Staff file photo / Preston Byers Crestview’s Ava Bucey shoots a 3-pointer during a Rebels win against Salem in East Fairfield on Feb. 4.

EAST FAIRFIELD — Ava Bucey admittedly envisioned her basketball career going differently, and certainly a bit longer.

When she enrolled at Crestview High School back in 2022, Bucey had dreams of starring for the Rebels and then, hopefully, playing college basketball afterward. Multiple major leg injuries, however, changed things for Bucey.

While at a basketball tournament in 2021, Bucey suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in her right knee. After nearly a year of rehabilitation, she returned to athletics and played soccer for the Rebels, only for her to sustain a torn hamstring and MCL in her other leg during the final stages of the fall season.

Although she returned from her injury in time for her freshman basketball campaign, Bucey began to sense that her right knee was not quite right.

“I was starting to feel toward the beginning and middle of my AAU season, something was just off with my surgical knee,” Bucey said. “I never really thought anything of it. I was just like, ‘Oh, you know, it just feels different than my other, healthy leg, you know?'”

While guarding her now-senior duo Addison Rhodes at an open gym, though, Bucey took a fateful step, and in the process, re-tore the meniscus that had been surgically repaired two years earlier. Bucey had to undergo another procedure, this time resulting in the complete removal of her lateral meniscus.

Then, she began the long, painful and exhausting process of rehabbing her knee again, which took an emotional toll on the then-sophomore to such an extent that she thought her basketball career could already be over.

“I had a lot of trouble physically and mentally with my recovery. … I actually had to go through almost a year after my second surgery, which isn’t really what you’re supposed to go through. It’s supposed to be, you know, three months or so recovery for just a meniscus removal,” Bucey said.

“There was a spot during my sophomore year that we weren’t sure that I was ever gonna play again. My mom being a [physical therapist], she kind of sat me down and was like, ‘Listen, I don’t want you to keep going through this. Is it really worth it to you?'”

While Bucey’s dreams of playing basketball in college quickly faded, she decided that finishing her high school career was worth it.

“There was just always something inside of me. … I have a drive and I strive to do well in sports. And I couldn’t see myself not playing a sport. I just love to compete. I love connecting with my teammates and stuff like that. It was much bigger than just myself. It was for the team and being able to connect with girls. So I was pretty determined to keep going, even though I was knocked down so many times.”

Bucey played only a handful of games for Crestview as a sophomore, but she returned for her junior season, during which she was the Rebels’ third-leading scorer and rebounder as she tried to find the confidence the injuries had sapped from her.

Bucey said that it was difficult to feel as if her teammates trusted her or that she understood what they were thinking after so much time away. And personally, she found it difficult to completely trust her own body after the second procedure.

“Especially when I would first return, being able to play again, it was just really mental – just jump stopping or pivoting or anything like that. It was a very mental aspect, and I had to overcome that,” Bucey said.

As more time has elapsed since her latest injury, her play has only improved; as a senior, Bucey is averaging a career-high 12 points, six rebounds and two steals per game, in addition to serving as one of the 20-2 team’s senior leaders.

“Most people would have certainly quit a long time ago,” Crestview head coach Aaron Blatch said. “I mean, it’s been one injury after another, a lot of adversity, the physical toll, but the mental toll as well. She’s a phenomenal person. Just a tough, resilient girl, a great player. … I’m as proud of her as any kid I’ve ever been. Just a phenomenal person.

“She’s a very strong leader. A person that kind of can connect with everybody around her. A tremendous worker as well, puts a lot of time in, in-season and out of season on the game.”

With college basketball no longer a consideration, Bucey has shifted her priorities. Being recently accepted to The Ohio State University, where her older brother already attends, Bucey said she plans to go into nursing.

“I think when something big like that happens to you, you kind of have to alter your focus and think of the next big thing,” Bucey said.

Bucey could have quite a bit more basketball to play before then, though.

Crestview, consistently one of the top teams in the area, recently notched its fourth consecutive 20-win season. The Rebels have gone 87-10 overall and 53-2 in Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference (MVAC) play since Bucey has been in high school, making her a part of the winningest senior class in program history, according to Blatch.

And while there is no telling how the postseason will go when the Rebels begin their playoff run on Feb. 21, Bucey is determined to cherish it no matter what.

“I think there was a lot of pressure on myself, especially after those injuries, because I think that a lot of people thought I could go and play at the collegiate level if I really wanted to. But after altering my perspective and being like, ‘This is my last year, my last two seasons to play basketball,’ I really started to focus on the fun aspect and connect with all those younger teammates and try to make an impact,” Bucey said. “Really, even if I had a bad day and I felt upset after practice, it was just like, ‘Hey, this is your last year. You need to stop getting down on yourself. You need to focus on these good moments and enjoy every last bit of it.'”