ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Eckerd College basketball play-by-play commentator Ian Dooley recently sat down with Tritons' junior forward
Krystal Charles. The 6-1 Charles leads the Tritons in blocks and is playing admirably after coming back from a season-ending knee injury last year when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus.
Ian Dooley: What got you into playing basketball growing up?
Krystal Charles: My high school coach. She saw me playing in P.E. class and told me to come join the team. My friends really didn't like sports that much, so I tried to avoid it at first. Then, she actually called me and asked me to come to practice so I did and fell in love with it from then.
ID: What about culture adjustments for you coming from overseas? Did you get a bit of culture shock coming to Florida from London?
KC: Definitely. Everything is a lot bigger over here. Also, I'm a city girl, so everything is a lot slower here in Florida than what I'm used to. Florida specifically, it was hard. I don't have buses ready to take me everywhere I want to go and there's no underground system.
ID: What about you coming over as a player? Was it intimidating for you to try and find a role on the team as sort of an “outsider”?
KC: It was hard to adjust to the pace. The game was a lot faster. But when I came, we had a small team so I had to step up. It was unfortunate that we had a small team, but also fortunate for me because I got a lot of minutes my freshman year. It was good for me to fit in and everyone was so nice and personable on our team and that made it easy.
ID: Now, last year you started all 25 games and you had a great season until your injury. Take us back to the game when you had your injury, what was going through your mind?
KC: It was shock and a bit of disbelief, definitely. I was more emotional from the thought of it than the pain.
ID: Did you know it was serious?
KC: (Smiling) Well, the trainer was very nice to me (laughs), so usually it's kind of like the “toughen up” mentality you know, 'let's go, strap it up, you know, get back out there'. But he was very nice to me and just said “sit down” and my heart dropped when he said that because you know it's over when he says that. It was very tough.
ID: What about when you started your rehab? What was your mindset? What were the challenges?
KC: It was tough;(sighs) it was definitely like a “will this ever end” kind of feeling. But I did attack it. I stayed here over the summer to rehab with the trainers, over my whole summer holiday and just tried to get back for the season. So, that was my inspiration: to keep on working and try and get back for the season, but there were a lot of struggles and downs as you can imagine.
ID: How have you adjusted this year since your injury? How have you stayed ready and kept your confidence? Do you think about your knee, or is it in the background by now?
KC: It's in the background for the most part, but at the same time I still have days when it hurts. Like in the beginning I was struggling to run, but I had to put the pain the back of my mind and just do what I could, basically, to help the team. So I wasn't at 100 percent, but anyway, I could contribute like giving someone else a sub and making sure the minutes I played were the best while I gave someone a rest at the time.
ID: Well, you had a great start to the season. What was it like for you when you made the game-winning shot in your first game back this year?
KC: (Smiles and laughs) It was very…(pauses) I can't explain it…it was surreal.
ID: It must have been like an affirmation for you.
KC: Yes, very much. To come back and to win a game…I felt like “I'm back!” It was great.
ID: Now you list Pau Gasol as your favorite athlete. What do you like about his game?
KC: (Smiling) Well, I like that he's European (laughs). I like a big man that has finesse, I like how he can pass, he has a nice hook shot, a good jumper and he's very versatile for his height. That's my style of play, so I like that about him.
ID: Well, let's talk about your play of late. You've averaged over 13 ppg and 6 rpg in the last four games you've played. You have played extremely well with your team needing you with
Emilie Hesseldal out. What's it like for you to play at a high level like that again?
KC: It's very satisfying (smiling). It's been so disheartening to know where I was and not being able to play at that level. Especially when I knew I was getting bigger and stronger going into my junior year and I wanted to come back with a vengeance, so that was like a road block for me and I was finally able to climb it and I am where I should be.
ID: With that in mind, what are your thoughts and expectations for the rest of the season?
KC: We definitely want to finish in the top three (SSC). We think it's more than possible the way the conference is going. If we can string together a few good games, we'll definitely be at the top. So we're looking to go all the way this year, definitely, I think we can do it. Our fingers are crossed that Emilie can come back because she's definitely a big contributor to our team and I think we have enough to go far.
