Just shy of four months removed from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee, Seimone Augustus' is spending her winter months rehabbing in Minneapolis. Seimone recently stopped by the front office for a staff pot luck, which gave us the perfect opportunity to catch up with the two-time WNBA All-Star to see how her rehab was progressing.
Lynxbasketball.com: What's your mentality after progressing from the initial stages of rehab, to now, almost four months removed from surgery? And what's the process been like? You've come so far from day one… How do you feel about that? Do you feel as if you've accomplished something? It's gotta feel good…
Seimone Augustus: Yeah, it feels good to be back running on the court, actually getting to do basketball-related things; Dribbling the ball, shooting the ball - stuff like that. It's definitely one step closer to being back to where I want to be.
LB: You're not back to full speed or anything, correct?
SA: No, mainly jogging. Every so often we'll try to do a quick sprint here and there. I can plant a little bit, but nothing real serious. Just trying to get some cardio more than anything.
LB: From day one, to where you're at now, you have to feel tremendous about your progress…
SA: Ahhh, just to think about all the days … No matter what was going on, I felt as if it wasn't going to get better. Just to see where I'm at right now… I guess I have to take my hat off to my therapist. She's one of the best because she's not only there for me physically, but mentally as well. She's helped me mentally get over some of the barriers I've had to go through.
LB: How long are your sessions now?
SA: Still two hours; She's (physical therapist) not cutting back. She cut my Thanksgiving break short because we were progressing so much. She doesn't want that progress to lapse.
LB: Best case scenario, when are you back out on the court?
SA: January.
LB: So, you'll then go back to Turkey to play for Galatasaray?
SA: No. I'm actually in the process of trying to talk to Roger (Griffith) about staying here the entire offseason so that I can rest.
LB: What's the one thing you're looking forward to most about getting back on the court? Is it that first hard drive to the basket, the jumper, your first floater in the lane??
SA: Everything - More so the contact. Just the contact to see if mentally I'll be able to withstand that; If I'm able to make the moves, the crossover, and to plant and actually have the explosive moves to the basket. That'll also make me feel good. Probably that first layup and jumper will put me at ease. I'll know then that I'm back and ready to go.
LB: Have you been taking to your Lynx teammates while they're overseas? Have they been giving you support?
SA: Yeah. We haven't really been talking about my therapy. I think all of them know me as a person who's going to get through this and come back stronger than ever. They've mainly been talking about the new haircut.
LB: Have there been any pictures out yet?
SA: No, I haven't put any pictures up yet… Did I send some pictures?? Maybe I sent one picture. I don't remember. If I did send out one, it'll circulate. I haven't put anything up on Twitter or Myspace, but (team photographer) David Sherman is definitely going to come to a therapy session. He'll have some and I'm pretty sure he'll post those on lynxbasketball.com.
LB: So what do you have to accomplish before you can play?
SA: Getting back in shape, running… Mostly trying to strengthen my quads, hamstrings, stuff like that; the area and ligaments that are going to protect me from getting hurt again. Those are the areas that I have to strengthen. It's not so much how fast I'm going to be, but how strong my leg is. I have to be able to cut without pain. I still feel a little bit of pain right now, so I'm not ready, but it still feels better than two months ago.
LB: Are you enjoying Minneapolis?? I hear you have a coat…
SA: I've been going to movies, the mall, rides… I think we're going to Valleyscare for Halloween. I got a coat, but they say it's still not thick enough. I'm still on the hunt for a coat. It's not going to help me when it gets real cold. It's real thin. I don't have any gloves. Just bought a scarf. No earmuffs. I'm struggling right now.
LB: Maybe we can take care of you…
SA: Yeah, that would be nice.
LB: Other than getting back out on the court, what about this Lynx team gets you excited about the 2010 WNBA season?
SA: Next year, just seeing the girls and they way they fought through adversity this year. We finished just one game out of the playoffs. That makes me feel good. My teammates now know how to play without me. We don't have to focus on making sure that I get all the touches. We can all play together as a team and still get the job done. The talent level is amazing. With the additions of the picks that we have this year, it's going to get even better. I'm excited about the fact that this year I have no doubts that were going to make the playoffs, hands down. I don't think anyone is going to be able to argue with us on that. Those are my main things. I've been here going on five years, and we've never made it to the playoffs. We've been close the past two years, but we just haven't gotten over that hump. I think this year is the year.
LB: What can you say to the fans to thank them for their support? I'm sure you've gotten letters, flowers…
SA: I've gotten everything. I really can't say enough. I love the fans here; From the times when they're getting on me because I'm not playing well, to the support they've given me through my situation. I've gotten cards, flowers, letters… Even at the games they'll stop by. They'll say a few words. I don't know if they know, but it means a lot when you're going through something that you've never experienced before. It means a lot. Just to hear people say 'I can't wait to have you back.' It uplifts me and gets me looking forward to coming back next year and working harder.
LB: OK, one last thing. I have to ask about your haircut again. Why the change?
SA: Just because of rehab. I feel that your hair tells a story about your life, any life-changing experience you have. I'm sure you can remember when you were in high school. You cut your hair, whatever. It's kinda how it was for me. I had the worst injury ever. I wanted to start fresh, start new. Not just me having my own injury, my family has been through a lot this year. I had my injury and my dad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. We have been going through a lot of things, and I said once I was healthy and able to start running and jumping I was going to cut it. Same for my dad. He's off a walker, he's actually walking around, doing good. I think it was a perfect time to start over, try something new and have fun with it. Let it go about a year and then go back to my dreads.
LB: I heard rumors of a Mohawk…Are you willing to give the fans a preview of what you're thinking for the new look?
SA: Yeah, I might get a Mohawk. I'm going to get it, have fun with it. Some designs.
LB: A Lynx logo perhaps?
SA: Look, you trying to throw that in there. If not, I won't disappoint. The design will be on point. You won't be too disappointed if it's not a Lynx logo.
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