Twomey points W. Hoops ahead

The gritty freshman recovered from ACL surgery to assume a pivotal role on this year's squad. Tara Twomey simply did what she was supposed to do this past Saturday night when the Penn women's basketball team battled undefeated Harvard in Cambridge for first place in the Ivy League. For the Quakers, she made all the difference. And for Twomey, it was a difference that might never have been made. Up 78-76 with only 18 seconds left and the Crimson in possession of the ball, the Quakers found themselves just a single -- but crucial -- defensive stand away from walking out of Lavietes Pavilion with the league lead in their pocket. Bringing the ball upcourt, however, was star Crimson point guard Jen Monti, who had already racked up 11 points and three assists on the night. Shadowing Monti across the halfcourt line, though, was Twomey, Penn's spunky point guard whose undersized 5'4" frame fools opposing players into underestimating her oversized defensive abilities on the floor. As time ticked away, Monti weaved through the court, unable to shake Twomey. Finally, with the Penn freshman in her face and the clock expiring, Monti forced up a three-pointer. It harmlessly clanked off the rim, and the game ended with the Quakers finally the sole team on top of the Ivies. Vital to the Quakers' win over Harvard was the high-scoring trio of Penn captains -- Diana Caramanico, Mandy West and Erin Ladley. But it was the tenacity of Twomey's defense with the game on the line that secured Penn's victory in the lair of the traditional Ivy giant. And that's exactly what Twomey was there for. "Tara needs to be in there to bother the other team's point guard," Penn coach Kelly Greenberg said. "Mandy and Di had huge nights, but it came down to that play and [Twomey] was the one that really stopped [Monti]." Just a year and a half ago, though, it would have seemed next-to-impossible that Twomey could make such a defensive stop. In May 1998, Twomey -- then a junior at Trinity High School in Camp Hill, Pa. -- tore her left ACL while playing in a soccer game, then further ripped the tendon that night while playing basketball. She didn't know whether her playing days were over when she finally realized the reason for the nagging pain in her knee, let alone if she'd ever achieve her dream of playing college basketball. "It was the most devastating thing that ever happened to me in my life," she said. Devastation turned to optimism when Twomey's father, Bob, came across the name of a progressive orthopedic surgeon in Indianapolis who offers a special operation for ACL injuries. Tara quickly flew to Indiana for a June 22 surgery with Don Shelbourne. Making incisions down both knees, Shelbourne took the middle of the patella tendon from Twomey's healthy right knee and attached it to the torn section of her injured left knee. The cuts left six-inch long scars running straight down the middle of both of Twomey's legs, which she still displays. After the successful operation, a rigorous rehabilitation program was implemented -- one which Twomey said most doctors don't prescribe and most people probably wouldn't want to go through. "It's mostly designed for athletes," she said. "When I got home I was at the gym every day and did all my rehab because I wanted to be back. [Shelbourne] doesn't guarantee when you come back. He just guarantees that if you work hard you'll be back quick." The hard work that Twomey put into her recovery paid off. She was "good as new" in November, and by the end of the season led Trinity to the Division III Championships , earning her second straight All-State selection. Now, Twomey is a pivotal player in Penn's quest for its first-ever Ivy League title. The freshman is averaging 23 minutes per game for the Quakers. Her playing time and ability surprise many of her teammates in light of her career-threatening injury. "She's so agile for having torn her ACL," Ladley said. "I can't believe she's playing." Twomey attributes her unbelievable comeback to the special surgery, which she feels left her feeling better than the traditional ACL treatment would have. "A lot of people feel that, after they've had major surgery, they've lost something," she said. "I don't really feel like I've lost any movement. I feel like I've gained it all back." In Twomey, the Quakers have not only gained a defensive playmaker, but also a much-needed pure point guard. "When I first got the Penn job I knew that they didn't have a point guard," Greenberg said. "Mandy's not, and really no one else is." The same drive to recover from the ACL injury is what Greenberg sees pushing Twomey every day on the court. "She's tough, very tough, and she's got that point guard mentality that you cannot teach," Greenberg said. "It makes a huge difference when your point guard is that competitive and has that savviness with the ball on the court." Twomey's complete package of mental toughness, defensive prowess and offensive ball handling -- she averages 3.4 assists per game -- has helped her become a big part of Penn's surge to the top of the standings. After using her drive to get past the injury, "Little T" now looks to be the present -- and future -- of Penn women's basketball. Right now, that means getting in quality minutes and providing the stops that the team needs when it's in a bind.

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