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Watching the action from the sidelines is one of the hardest things an athlete has to deal with. Everyone, from the star of the team to the third string scrub, wants to play. Senior Morenike Atunrase of the Texas A&M women's basketball team is one of the stars, but she knows the feeling of watching her team and being powerless.
"It's difficult and I'm taking it day by day," she said. "The biggest thing is learning to watch from the bench and take in the game mentally and not physically. That's what I'm trying to do."
"Mo," as fans and teammates know her, came back from an October 2007 surgery to correct a nonhealing stress fracture in her right tibia. She was expected to miss most of the nonconference schedule but be back for the Big 12 season. Still, it was a tough blow for the Aggies, who lost its two-time leading scorer for the first nine games of the year.
"I was frustrated," she said. "I didn't want to get set back at all, and coming back you have to get back into shape. That's not easy. I knew surgery was the best option and I'm glad I had it."
It was a familiar spot for both parties. Atunrase missed time in 2007 with a stress fracture in her other foot. Concern about the Aggies' performance without its biggest offensive threat turned into its first Big 12 title. Teammates Takia Starks and A'Quonesia Franklin picked up the slack and Atunrase returned, finishing the year averaging 10 points a game.
"The first two years that I was here, I helped my team tremendously," she said. "And now, the other girls have to step up and learn different roles. It was a blessing in disguise."
Atunrase, the all-time leader at A&M in blocked shots, said this time was different.
"I've never had surgery," she said. "That was the main difference. I'm learning to adjust to it with my body. Learning how to eat right, be smart, get rest and everything else will fall into place."
Atunrase came back ahead of schedule, working herself back into the lineup in a victory against Auburn in December. She scored five points, missed the next game and struggled to find her shot in two more games. It was a Jan. 3 blowout of Stephen F. Austin when Atunrase came to her old form. She scored 22 points in 25 minutes, hitting 9-13 from the floor and snatching three steals.
"I think I really came back in that game," she said. "I finally felt comfortable with my shot and didn't really feel any pressure. It felt good."
The Aggies, coming off its first Big 12 title, had a rocky start to the conference schedule, losing to Kansas State at home and dropping close games to No. 6 Baylor and No. 18 Oklahoma State. The Aggies, like Atunrase, had to fight back from an unexpected setback and work hard to get back to form. But she said Head Coach Gary Blair and her teammates have not lost focus and still have faith they can get the season under control.
"The Big 12 is always tough," she said. "Ultimately, it will be better for us when the rankings and RPI's come out at the end of the year. I think we still have a shot at it. I know we have a shot at it."
This is Atunrase's final season, but she is not alone. Atunrase, Franklin and Patrice Reado are starters who will be finishing their A&M careers.
What sets the three of them apart from other seniors in the Big 12 is that they have been starters all four years.
Along with junior starters Starks and La Toya Micheaux, the five Aggie starters have been together for three years. Atunrase said this experience and familiarity can make all the difference down the stretch.
"The coaches told us at the beginning of the year, we're a veteran team," she said. "We're a junior-senior team. We've been through the wars, we have experience. We're more mentally prepared, and I think it's going to help a lot."
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