On January 16, Amber Raisner accomplished something that only few others have at Hall High School- scoring 1,000 points in basketball.  After hearing of this incredible feat, I conducted an interview with Amber to talk about her achievement.  

Amber is a senior point guard who has started on the varsity girls basketball team since freshman year.  Basketball has always been one of Amber’s many talents.  She has played since she was three years old, for travel teams, AAU teams, and other high levels of competition.  When she arrived at Hall, she was thrust into a starting role and immediately performed.  

To score 1,000 points requires endless amounts of practice.  Raisner has said that she and her teammates play basketball year-round.  That includes long, exhausting practices during the season, and summer-league games against other schools.  Not to mention, six o’clock morning workouts all summer.  Raisner says all the workouts and practices have created a strong team bond, and it shows on the court.

Raisner was nearing 1,000 points before the team’s home-game against E.O. Smith.  When she finally did reach the mark, the rest of the team stormed the court to celebrate with her.  The moment was made all the better by being on home-court, allowing the fans to be a part of the special occasion.  In the end, Hall came away with a 37-19 victory.  

Some may not know what makes the milestone even more impressive.  In a summer league game just months before the start of basketball season, Raisner tore her ACL in her knee.  Going for a pump fake, her knee popped and gave out.  She immediately fell to the ground, screaming, “I tore my ACL, I tore my ACL.”  The injury was extremely painful, and she knew exactly what it meant.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament injuries are common for athletes that put a lot of pressure on their knees.  Many athletes that tear this ligament are never able to meet their prior standards.  The injury usually takes about 6-10 months to recover from. Raisner knew that timetable probably meant she would not be able to play her senior season, however she would not let the injury stop her.

Doctors told her she would be lucky to return healthy for her spring sport, tennis, saying recovering in time for basketball would be nearly impossible.  She would not accept this, saying that “the team had so potential this year.”  She sacrificed much of her time during and after school to physical therapy.  To help, she said the team and coach Brittany Huggins were “super supportive” throughout the recovery process.  

She played her first game of the season December 16, about five and a half months after the injury.  The remarkable and speedy recovery shows Amber’s incredible work ethic and devotion to the sport and the team.  Since then, she has been improving on the court and helping the team win games.  As of right now, the team is 14-3, and riding a nine-game win streak.  “We identified what we needed to work on really early in the season,” Raisner said.  The team is catching fire at the right time, with only three games left before postseason play.  Raisner and the rest of the team have positioned themselves for a legitimate shot at winning the CCC’s and making a run in the state playoffs.