Haley Steed came to BYU as a Freshman in 2006. Her dream? To play women’s basketball. A torn ACL and two medical redshirt years later, and she’s still here.
When the NCAA approved her for two more seasons of play, Cougar point guard, Haley Steed, couldn’t believe it.
“All of it was kind of a surprise to me,” Steed says, “Obviously, a pleasant surprise, but I’m really lucky to be here.”
When she graduated in 2011, Haley thought she was off the court for good, but at age 24 she’s still here with a final year of eligibility and an arsenal of experience.
'I know we have other great point guards but Haley has something different,' fellow Cougar guard, Kim Parker Beeston, says, 'She’s been here longer than all of our assistant coaches, so she is like another coach out on the court.'
Age has its advantages. “Seven years of learning is much better than four years,” Steed says.
Steed believes that she is a much smarter player than she was when she started, even though her injury has made her less aggressive.
“You know, I just didn’t understand being injured, and after going through what I did for three years, obviously I have so much more sympathy and respect for people who get injured and battle back,” Steed says.
Now that the medical battle is over, Head Coach Jeff Judkins is looking to Haley to lead the rest of the Cougars to victory.
“I’m excited. I didn’t want her to go through all these surgeries, but we’ve benefitted from it also. It should be a great year,” Judkins says.