Jul 14, 2015 5 min read

Kylie Huffman isn’t one to count the hours she spends in the gym or complain about a workout routine that consumes her summer vacation. The California High School junior does not need to look far for motivation.

Every step on the basketball court was a struggle last winter. A 6-2 forward, she could rarely use her size in the lane and the most basic movement became strenuous after doctors reconstructed the medial patellofemoral ligament in her left leg, a surgery made necessary because of a genetic abnormality in her patella tendon.

Discomfort prevented her from establishing an inside presence or playing physical. Huffman’s offense was usually contained to the perimeter.

Despite the limitations, Huffman helped California become one of the WPIAL’s best Class A teams.

California won its second consecutive section title, reached the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals and the second round of the PIAA playoffs – winning the program’s first state playoff game. Though she missed eight games, Huffman averaged 11 points and five rebounds per game as the Trojans won 25 games.

If doctors had their wish, Huffman would not have played one minute as a sophomore.

Less than 12 months after undergoing reconstruction to her MPFL, she went through the procedure on her right leg.

While other basketball players are participating in high school summer leagues or playing in travel tournaments, Huffman is strengthening her leg and preparing for her junior season.

“It’s been tough and definitely discouraging,” Huffman said. “I’ve missed so much basketball. I feel so far behind.”

When she was 10 years old, Huffman dislocated her knee while dancing competitively. Doctors did not think much of the injury until it happened again while she was playing basketball. Tests showed an abnormality in her patella tendon which caused her knee to dislocate. She started physical therapy, but surgery was not recommended until Huffman hit a growth spurt

At the conclusion of her freshman when she was selected to the Observer-Reporter first-team all-district by averaging 15.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game, doctors reconstructed the tendon using the ACL of a cadaver.

“It’s scary. Someone else’s body parts are going in your’s, but I’m thankful they did it,” Huffman said. “It kept me healthy. The surgery was scary. There were a lot of tears beforehand. The scariest part was being put to sleep. I didn’t know if I was going to wake up.”

Building strength in her left leg was a slow, agonizing process. As the basketball season approached, Huffman was still having issues with mobility. A few practices after being cleared, she dislocated her right knee cap.

Doctors recommended she sit out the season. With the Trojans the favorite to repeat as section champions and a contender for a WPIAL title, Huffman decided to play.

She missed eight games, but was a key component of California’s 22-game winning streak.

“Running up and down the court was a constant struggle,” Huffman said. “It wasn’t unbearable pain, but it was always there. I found myself being tentative as far as going inside and getting rebounds, but working on the outside helped me with my shot.”

Weeks after her sophomore season ended, Huffman had surgery again. Now, she spends nearly four hours a day at physical therapy rehabbing her knee, including time at California University’s Strength and Conditioning camp, and working in open gym sessions at the high school. Workouts range from leg presses to backward bear crawls up a flight of stairs.

“In order to get to where I want to go and play basketball in college, that’s what I have to do,” Huffman said. “I’m not bothered by it. I want to come back as strong as I can and hopefully be at the same, if not a better place, than before I got hurt.”

Ray Huffman, Kylie’s father and an assistant coach for the Trojans, has been impressed with his daughter’s perseverance during another summer of rehab. But he’s not surprised. Kylie has been working out daily for years with her brother, Tanner, a former standout basketball player at California. They are finding a silver lining through another tedious process.

“There are things that happen for mysterious reasons,” Ray Huffman said. “The lesson behind it is this is an opportunity for her to get extremely strong over a course of time. She spent so much time in the weight room. She was a tall, lanky young lady and now she’s turning strong and fit.”

Huffman has gotten some Division I interest, but college scholarships are the least of her worries. California lost five seniors from last season, but it is projected to return its two starting guards and a hunger to advance further in the WPIAL playoffs.

“I just want to get back on the court with my teammates and judging by the last two years we’ve had, I’m hoping we can go even further,” Huffman said. “I’ll just be happy to be playing basketball again.”