UPDATE: Feb. 15 — Oregon head coach Kelly Graves said Trinder returned home from the hospital on Tuesday.
“She’s a warrior,” Graves said Wednesday. “It’s too bad that she’s going through what she’s going through. But she’s got her teammates around her. I know everybody knows that Dylan [Ennis] is a good friend of hers. She’s got a lot of support. I talked to her yesterday. She’s going to get through it. She’s just going to have a rough next several weeks. We really feel for her.”
Megan Trinder, who has had two ACL tears since arriving at Oregon to play basketball, received some bad news late last week in the wake of her latest ACL surgery. She was hospitalized after doctors determined she had an infection in her knee following abnormal swelling.
Trinder remains hospitalized as of Sunday afternoon, and many of her teammates and coaches visited her on Saturday, along with head coach Kelly Graves.
She will remain on antibiotics for the next two weeks and in the hospital for a few more days after tests showed “no nasty bugs,” her mom Shellie said.
Lexi Bando said Trinder was on her mind during the Ducks’ 73-50 win over USC on Sunday.
“My heart goes out to her,” Bando said. “She doesn’t have any family here, but I just saw her at the hospital yesterday and have been bringing her food and taking care of her. … My mom has been like her mom so far because her mom is in Australia.”
Shellie, who confirmed the news to the Emerald, said she’s having a hard time digesting the news. She said it’s “horrible” being so far away from her daughter through the process.
“I just got over crying from the last thing and to hear this, it was like, ‘My gosh.’ When you’re not by her side it’s quite hard,” Shellie said. “I don’t understand why kids have to go through so much in life. She’s such a great girl.”
Graves said Trinder remains upbeat and positive, despite the curveball in her recovery.
“She’s doing better. I went and saw her in the hospital yesterday and I think she’s getting better,” Graves said. “I don’t think they fully know yet (what happened). … She was in great spirits when we went there. She watched our game the other night (on television). She’s awesome.”
Shellie said she’s especially grateful for Bando’s mother, who has been checking on Trinder daily with flowers.
Trinder has torn the ACL in her left knee twice since enrolling at Oregon. She had surgery on Jan. 24 following her second ACL tear last month. She also had surgery before the 2015-16 season began. She used her redshirt as she didn’t play.
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
