CANDICE
PHELPS SPOTLIGHT1-10-03
Few things attract the attention of college sports fans more than first-year athletes, especially freshmen. "Diaper Dandies," as Dick Vitale calls them, can immediately change the fortunes of their teams, hold vast potential and carry with them the promise of future success. Four years ago, center Candice Phelps (Clinton, Md./Suitland) embodied the hopes and fortunes of VCU's women's basketball team. She was exactly what coach David Glass' squad needed: a strong, physical post player with the athleticism to succeed in the Rams' motion offense.
Early in her freshman season, Phelps emerged as a starter and during a five-game stretch in the beginning of the Rams' CAA schedule, Phelps averaged almost 10 points and seven rebounds to help her team to a 3-2 start in the conference. In the next game, at home against George Mason, Phelps was in the midst of her best performance of the season, making all five of her field goal attempts in 19 minutes, when she came down hard on her left knee. Phelps' and her teammates' fears were later confirmed: she had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee and would miss the remainder of the season.
Although Phelps was cleared to return to the court before the start of the 2000-01 season, it was apparent that the injury would still hamper her play. Pain in her knee limited her in workouts and reduced her playing time, which dropped from over 20 minutes per game to around 11 minutes for both her sophomore and junior seasons. She showed glimpses of the pre-injury Candice, with 13 points and eight rebounds against Old Dominion in her second season and 12 points and six rebounds at William & Mary in her third. But in all areas, Phelps' game dropped off considerably after the injury. Until now.
Now in her senior season, Phelps seems to be picking up where she left off nearly three years after that almost-perfect game against George Mason in the Siegel Center. Through 10 games, Phelps' averages are identical to the numbers she posted in 19 games as a freshman: 7.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 20.8 minutes per game, the latter figure being the most significant. And for a four-game stretch where she averaged 12.5 points and 7.0 boards, Phelps showed that maybe she could be closer to reaching her potential than at any time in her career.
"When I was a freshman, I just tried to be aggressive, put my head down and make lay-ups," she said. "Now, I still try to be aggressive but I'm a lot smarter. I don't just go out there and throw all my energy out the window."
But the key here is that Phelps is playing, no small feat after suffering through a serious injury and the arduous rehab that comes with it. Although she's thrilled to be contributing, Phelps is motivated by the responsibility she feels when given more playing time.
"[Increased playing time] puts a lot of pressure on you," she said. "There's a certain standard expected of you when the coach puts you on the court. No matter how I bad I feel I need to contribute a certain amount to justify the minutes I play. I don't want to be a waste of space when others are capable of playing, too."
It would be a nice ending to the story to say the Phelps is playing more and putting up good numbers because she is pain-free, but that isn't true. The left knee still bothers her, and she also has a bone contusion on her right femur (thigh bone). "Playing is very hard on my body," she said. "I need a lot more rest than I'm able to get, with practices and games all week."
But this is her senior season, the culmination of years of hard work and dedication, and Phelps is determined to make the most of it. "It's my last year and I want to go out on a positive note," she said. "Also, as one of the seniors, it's expected that I'm a leader on the team. I feel I need to give my best to show the young players that they need to come out and give all that they have on that given day.
"My teammates have been really supportive and understanding. Most of them have some injuries that have been around awhile, and they'll say, 'If I didn't have this injury, I could do so much better,' which is something I've said a lot. We try to pick each other up by saying things like, 'It hurts today, but it'll be better tomorrow' and that type of thing."
The adversity she's faced while at VCU has helped her change as a person and prepare her for life after basketball. "I'm way more mature now than when I came to VCU," Phelps said. "I was soft-spoken and quiet back then, but I've learned how to speak up and be strong. When things don't go my way, I've learned to take the initiative and take action now.
"My knee took longer to heal than the usual ACL and it forced me to be patient. I've carried that attitude over to school, where I take it semester by semester. I figure if I don't do well this semester, I'll do better the next semester."
Phelps has been taking classes as both a nursing major and a pre-medicine major, and will earn her nursing degree after one more year. Then she plans on attending medical school and becoming either a pediatrician or an orthopedic doctor. Regardless of whether Phelps reaches the potential that was predicted for her during a successful but abbreviated freshman season, the determination, perseverance and patience she has displayed in the past three years will go a long way toward helping her reach her potential off the court.
"I know now to do the best Candice can do, and not what someone else tells me they think I can do," said Phelps.