Mason Rowland knew something was wrong immediately after she hit the ground on Nov. 15.
The former Durango High School girls basketball star was playing for Colorado Mesa University, ironically against her hometown school, Fort Lewis College. Rowland drove to the basket at the end of the first quarter, did a jump stop and her knee buckled. She went down, immediately grabbed her left knee and worried it was an ACL tear.
“I was hoping that it wasn't as serious as I thought it was going to be,” Rowland said. “My oldest sister tore hers in high school, so I had seen her go through the process and I knew how draining it can be and how it takes you out. So I was obviously hoping that wasn't the case, but then as things got later and that night, it started to swell up, and I couldn't really put weight on it.”
Rowland’s fears came true and she tore her ACL, causing her to miss the rest of her sophomore season at Colorado Mesa. The 5-foot-7-inch guard only played in three game last year and was averaging 15.7 points per game on 41% shooting from the field along with five rebounds per game, three assists per game and 3.3 steals per game.
Colorado Mesa went 25-6 overall and 18-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference despite Rowland’s absence. The Mavericks lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Eastern New Mexico University and Colorado Mesa fans must’ve wondered what could’ve been if Rowland was healthy.
The 2023 Durango High graduate was coming off a freshman year where she averaged 14.6 PPG and 5.2 RPG, both marks second-best on the team. She was named 2023-2024 RMAC Freshman of the Year and was second team All-RMAC.
Fast forward to the present, Rowland is almost eight months post-ACL surgery after her Dec. 4 surgery. She enjoyed a relaxing summer in Durango biking, swimming, running and doing yoga before heading up to Grand Junction a few weeks ago.
Rowland can finally play 1v1 and 2v2 in a controlled environment after months of working out alone.
She’s come a long way since her surgery (which she said went as well as it could’ve), then two weeks of crutches and being unable to put any weight on her left knee. Rowland then progressed to walking with her brace on for about six weeks. Around the three-month mark, Rowland starting running and jumping.
Throughout the beginning of her recovery, Rowland relied on her family for support, specifically her sisters. She checked with her oldest sister, Brett, about her pain level, since Brett previously tore her ACL. Her middle sister, Kyle, remembers what Brett’s recovery was like and Kyle remembered what it was like for her college teammates who tore their ACLs.
Rowland credits her family and professors with being so accommodating and supportive through her recovery process. After the injury, her professors allowed her to stay home for the rest of the semester.
“There were definitely some days, especially early on, when I was doubting myself and the long process ahead of me,” Rowland said. “But now, as I've gotten closer to seeing myself back on the court and just seeing all the hard work and stuff that I've put in come like paid off, and seeing that I can still play and hopefully do just as good, if not better, that definitely motivated me.”
Rowland acknowledges that her knee will be different from here on out, but doesn’t think it’ll hold her back in any way. She might have to take an additional step or two compared to before, but she’ll play as hard as she can to help her team.
Driving to the basket and getting to the free-throw line have always been a strength of Rowland’s game. After the knee injury, she still plans on driving downhill and getting to the free-throw line, because it’s an easy way to see your shot go in and gain confidence.
Before the knee injury, Rowland was working hard on her jump shooting from the midrange and 3-point range. Returning from her knee injury is another reason to improve her jump shot so she doesn’t have to rely on driving and her newly recovered knee.
Rowland will be a redshirt sophomore next year because of the injury. Her, and the team’s prospect’s, are bright after the Mavericks went 50-13 in Rowland’s first two years; Colorado Mesa returns back-to-back RMAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year Olivia Reed Thyne.
Expect to see Rowland looking like stellar guard she was before the injury, with a jump shot or two more than before.
“Any chance to play, I'm just jumping the gun ready to play,” Rowland said. “We have a solid group returning and now that we have a little bit more experience, hopefully we'll just keep building on that. I can't wait to get back on the court with these girls, hopefully have an even better year, really make a deep run in the tournament and make something special.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
