MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Almost on a daily basis over the past year, Rochelle Norris said she battled herself to keep her thoughts on the bigger picture.
“I just kept telling myself that I’ll get there soon. Nothing lasts forever and I’ll be OK,” the 6-foot-5 West Virginia center said. “I just wanted to get to the first practice and I finally made it.”
A year ago, WVU head coach Mike Carey had expectations of teaming Norris up with then-fellow freshman Kari Niblack down low to help bolster a Mountaineers’ roster that had a strong rotation of guards.
That was until Norris tore her ACL while running a simple defensive drill during preseason workouts.
“I went to turn and there wasn’t even anyone there,” Norris said. “My knee just twisted and I fell.”
Niblack went on to become the Big 12’s Sixth Man Award winner after averaging 9.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
The only game Norris played was the waiting game.
“It was tough,” said Norris, who was ranked the No. 70 overall recruit in the 2018 recruiting class by ESPN out of New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, Md.). “There were so many nights when I was so sad and upset. I really had to pull myself together. I kept telling myself that things happen for a reason. The whole rehab process, it was basically learning how to walk again. It was crazy.”
She was recently cleared for contact and has been practicing with the Mountaineers during their first week, but Carey is hesitant to let Norris go all-out.
“They let her start going through contact just the other day, but I’m still a little leery,” Carey said. “We don’t need her to play right now. She’s probably not getting as many reps as she needs right now and it’s because of me. I’m just not willing to put her out there in that situation a lot right now. She needs to build confidence and I need to build confidence that her knee is going to be OK.”
A healthy Norris once again opens up those same expectations with Niblack, except they come with a twist.
A year ago, the Mountaineers were limited in post players. That’s not the case a season later, as Carey also brought in 6-foot-3 center Jada Wright and 6-foot-5 center Blessing Ejiofor through recruiting.
“I like our length and I like our rebounding ability,” Carey said. “Last year, we had to play Kari at the five. This year, we can play two 6-foot-5 girls at the five and move Kari to the four.”
“We definitely have height,” Norris added.
Where Norris fits in is still a work in progress.
“I’m definitely stronger than I was last year,” Norris said. “I’ve been in the weight room and working on my footwork. I’m hoping to bring a lot of energy and be an all-around post player.”
In her mind Norris likes to think her added strength will make her a better player, but also one that has still yet to play her first college game.
“I feel like it’s a whole new ball game,” Norris said. “I feel like I’ve improved, but I’m also a newbie. I just have to find where I fit in.”
TWEET @bigjax3211
