Staying positive

Eva Oriakhi was coming into her own on the basketball court for the Corvallis High girls basketball team early this season.

Oriakhi, a senior, had just stepped into a starting position a few games before and was becoming a solid offensive threat as well as a strong defender in the post.

Then it happened.

Oriakhi was going after a lose ball when she got tangled up on the baseline. She remained on the floor and had to helped off the court at South Albany High.

Little did Oriakhi know at the time, it would be final time she would be able to play in her CHS career.

"I remember as it was happening I remember thinking it probably wasn't going to be good," Oriakhi said. "But then I was sort of able to walk off the court and it didn't really hurt that much and I remember thinking, 'Oh well, maybe it's not really that bad.' I'll be back soon."

But she didn't return and the Spartans had to adjust to her absence. Oriakhi continued to come to practice and worked on rehabbing the knee. She went in for an MRI and received the bad news on the same day the Spartans were set to play crosstown rival Crescent Valley,

Oriakhi was disappointed she still wasn't able to play in the big game, her final chance to play the Raiders. But not as disappointed as she was after receiving a phone call from her mom that day.

The news wasn't good. It was far worse than a meniscus tear as she had hoped it would be. No, it was a complete tear of her anterior cruciate ligament.

At first Oriakhi didn't realize the magnitude. Then it hot her.

"Are you sure? My ACL?," She asked.

"Yes I wrote everything down," he mom responded.

Oriakhi got off the phone and people in the office were wondering what was wrong.

"I just lost it and called (coach Joe Williamson) and he came and tried to encourage me and my dad came and tried to encourage me," Oriakhi said. "But it's my ACL. I cant play the rest of the season, I can't do track. It's my senior year and not like I can come back next year."

What made the news more difficult is Oriakhi wasn't expecting something so serious and had visions of getting back on the floor to help her teammates in their quest for a Mid-Willamette Conference title and a trip to the Chiles Center.

"I think just the fact that I had already had it in my mind that OK its a meniscus tear made the shock of learning it was an ACL tear more painful," she said.

Oriakhi has continued to rehab each day after school and attends all of the practices, encouraging her teammates whenever she can. It's been difficult not playing, but she wasn't about to abandon her teammates.

"Just the fact that it's my team," Oriakhi said of why she has stuck around. "The fact I'm not able to play anymore doesn't change that they're still my team and that I'm part of a team. I just feel like it's the right thing to do.

"I've noticed that they have really stepped up and sort of filled in maybe where I would've been. I just want to be a part of that."