Cavaliers’ Kellum bides her time

It was a pop that Paulisha Kellum had heard previously on two occasions.

Given that history, Virginia’s point guard in waiting had an inkling of what the upcoming year would entail: surgery and yet another grueling rehab stint.

The worst fears were realized after an MRI in late October revealed that Kellum had torn her anterior cruciate ligament for the third time.

“When you feel a pop, it is pretty much an ACL,” Kellum said. “I was actually sliding and playing defense and I guess the floor had a lot of grip on it, and when I slid to cut my girl off, my knee just kept going.

“I just fell to the ground and that was it.”

During the bus ride that followed a scrimmage at George Washington, Kellum pondered the future and teammates prayed for the best possible scenario.

“I was just kind of being optimistic about the situation, hoping that it wasn’t my ACL and that I was going to come back,” Kellum recounted. “I also hoped it was maybe my meniscus and I would be back in a few weeks or so.

“We ended up getting the bad news and I have to go through it, but now I just have to bounce back and be strong next year.”

Kellum, who will have two years of eligibility remaining upon her return, sees the silver lining from the grim situation compounded by 17th-ranked Virginia’s resurgence on the court during her absence. Entering Thursday’s showdown with No. 4 Duke at John Paul Jones Arena, the Cavaliers are 18-4 overall and 4-2 in the ACC.

“I guess I am pretty lucky to have had it before the season started because now I get to redshirt and have an extra year,” Kellum said. “I guess it has a good and bad side to it.

“Having done it before does help, because I know what to expect [from rehab]. I know the timeframe and I know my body. I know what I need to do to get my body ready and be back for next year.”

The surgery itself was unique.

“This time, instead of using my patella tendon, they used a cadaver,” Kellum said. “The doctor said it works just as well, so I just trusted in my doctor.”

Kellum, who averaged 9.0 points and 2.7 assists per game last year, was intent on making sure the lost season was not just that. She has worked feverishly with senior point guard Britnee Millner, a newcomer to the position, and rookie Ariana Moorer to perfect small facets of their respective games.

“Paulisha helps me all the time because during the game she will pull me off to the side and just tell me to calm down and try to run this play,” Millner said. “She is kind of like a second set of eyes and she kind of points me in the right direction.

“I am still a maturing point guard myself since this is really my first year running point.”

Kellum said her role has earned her a new nickname.

“They call me ‘Coach Kellum’ while I am sitting on the bench,” she joked. “You see the court differently and you get different angles. You see the perspective of the coach and what they have to say.

“You kind of understand it because when you are in the game, you don’t see everything. It is a different perspective.”

Virginia coach Debbie Ryan was complimentary of Kellum’s work on the sidelines and sees the importance of how the time on the sidelines can impact the final two seasons of the guard’s career.

“She is an analytical kid so she is out there really trying to get the players involved more, and she will help the point guards with exactly what we want,” Ryan said. “She always knows what we want so she will sit there and help and actually say things to me sometimes like, ‘Do you think we could run this or do you think we could run that?’

“I have to tell her why we are not or why we are going to. But she is constantly helping the kids with how to run the offense or how to go get the ball. It really does help to have someone like that on the bench and helping the players. She can see the game differently and she can realize that all the things that have been said start to sink in.”

Kellum remains unsure where she will fit into the future plans of the program with the nation’s top-rated point guard, China Crosby, and Moorer in the mix next season. The previous time at multiple backcourt positions and her ability to lead the Cavaliers in scoring last year in two games, however, showcased her versatility.

“I can play any position just about from [point guard] to [small forward]. Wherever they want me or wherever I fit best for the team is what I am going to do,” Kellum said. “If they need me at the point guard, I am going to play the point guard. I can play the other positions, as well.

“I just want to help as much as I can.”