Karns City basketball’s Chloe Fritch, 11 months after tearing ACL, back making an impact
KARNS CITY — Chloe Fritch knew the day would arrive. That didn’t muffle her emotions.
Fritch had torn her ACL last January, and the long road to recovery led her to the hardwood against Knoch to open this girls hoops season.
“It was kind of a surreal moment,” Fritch said. “I got a little emotional just because ... actually being there — and all that hard work I’d done — I was really proud of myself.”
Hearing the ball dribble off the court and seeing the other nine players on the floor rush about, panic set in. It took checking out of the game a few minutes later to calm down.
“The second time I went in, I felt a little more comfortable,” Fritch said. “It felt weird because I usually like to help other people, but then I was like, ‘Please help me. Tell me what to do.’ After that game, I’m slowly seeing progress.”
Nearly 11 months earlier, after a ball fake in a regular-season game against Punxsutawney, Fritch, then a junior, could feel the defender guarding her was trailing. Fritch jump-stopped at the free-throw line trying to draw a foul.
There wasn’t any contact when she landed, but she knew something wasn’t right.
Fritch said the swelling in her right knee wasn’t all that noticeable later that night, prompting optimism. Her father, Eric Fritch, is an athletic trainer. He put an end to any false hope.
“He was like, ‘Get it in your head right now. You tore your ACL. Let’s start this process now instead of when you go to your MRI. You’d rather know that you have it now,’” Fritch said. “That was the goal. I was just trying to mentally prepare myself. It was the weirdest feeling.”
Fritch took a week to process and accept what she couldn’t do anymore. She couldn’t jump. She couldn’t put weight on her knee. Fritch set her mind on being back to play for Gremlins coach Steve Andreassi in nine months, refusing to give in to frustrations during her rehab.
“Every day, my knee was in pain,” Fritch said. “I was getting distraught, and I talked to Steve about it. I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do. It’s not getting any better.’ Then, the next week, I had one day without any pain. I held onto that because I was like, ‘There is a light. There is a light somewhere. I want that to be every day.’”
“She could’ve easily just called it a day,” Andreassi said. “She’s so tough.”
She had also returned to the links in the fall, winning the District 9 Class 2A girls golf title for the second year in a row in October. She tied for 9th at states.
Fritch, who started at point guard as a sophomore and junior, said she’s at 85-90% at this point. Wearing a knee brace is more of a mental aid for her than a physical one.
“It’s just confidence at this point,” Fritch said. “I remember the first couple of games — I’ve never gotten the shakes — I almost had a panic attack. I felt like I was a freshman. ... Every time a girl would come (to defend) me, I just wanted to pass the ball.
“But (I was) like, ‘Wait a minute. You can handle the ball. You can dribble the ball.’”
She has played as a reserve in each of Karns City’s first six contests this season. The Gremlins are 5-1, aiming to rebound from their first loss after Christmas.
“I don’t need my name announced to go play basketball,” Chloe said. “I really don’t. That’s not something I need or want because this is the bonus year. I’m on that court. I’m able to contribute with people. That’s all I need. ... I want to be that person to create a spark — somehow, some way. Being on the bench, I get to see going in what we’re struggling on or what we need to do.”
She’s scored 5.8 points per game during that span, but Andreassi expects her production to pick up. She’s the player the team will lean on at the end of games, he said.
“It’s a matter of getting her wind back and getting her legs settled,” Andreassi said. “She looks a little like a newborn deer at times. I call her Bambi every once in a while. She’s trying to get her legs (back). She’s close.”
