By Chris Stevens, Editor
Each of the last two seasons, the Archmere Academy girls’ basketball team has reached heights not seen in the program’s history, a pair of Elite Eight appearances, but something – actually – someone was missing.
Guard Brigid Hamberger, one of head coach Dan Pisani’s trusted shooters and all-around athletes, had a devastating knee injury that kept her from participating in the state tournament last season, as well as her soccer season. And it wasn’t the first time.
“I hurt the same knee in 7th grade, my freshman year of high school, then twice in three months last year,” the senior captain said, “and I knew this last time meant that surgery definitely had to happen.”
A total reconstruction of her knee meant several long months of rehabilitation and physical therapy, which Brigid admitted was tough.
“I was on crutches for two months, so not being able to play soccer or basketball and move around much was one of the hardest parts of it all,” she said. “The good part was I learned so much about myself as a person, that I was more than an athlete.”
Even with the long wait to get back to where she wanted to be, Brigid, nor Pisani lost faith that she would eventually get there.
“Other kids would’ve thrown in the towel,” Pisani said. “A kid like Brigid is easy to help because she wanted to get back, she never gave up and she’s been big for us.”
So far during the Auks’ 3-1 start this season, Hamberger has started each game and scored a season-high 14 points (including four three-point shots) in a heart-stopping 56-55 loss to St. Georges on Friday.
“Coach Pisani tells us that we are a family and everybody has bought into it,” she says. “I feel like we have just a good of a chance to get back to the Elite Eight this year.”
“Brigid does such a good job for us in different parts of the game – knocking down timely shots, boxing out to get rebounds,” Pisani added. “It’s huge to have her back.”
With possibly three months of basketball left, then a return to the soccer pitch, Brigid hopes that her story can help other young athletes who may encounter injuries and other setbacks in their journey.
“I would tell someone who might be in my position to never give up because if you do, it doesn’t get any easier,” she said. “Also, I learned how to count the small victories. When I was in rehab, I learned to count that extra two degrees in range of motion that I didn’t have before. The small victories add up.”
And they’ve added up to quite the comeback story for Brigid Hamberger.
