ILH teams devastated by injuries

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

Iolani's Trisha Nishimoto (ankle), Kamehameha's Tiffiny Shim (foot), Mid-Pacific's Caroline Beddow (knee) and Punahou's Elyse Umeda (finger) can only watch as players go through drills at the Kalakaua clinic. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

"It's my last year, and I really wanted to play against Punahou and Kamehameha one more time."

Nishimoto is one of 10 key players in Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls basketball who have suffered major injuries. Four or five are out for the season.

Coaches see no common thread in the injuries. They range from a broken pinkie to torn anterior cruciate ligaments, the curse of female athletes who jump in their sports. Four suffered knee injuries and two ankle sprains.

"Right now, I'd give anything to run some suicides (a practice drill named for its difficulty) or make a left-handed layup jumping off my right foot," says Nishimoto.

She suffered a high right-ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of the first game of the ILH season on March 15 when she landed on another player's foot, and heard some "pops." After 10 days in a cast and a few more on crutches, "I still can't run or jump," Nishimoto says. "I do 2 1/2 hours of therapy every day at school and at Sports Medicine Hawaii.

"I've been shooting a little bit on the side, but mostly I just sit there because (doctors) don't want me to jump or shoot. I was in good shape before, but when I come back I'll probably be starting from zero. It's kinda depressing."

Nishimoto is hoping to be on the court for the league's post-season tournament May 6-10, when the ILH's third entry in the state tournament will be determined. She played a huge role for Iolani in winning the third slot last season.

Punahou (9-0) and Kamehameha (8-1) appear to have wrapped up the first two berths. Iolani is 4-4 since the Raiders lost Nishimoto's 16 points per game and probably will battle Maryknoll (6-3) for the final state slot.

Mid-Pacific twice-hexed

Injuries have impacted seven of the league's eight teams. Even Punahou, ranked No. 1 in the state, lost its co-captain, point guard and emotional leader, junior Elyse Umeda, on April 2 with a broken left pinkie when she jammed her hand against a teammate's leg in practice.

She has assigned herself the role of cheerleader and game analyst. "I have been able to see the game in a different perspective," Umeda said. "The girls are calling me 'Coach.' "

She hopes to return to being called "Player" next Tuesday.

Mid-Pacific suffered a double blow, losing junior guard Shannon Nishi and junior post player Caroline Beddow.

"We've been killed ever since we lost Beddow and Nishi," MPI coach Darin Lee said. "We have five freshmen, two sophomores and two seniors playing for us now." The Owls are 2-7.

Nishi tore her right anterior cruciate ligament in practice and will undergo reconstructive knee surgery. Rehabilitation from that surgery is normally 8-9 months so Nishi will be unable to compete for a spot on the USA karate team for the Junior World championships as she had planned.

"I was crossing over (a dribbling maneuver) and my knee collapsed inwards," Nishi said. It was a non-contact knee injury, the kind that doctors see all too frequently with female athletes.

Females susceptible

Anatomical differences, muscle imbalance, and hormonal changes contribute to females having a rate of serious knee injuries that is 8 to 10 times higher than males.

(Kaiser Hospital plans a six-week class starting in June to teach girls proper jumping and landing techniques to reduce the amount of serious knee injuries and enhance sports performance. This summer's class is sold out, but it will be repeated, physical therapist Marc Iyomasa said.)

Nishi has been on U.S. international karate teams since she was 10.

"I'm pretty overwhelmed, but my dad says hard success is better than easy success. I hope I can get on the team in 2003," Nishi said.

Beddow, who got 30 points and 30 rebounds in two games in a preseason tournament on the Big Island, dislocated her left knee cap and partially tore a patella tendon battling for a rebound against Sacred Hearts March 23. She has been out three weeks and could be out three more.

St. Francis High moved into the ILH's upper division this season, partly because the Troubadours had 6-foot post Liz Narkon, the Division II Player of the Year the past two seasons.

But Narkon tore the outer meniscus ligament in her right knee while playing in a spring-break volleyball tournament in Hilo March 29. She will undergo surgery tomorrow and expects a six-week rehabilitation.

She landed on the foot of an opponent who had skidded under the net. "My knee was so swollen it looked I was wearing a knee pad, but I wasn't," she said.

Narkon already signed a scholarship agreement to play volleyball at Northern Arizona next fall. "I'm all bummed out. I've never had this before," she said, but Northern Arizona is holding her scholarship and she hopes to be completely mended when practice starts in August.

Kamehameha has remained in contention even though starting point guard Tiffiny Shim has not played in an ILH game all season and probably won't. Lingering pain in her right foot was diagnosed during preseason as a stress fracture.

Defensive standout Lehua Wood is expected to return this week for Kamehameha after missing about two weeks with a sprained left ankle.

OIA not immune

The public-school O'ahu Interscholastic Association has had fewer problems, but is not immune. Moanalua's two best players, Amy Kotani and Patti Hardimon, both suffered first-degree concussions April 5, when the Menehune played Kahuku. Kotani was hurt in a scuffle for a loose ball and Hardimon apparently was hurt when she was hit in the head by a thrown ball during warm-ups.

They were held out of last week's loss to Kalani, and Kotani, who also had a concussion in preseason, is out indefinitely, coach Roy Dias said.

"It's kinda scary," Iolani's Nishimoto said of all the injuries. "It's like somebody's doing some kind of magic or something."

But, she adds, "One thing I've learned from (the injury situation) is that I really, really like basketball, and I'll never take it for granted."

Staff writer Wes Nakama contributed to this report.

ILH CASUALTY LIST

ILH girls basketball starters who have sustained serious injuries affecting this season's play include:

• • Trisha Nishimoto, Iolani, high right-ankle sprain, could be out until May 6.
• Elyse Umeda, Punahou, broken left pinkie, out 2 more weeks.
• Lehua Wood, Kamehameha, sprained left ankle, expected back this week.
• Tiffiny Shim, Kamehameha, stress fracture of right foot, out since preseason, probably for season.
• Liz Narkon, St. Francis, torn right outer meniscus ligament, out for season.
• Caroline Beddow, Mid-Pacific, dislocated left knee cap and partially torn patella tendon, out 4-6 weeks.
• Shannon Nishi, Mid-Pacific, torn right anterior cruciate ligament in practice, will need 8-9 months rehab after surgery.
• Shannon Riley, Maryknoll, concussion, missed two games, returned Thursday
• Stacy Doran, Maryknoll, torn rotator cuff, missed preseason, was pegged as starter, now first off bench
• Amber Juan, Sacred Hearts, season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear last year; not risking this year because she has softball scholarship to Hawai'i Pacific

OIA CASUALTY LIST

• Amy Kotani, Moanalua, two concussions, out indefinitely.
• Patti Hardimon, Moanalua, concussion, missed last week's game.
• Tina Papule, Castle, sprained right ankle, missed last three games
• Bre Carson, Kalaheo, possible concussion, was to see doctor yesterday

Correction: Amber Juan's name was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.