basketball court ever since.

From her days shooting baskets with her brothers, former Hays High quarterbacks Kyle and Ryan and current Rebel sophomore quarterback and all-district hoopster Caleb, to her youth in the Little Dribblers organization, to the days at Dahlstrom Middle School when oftentimes she’d only play one half due to the fact her team was so far ahead of its opponent, Lindie was always in the gym. She once scored 26 points in a single quarter during a seventh grade game.

Just as Kimbro was looking forward to her freshman season at Hays in 2004, a pattern that would plague her athletic career began.

Kimbro tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her knee for the first time the summer before her freshman year. She had surgery and was still able to recover in time to make a great impact on a Hays varsity team that finished the season 31-2.

Kimbro’s knee regained strength throughout her sophomore year, and by the time she was a junior, she led the state in scoring in Class 4A with an average of more than 27 points per game. Kimbro capped off her all-state junior year with an incredible performance in the playoffs against Lake Travis, scoring 42 points, grabbing 20 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists before the Lady Rebels ultimately fell to Pflugerville Connally in the next round.

Kimbro and her Hays teammates looked to be set to make a run to the state tournament her senior year. Fate would step in, though, as she tore her ACL again right before the summer between her junior and senior year.

“I was very surprised,” Kimbro said. “I felt as healthy as I ever did before it tore again. I was hoping that it happened early enough so I could have surgery and be back for my senior year.”

After surgery and a stepped up rehab schedule, Kimbro’s high school career would come to an unfortunate end as she tore her ACL a third time during a tournament at Canyon High several weeks into the season.

“I was very sad,” she said. “I just remember thinking that my high school career was over and I would never get to play with my teammates again. I really thought we were going to make it to the state tournament. That was a time I was very thankful for (Hays head coach Donny) McDonald, my family and my faith.”

There was one bright spot to Kimbro’s tragic chain of events – she had committed to play basketball at Texas Tech University during her junior year.

Texas Tech honored that commitment despite the three knee surgeries and Kimbro signed with the university during the fall of her senior year.

After graduating in the top 20 of her class at Hays, she arrived at Tech and it was decided Kimbro would redshirt her freshman season and take her rehab slow.

She was doing agility work with one of the school’s trainers in October 2008 when her knee popped again. It was the fourth time Kimbro suffered an ACL tear in a five-year stretch.

“At that point, I honestly didn’t know if I wanted to give it another shot,” Kimbro said. “I talked to my coaches and parents and prayed a lot. I had to have the surgery anyway to be able to walk normally. My coaches at Tech were great. They told me to take my time and if I wanted to come back there was a spot for me on the team.”

Although most athletes would have given up their hoops dreams long before, Kimbro decided to go for it with the same determination that once made her an all-state performer and top college prospect.

“It had always been my dream to play Division-I basketball,” Kimbro said. “I remembered all the hard work I had put in already over the years – all the early mornings and late evenings in the gym.  I decided to give it one more try.”

After many months of steady rehab, Kimbro finally stepped onto the court with her Texas Tech teammates in May 2009.

“I was real nervous at first,” she said. “It’s a whole different level. I was trying to save face and show what I could do, but at the same time in the back of my mind I was thinking my knee could go out with any cut or pivot I make on the floor.”

The thoughts of another injury began to fade with each practice, and Kimbro slowly began to regain her old basketball form.

When it comes time for a team to select its captains for an upcoming season, it’s usually a mere formality; a senior or two get picked, along with maybe a high-scoring junior.

That wasn’t the case with the Texas Tech women’s team, as Kimbro, a redshirt freshman, was picked as one of only three team captains last season.

“I was very surprised and honored,” she said. “It made me feel like all the work I had put in to get to this point was worth it. It made me feel great that my teammates had noticed the effort I put in and that maybe it impacted them in some way.”

Texas Tech head coach Kristy Curry wasn’t surprised Kimbro was named a captain despite the fact she was a redshirt freshman.

“Lindie has shown a lot of character through her rehab while trying to come back from her injuries,” Curry said. “She is always encouraging her teammates and has been a great role model.”

Texas Tech junior Jordan Barncastle said Kimbro is an inspiration to her teammates.

“I’ve never heard of anyone overcoming four ACL surgeries,” Barncastle said. “To do that and then to be able to compete at the Division-I level is remarkable. I don’t think anyone can really understand what Lindie’s gone through. Rehab is such an emotional rollercoaster. It shows she has amazing will and perseverance.”

Barncastle said Kimbro was an easy pick as team captain.

“Lindie works hard day in and day out,” Barncastle said. “She is such a positive influence on the team. She sets the bar high for the rest of us and that’s why she’s a captain.”

During her redshirt freshman season, Kimbro only appeared in 10 games, as more experienced teammates got the bulk of the playing time.

“I had to learn a new role as a cheerleader from the bench,” Kimbro said. “But that was okay. It gave me a different perspective on things.”

This season, Kimbro says, her goals will be different.

“I definitely want to get into the top eight in the rotation and earn more time on the court,” she said. “Just like it’s been from the time I started playing, I just want to be able to contribute and help give our team a chance to win.”

Through all she’s been through, Kimbro, an exercise sports science major, has somehow maintained a positive attitude.

“Every day I remind myself that one day I’ll have a job, a husband and a family,” Kimbro said. “My basketball experience has truly made me think about the bigger picture. If I can maintain the same kind of positive energy and work ethic I’ve put in so far during the rest of my life, I really think things will continue to turn out great.”