Hillary Dunn continues to play through broken bone in right foot

What is often overlooked by spectators, but never underestimated by teammates, is senior captain Hillary Dunn's leadership. The lone captain has been playing with a broken bone in her right foot since mid-November. And even with a broken bone, coach Carla Berube stresses that Dunn is an integral component of the team.

"I need her to run my offense," coach Carla Berube said. "She's consistent and steady on the court."

Although Dunn admits the injury is very painful, she refuses to let it sideline her from league competition. In many ways her perseverance inspires the team to play better and reminds them of her importance to the team's success.

"She's the only senior and is playing through a lot of pain," junior Marista Christoudias said. "Her foot is really messed up and that shows how important this is for her. It is good to have her on the court. She has the most experience. She is the point guard so she is the leader in many ways."

Dunn has been preparing for NESCAC competition by sitting out during the last couple minutes of blow out victories such as against Johnson & Wales, and in last Monday's 35-point victory against the University of New England.

"She's been cleared to play," Berube said. "I'm sure it's sore for her daily and we are keeping an eye on that. When it's sore we will rest her."

Dunn's importance as a point guard is comparable to her importance as the only senior, and the experience that comes with three years of NESCAC basketball.

"She knows how tough the competition is and how fierce the defense is," Berube said. "That's why I want her out there."

With nine games played this season, Dunn only has 14 more games left in her career. While an injury is tough to battle through, this is her last season to don a Jumbo uniform.

"If this were not my senior year, I would be more inclined to take time off and let it heal," Dunn said. "But I only have a few months left of college basketball so it is not a choice in my mind. I have to play through it."

Since it is certain her foot will not heal during the season, Dunn must bare the pain until her career is over.

"We need to keep her healthy for the next couple of months and then her career is over," Berube said. "Hopefully it won't be a huge part of our season. Hopefully she will be healthy enough to play for the next couple of months."

While Berube has never coached in a NESCAC game, she imagines that the desire and hunger to win is greater than in non-conference match-ups. The competitive nature of NESCAC games can be much tougher on injuries such as Dunn's broken bone in her foot. In the event that the pain becomes unmanageable at any point during a game, Berube is certain that freshman point guard Julia Verplank can run the offense.

"I'm sure NESCAC games will be very competitive; we will see what the games are like," Berube said. "If I get a chance I will pull her out. We have a freshman back up in Julia Verplank who is very capable and plays a lot of minutes now. (Verplank) is getting a lot of experience and I am very confident in both of them."

Dunn also realizes that she cannot play all the time, so she also relies on Verplank to lead the team while she is on the bench.

"I have all the faith in world in Julia and the rest of the team does too," Dunn said. "I want to be on the court at all times, but I know that can't happen. Julia can definitely do the job well too."

There is not much that anything outside of rest can do to heal Dunn's foot, but she does take some precautions to decrease some of the pain. This includes wearing a carbon shoe insert, even though it hinders her play because it forces her to run flat-footed. She also practices lightly the day before games and ices her injured foot as much as possible.

While it sounds like a major injury, Dunn has been playing through it and Berube is confident that she can continue to play.

"It sounds like a huge deal that she has a broken bone," Berube said. "But she's playing some substantial minutes (in games) and practicing everyday, so I think she will be fine."