BUFFALO, NY - The next time you see Bulls' leading scorer Joanna Smith rise sky-high, the ball above her head, about to drop in a silky-smooth jump shot from 20 feet away, know that when she comes down, she's landing on a thigh with a steel rod inside.
It was that rod in her right leg that threatened to disrupt her college basketball plans because the injury that preceded it came at the most inopportune time: spring and summer for high school juniors aspiring to be seen by Division I coaches desperately need those tournaments and showcases to get attention early.