In a flash, it was all gone.
After snagging a rebound late in a trivial 2014 win over Elon, North Carolina forward Xylina McDaniel turned and prepared to take off.
But when an errant Elon defender fell on the back of McDaniel’s foot, she crumpled to the court.
“I just remember hearing her scream,” redshirt junior Hillary Summers said.
Coach Sylvia Hatchell recalls a loud pop — akin to gunfire cutting through the air — as McDaniel succumbed to a high tear in her Achilles tendon.
“That’s probably the worst injury a basketball player can have .