NEW PORT RICHEY - Ridgewood senior point guard Crystal Ayers had successful arthroscopic knee surgery on March 4, according to her father, Goldie Ayers.
"The doctor did a great job," Goldie Ayers said. "She's going to fully recover."
The three-time Sunshine Athletic Conference player of the year and Ridgewood's all-time scorer tore her right meniscus in a Jan. 28 game, ending the 5-foot-6 senior's season.
She was off crutches days after the injury. But now she's back on them while she recovers from arthroscopic surgery to repair the meniscus.
"I'll recover (fully)," Ayers said. "Right now I can't put any pressure on it because my meniscus was torn pretty bad and I'll be on crutches for another five weeks.
"Then in mid May, they said I'll be able to start shooting around then."
The extent of the injury was unknown until Dr. M. Christopher MaClaren of Coastal Sports and Orthopedic in New Port Richey performed the operation.
"He said when he went in, he'd never seen a meniscus like that," Ayers said.
She has already started rehabilitating at Sports and Orthopedic Rehabilitation Services Inc.
Ayers, who has committed to San Jose State, said she'll be glad to be back on the court. But the injury kept her from enjoying her last prep season.
Now the disappointed Ayers can add two all-star games to the list of games lost to an injury-shortened senior year.
The surgery will keep her from playing in Saturday's Florida Athletic Coaches Association's North-South All-Star game at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach and the March 27 Source Senior Showcase Top 24 All-Star game at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
The Source Senior Showcase is by invitation, while the FACA game is by coaches' vote. Ayers, voted the District 18 MVP and Class 4A player of the year, could not participate because of the injury. Pasco senior point guard and fellow four-year starter Alicia Badger, the district's 3A player of the year, will play in the FACA game instead.
Ayers wishes it could be her.
"It makes me upset, it really does. I hate it," she said. "My dad told me I couldn't (play in them.) My doctor told me I couldn't. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Yes, I have college left and that's very important.
"But there's only one time you can play in an all-star game."
Ayers will still head to Orlando for the Senior Showcase festivities, which includes tickets to the March 26 Indiana Pacers-Orlando Magic NBA game at the TD Waterhouse Centre.
