When senior Jillian Alleyne first realized after an MRI that she’d torn her ACL, things went fuzzy. She doesn’t remember much else about what was said in the room that day.
She does, however, remember addressing her teammates with the news the day after.
The room went silent.
The team’s best player went down at the worst time. The Ducks were preparing for their final games against Cal and Stanford. With an NCAA Tournament bid on the line, there was a sense of urgency. Alleyne’s injury changed the team’s complexion.
“We were so close,” Alleyne said. “I felt bad because because I couldn’t be there for my teammates.”
When the news broke Feb. 26 at 4:30 p.m., Alleyne’s phone lit up. She even had a high school friend call at 4:31 p.m.
“My phone went from zero to 100,” Alleyne said. “I’ll never forget that. I thought, ‘Wow. Word travels so fast.’”
It was too much. She put her phone away for the weekend and stayed inside. She consciously disappeared from social media, but she tuned in for Oregon’s games that weekend.
In the two weeks that followed, Alleyne experienced a variety of emotions. Mad. Angry. Sad.
“A lot of times I asked myself, ‘Why? Why now? Why this?’ But after surgery, I got better mentally,” Alleyne said. “I told myself I can’t sit here and mope. You can’t change what’s already happened. I found the positive aspects.”
She leaned on teammates, coaches and friends. At one point, the whole team visited her at her South University house. Katie Gruys and Lexi Bando visited Alleyne at the hospital the day of her surgery.
“Their support and caring words have really carried me a lot,” Alleyne said.
Then came the words from players in the Pac-12. Kelsey Plum, Jamie Weisner and several other reached out to Alleyne.
“It felt like literally everybody from every school,” Alleyne said. “For them to reach out, it meant so much. It shows how the Pac-12 is a family. We all care about each other.”
Never one to break from her signature smile, Alleyne found the positive side of a horrific injury.
“I strongly believe God does everything for a reason,” Alleyne said. “I believe there’s a reason why this happened. Even though I don’t understand it or see that reason right now. I do believe there’s a reason for this. I said I wouldn’t change it because I trust God’s plan for me. I know my future is still bright at the next level, which is such a blessing.”

After the injury, Alleyne found a new perspective of the team. She sat next to coach Kelly Graves on the bench at the Pac-12 Tournament. She watched with pride as the team excelled in the WNIT, reaching the semifinals.
Alleyne said that’s a clear example of where the program is headed.
“I think it’s a better feeling knowing all the seniors in this class left the program kind of revamping it,” Alleyne said. “We left on a good foot that I think this community and program will always remember.”
Alleyne is reminded of the community support. She’s often approached on campus with well wishes. Someone will stop her at the store to give their support.
For that, she’d like to return the favor.
“Thanks to the community, the fans, professors and staff,” Alleyne said. “Thanks for accepting me as a freshman — for making this the best four years of my life so far. I’ll never forget my experience here.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne