LHS junior guard Brooke Luitjens finished up her third high school season in March, and immediately started preparing for summer ball. Luitjens plays for the AAU South Dakota Attack girls team and was looking forward to the many tournaments the summer season has to offer. What Luitjens did not expect was the injury she would face in the last game of her first tournament in late April.

“I was playing in the game and then I did a jab step which hyper-extended my knee,” said Luitjens.

She immediately felt pain shoot through her. Fans and coaches alike could see her agony as she instantly fell and grabbed her knee.

“I knew something was wrong right away,” said Luitjens. “I was just being hopeful that it was just a sprain or hyper-extension and not ACL.” 

Following the game, Luitjens went to the doctor to get an X-Ray and found that she had torn her ACL. Roughly a week after receiving the results, Luitjens went under the knife to mend her knee and started physical therapy shortly after.

“Right now in physical therapy I am working on flexibility, extension and getting the right muscles to work,” said Luitjens. “then I can strengthen them over time to prevent it from tearing again.”

Normally, ACL tears can take around six months or sometimes even longer to completely heal. But Luitjens expects to be out for only four to five months and will continue to do physical therapy to try to speed up her recovery process.

Even with the devastation of tearing her ACL, it has not shaken Luitjens spirit or plans for her future.

“Even with this injury, I still plan on trying to get a scholarship to play college basketball,” said Luitjens.

Luitjens is determined to be back for her senior year of high school ball, and has kept an optimistic attitude for the future.