Ducharme headed in right direction for Huskies

Mar. 17—STORRS — Caroline Ducharme knows the pain from a knee injury, from a shoulder injury, from a hip injury.

In a five-year span, the UConn women's basketball team's sophomore guard had surgery to repair a torn ACL, and surgeries to repair torn labrums in her shoulder and hip. What she has had to deal with the past 13 months, though, has made her past medical issues seem benign.

A year ago, Ducharme followed two months of the best ball of her life with a two-week stay in concussion protocol in February and was seldom the same the rest of the season. Of course, part of her struggles may have also been dealing with soreness in her left hip, which was addressed with surgery in April.

She returned and seemed to be rounding into the form that made her a 2022 all-Big East freshman and second-team selection. She capped off a better December with a season-high 19 points in a win over Marquette. But on Jan. 2 she was injured in practice and her stay in concussion protocol lasted six weeks.

"It's a very different rehab than what I've been used to," Ducharme said. "You can't just have a surgery and it's fixed. You have to get a lot of rest. I'm going through different treatments that I've not been used to. I'm very lucky to have the support I have, the medical staff that we have here.

"I trust them. I trust Janelle Francisco, our athletic trainer. I know they're doing everything they can to get me back and healthy. I know they're doing everything they can to alleviate any symptoms I have. I'm lucky to have them."

Ducharme returned to action on Feb, 15 and has played the last eight games for the Huskies.

Second-seeded UConn begins NCAA tournament play Saturday when it hosts No. 15 Vermont in a Seattle 3 Regional first-round game at Gampel Pavilion. It will be the first game for the Huskies (29-5) since winning the Big East tournament title on March 6, a break Ducharme may have needed more than any of her teammates.

"Dealing with the different things that I've dealt with, getting rest is very important," Ducharme said. "I've been getting different treatments and working with our athletic trainer Janelle and strength and conditioning coaches to help me get back to where I want to be. It's still a long ways but it's helped."

So is she close to 100 percent heading into NCAA tournament play?

"I'm getting there," Ducharme said with a smile.

For the Huskies to increase their chances of a title run, she can't get there soon enough.

In 17 games with four December starts, Ducharme is averaging 7.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game. She had 10 fourth-quarter points in a come-from-behind win over Creighton on Feb. 15, had all seven of her points in a 4:22 span of the second half to help rally her team past DePaul on Feb. 25, and was one of the very few bright spots with 14 points in a win over Xavier on Feb. 27.

But after playing only 6:44 of the Big East tournament opener against Georgetown on March 4, she was accidental hit on the right side of her head with an elbow from teammate Aaliyah Edwards. She fell to the floor with her head in her hands and in tears. She returned to the bench in sweats for the second half. She did play 13 minutes against Marquette the next day and 12 minutes against Villanova on March 6 as UConn captured the tournament title.

The word Ducharme used to describe her season was adversity.

"Just having to deal with difficult things and having to come back stronger, but that's been the case for everyone," she said. "Everyone has dealt with severe things and it's about how we bounce back, how we support each other, how we lift each other up. That's been big for us."

When guard Azzi Fudd returned for the start of the Big East tournament, it marked only the second time this season UConn has had the 10 healthy players it started the regular season with available.

Having depth coach Geno Auriemma could trust showed in the Huskies' energy and effort.

"Having everybody back gives us an extra push and allows us to be more aggressive on the defensive end," UConn center Dorka Juhász said.

Ducharme played limited minutes in the 2022 NCAA tournament until the national championship game against South Carolina. She came off the bench and had nine points in 22 minutes as the Huskies cut an 18-point second-quarter deficit to be within seven with nine minutes to go.

The experience should help.

"Last year for me was exciting and new and I wasn't sure quite what to expect," Ducharme said. "I followed the lead of the upperclassmen. This year I have a year under my belt and I know what to expect, I know the grind that comes with the tournament."

If it were only a knee injury or ankle injury or hip injury there could or would be a timeline for her to get back to 100 percent. But with her concussion history it's how she feels that day.

And she now takes thing day-by-day.

"It's emphasizes to me how lucky I feel when I do get to play and how grateful I am for those moments that I do get to play," Ducharme said. "It reminds me how much I love the game and how much I love playing with my teammates and for the coaches, re-emphasizing that whatever it takes is what I'm going to do to get back on the court."

For coverage of all sports in the JI's 18-town coverage area, plus updates on the UConn women's basketball team and head coach Geno Auriemma, follow Carl Adamec on Twitter: @CarlAdamec, Facebook: Carl Adamec, and Instagram: @CarlAdamec.