As class periods ended, students shuffled about campus and walked to their next class, but a few lagged behind. These students can be seen wearing braces or casts accompanied by a pair of crutches and have a few difficulties moving about. Varsity basketball player Nicole Razor is one of those students.

The junior point guard played 17 games as a freshman in 2012-2013, receiving the team’s Most Improved Player Award.

“I take pride when players are not able to score on me,” Razor said. “I like the challenge.”

Razor had her third hip surgery in August after experiencing a lingering pain during preseason. Because of it, she missed the entire season and is still working to overcome her injury. She has had two other surgeries, the first after the 2013 season and the second last June.

Watching from the sidelines has been challenging, but Razor still supports the team and attends all of their games, cheering them on from the sidelines.

“This has been my hardest year,” she said. “I think I’m still a great teammate, and, as much as I support them, I want to be out there playing and fighting with my team.”

While she supports the team from the bench, her teammates have supported her recovery. She received words of encouragement via text from some of them on the day of her most recent surgery.

“The hardest part is trying to stay positive, especially since I previously went through this injury. It was discouraging in the beginning,” Razor said. “But my teammates are always there for me, so they’ve made the process easier.”

This is Razor’s first serious injury and there is no diagnosis. All she knows is the pain came from her hip but is unsure of the cause. This uncertainty will make adjusting to the game a challenge when she returns, but she hopes to be ready for the 2015-2016 preseason.

“It’s difficult to pinpoint a certain muscle or part of the body,” Razor said. “You don’t know exactly what you did to get this way.”

Since her surgery, physical therapy has changed Razor’s schedule immensely. She meets with Laura Cobb, assistant athletic trainer, four to five times a week to help the recovery process. 

Throughout rehabilitation, Cobb has noticed Razor’s positive attitude and her determination to return to the court. 

“Nicole’s taught me a lot about the passion athletes have for sports and how much they [are willing] to go through to get back playing,” Cobb said.

Cobb said Razor’s case has been particularly demanding because it is long term and requires time to heal.

“I always tell the athletes recovering, ‘it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,’” Cobb said. “It is going to take time and hard work, but it’s worth it, as opposed to getting frustrated about injuries.”

Razor said the recovery process has been 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical.

“No matter how much you prepare your body, it all goes out the door if you don’t have the confidence and begin thinking about what could happen,” she said.

Moving around campus has also been an adjustment because her hip brace and crutches make her normal walk through campus longer.

“It’s all a little time consuming,” Razor said. “But if you want to return to the court, this is something you have to do.”