The tattoo on the inside of Washington Township senior Addie Graf’s left forearm is a reminder.
The 5-foot-6 guard said she was “really down” after tearing the medial patellofemoral ligament in her left knee a little more than a year ago, an injury that required surgery and ended her junior season.
Graf’s tattoo includes a compass, an anchor and a reference to Jeremiah 29:11.
“God’s plan is to prosper you and not to harm you,” she said.
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Indeed, Graf is no longer down. She has returned to form and is a veteran presence for the Senators (15-5), a youthful team with lofty aspirations.
Graf still wears a brace on her knee. But after what she called “a long ride,” she declared herself 100% healthy.
“I’ve been doing well to distribute the ball,” she said. “I know who I am coming off the injury and not being scared to come back and play. I don’t have the fear of reinjuring it. I feel like I’ve been able to be the leader on the team and help communicate what we need to do and how to calm us down when the game is getting close.”
Graf was averaging 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 steals entering Washington Township’s Porter County Conference Tournament semifinal against South Central on Friday.
She has been remarkably productive and consistent since starting as a sophomore, when she posted 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.8 steals. Before the injury, she averaged 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.1 steals last season.
As a freshman, Graf was the leading scorer for Lake Central’s junior varsity team, having moved to that district, where she knew family friends, after her mother got a job in Munster.
She transferred back to Washington Township as a sophomore after her mother took a job in Valparaiso. She had attended school there from kindergarten through third grade before going to Morgan Township schools from fourth to eighth grade.
“I’ve transferred so many times,” Graf said with a laugh. “But I have a lot of ties here. My brother graduated from here. I grew up with all these guys.”
Josie Whitcomb, a guard who is the only other senior on a roster that includes just one junior and features sophomore standouts Clair Klinger and Gracie Little, knows Graf’s importance.
“She has a lot of leadership, which is very helpful,” Whitcomb said. “Being the other senior, the other captain, it’s a lot easier to share the leadership role instead of taking it all on my own, especially with as young of a team as we are. We wouldn’t be doing as well as we are without her. I’m very happy she’s back. We definitely missed her.”
Graf said her kneecap actually had been “popping in and out” occasionally in eighth grade but always had been manageable and wasn’t a major issue. Doctors were unclear whether it was something she was born with or she had suffered an earlier injury.
But there was no doubt when Graf’s knee absorbed a blow while she was competing for a rebound against Morgan Township. The joint swelled to “the size of a balloon,” she said.
Graf was sidelined for almost eight months, missing summer workouts before returning in August. She previously had played soccer but didn’t this fall as she continued her recovery and focused on preparing for the basketball season.
The dynamic of last season changed for Washington Township after she got hurt. The Senators were 13-2 before going 4-4 in her absence to finish 17-6. They lost in the first round of the PCC Tournament in overtime to Morgan Township and lost in a sectional final to Kouts.
“It was just taking a big piece out of that puzzle,” second-year Washington Township coach Doug Godbolt said. “She’s a tremendous asset to what we do. I wish she wasn’t graduating. I’m going to miss her.
“She’s a leader. She’s really enjoyable to be around. Like I said, I wish I had Addie on the team for one more year.”
While the future appears bright for the Senators, who returned virtually intact from last season, they’re also hoping to put together a special run with Graf back in the mix. They last won a sectional title in 2003, when they reached a semistate.
“We have a good group here,” Graf said. “It’s amazing. We have a lot of heart. We have a lot of chemistry. We share the ball well, and we can shoot the ball really well. As long as we play defense the way we can, we can make it far.”