Nov. 3, 2004
By Keith Kawamura, SDSU Media Relations
With an impressive collegiate athletic resume, it is safe to say that the Aztecs' lone senior, Lindsey Casey, has experienced just about everything most athletes dream and dread about.
Prior to Casey's arrival at San Diego State, she spent her freshman year with the University of Oklahoma Sooners (32-3), appearing in 11 games and advancing to the 2002 NCAA title game.
Casey said that it was at Oklahoma where she played the most memorable game of her collegiate career, thus far, during the national semifinals against Duke.
"I got in during the last two minutes of the game and we had a lead against Duke. There were 40,000 people in the stands," Casey said. "I can still picture it."
After her run with the Sooners to the Final Four, Casey transferred to Midland College for her sophomore year. During the season, Casey tore her ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] in her right knee, while attempting to stay inbounds after a rebound.
"When that happened, I knew I had hurt my knee, but I didn't know to what extent," Casey said. "I was more concerned with getting back in the game than worrying about the injury itself."
The injury was a case of deja' vu for Casey, who tore her left ACL jumping out of bounds to save another ball as a junior in high school. After surgery and five months of rehab, she was able to play during her senior year in high school and into her freshman year with the championship-bound Sooners.
Back in a similar situation again, Casey played through the second injury to take another trip to a national championship, this time leading Midland to a third-place finish in the national junior college tournament and a 31-6 overall record.
Throughout the many ups and downs in her athletic career, Casey said that she always found the motivation and the inspiration to play in one simple phrase - play for an audience of one.
"Getting my motivation from God, knowing that he's given us great talents to go out there and do something that other people can't do, is my number one motivation."
Casey's other motivation also comes from her family, whose athletic blood lines run deep. Her father and brothers all played or play NCAA Division I college football, while her mother is an athletic trainer.
"I talk with my brothers all the time about how practices are going and to push each other when we need the encouragement. They give me a lot of motivation to get out there and play," Casey said.
With a young Aztec women's basketball team in search of leadership, Casey's experience through championships, injury and heredity will no doubt be an invaluable part of the team's success this season.