"It was actually really funny because between the plane ride and practicing my knee wasn't feeling too well. So the practice before, I did most of the practice, but I still didn't know whether I was going to play. Game comes, and we get in foul trouble with our post, and [coach] is like 'Amber, can you play?'" Henson said. "Surprisingly I wasn't really nervous, I was just excited."
There were times when I didn't know if it was worth all this, but my teammates and coaches have been great supporting me through all this," Henson said. "There were times when they believed in me a lot more than I believed in myself."
"It's amazing the smile that she brings every time she steps on the court," Gray said. "All the surgeries she's had to go through, all the rehab appointments day in and day out, I couldn't be more proud of her."
But nobody was laughing when Henson stepped onto the court at Haas Pavilion to play her first game since Dec. 20, 2011."It felt awesome just to have the crowd behind me," Henson said. "Even when I did the littlest thing, they were cheering super loud. They just give me so much energy, and it was exciting to finally be out there in front of our home crowd."
"She has been so courageous in all ways, and such a great example of somebody who just perseveres. And now it's time for her to play," McCallie said. "I think every opportunity she gets, she's grateful for."
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