Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/43408
Carolina Basketball 2011-12 LESLIE McDONALD Jim Bounds 875 rebounds • Started 129 of 133 games at Briarcrest • Averaged 20.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a senior • Averaged 21.5 points as a junior • Led Briarcrest to the state title in 2008 • Scored a single-game best 37 points as a sophomore • Won Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Tennessee in 2008 • Also earned prep Academic All-America honors • Member of the drama and art clubs • Played for Team USA in Nike Hoop Summit in Oregon • Also earned fourth-team All-America honors from Parade magazine • Played for the USA U18 National Team in the 2008 FIBA Americas Championships in Argentina. PERSONAL Born Leslie Vernard McDonald on Feb. 4, 1991, in Memphis • Son of Leslie Sr. and Wanda McDonald • Communication studies major. TarHeelBlue.com Focus: THE LONG ROAD BACK by Adam Lucas, TarHeelBlue.com Just as he expected throughout the spring and summer, Leslie McDonald's fall semester schedule finds him going from class to the Smith Center, where his Carolina teammates have regularly scheduled pickup games after strength and conditioning workouts. There's one very serious hitch in McDonald's plan, however: during those games, he's sitting on the sideline, limited to only an observer's role after undergoing knee surgery on August 3 to repair a torn meniscus and reconstruct his right ACL. "I try to knock out my rehab right after class so I can watch the guys play pickup," McDonald says. "It's fun watching your teammates play and seeing how everyone has improved since last year. At the same time, it's hard because you want to be out there, and some of the things you were doing before, you're not able to do now." McDonald's rehab has been productive. Less than four weeks after surgery, he was already walking without a brace. Still, he's many months away from transitioning from simply getting healthy to playing competitive ACC basketball. "The original timeframe for ACL repair is six months," McDonald says. "I had ACL and meniscus repair, which will take a little bit longer, like seven to eight months...The doctors say I'm doing well, but they want to take precautions because you can reinjure these things easily." Doing the math on his rehab timeframe delivers a potential return date very late in the 24 2011-12 season. Right now, less than two months after the operation, it's still much too early to speculate about any sort of role for this year's team. Of course, McDonald has considered it. It's what he thought about every single day after the loss to Kentucky, during a summer spent focusing on improving his ball-handling and shooting in an effort to make himself into a more consistent player. But a serious injury has a way of refocusing those goals. First, he'll try to get back into optimal shape. Then, he'll take a look at the calendar and see what the possibilities might be. "I have to mentally and physically be ready to put myself out there," McDonald says. "I don't want to be detrimental to the team. I want to be in tip-top shape and play at a high level...If I'm ready, I'll give it a go. If not, why not take a whole year and physically and mentally get ready?" The Memphis native was able to get some first-hand advice on the subject from Bobby Frasor this summer. The 2009 national champion also went through ACL surgery during his Carolina career, when he learned there was much more to making a comeback than simply being cleared by the doctor. Being declared fit for basketball is one thing. Trusting the knee to make high-speed cuts and jumps is another. "Bobby's words of encouragement were to take my time," McDonald says. "He told me to go at rehab hard. He knows how badly I want to play and he knows my pain right now. From seeing Bobby right now, he looks like he never had an injury. He said what he had to do was really go hard in rehab and take his time with everything." Peyton Williams Jeffrey Camarati