Little did Mother McAuley’s Lily Costello know that, when she was laying on the court in agony, she had found her calling.
As a junior, the center/power forward tore her left ACL during the third game of the season against Lake Zurich. And then 11 months later, she was cleared to play again.
In the meantime, she mapped out her future, which includes studying physical therapy in college.
“I want to help people who were in the same situation as me,” Costello said. “The injury pushed me toward that. It gave me a passion for physical therapy.”
Costello, however, still has a passion for basketball. She’s one of five seniors who started Monday for the host Mighty Macs on senior night in a 56-25 nonconference victory over Simeon.
Coach Curtis Lewis gave the 12 girls on his roster ample playing time. Quinn Arundel, the GCAC Red’s player of the year, Emma Kenney and Nia Imala led the way with seven points apiece.
Olivia Brown opened the game with five points in the first minute to spark McAuley (19-5). Costello also picked up four points, two rebounds and two steals in the first quarter.
McAuley led 37-10 at halftime and totaled 30 rebounds and 10 steals in the first half against Simeon (7-11), which received 10 points overall from Janiyah Pillow.
The 5-foot-11 Costello, meanwhile, was welcomed back with open arms when she returned.
“My teammates pushed me and they really wanted me to be a part of the team this year,” Costello said. “It was hard at the beginning.”
Costello wants to prove herself after missing most of her sophomore season and all of the vital recruiting season in the summer. Still, she has visited Carthage.
She holds offers from Loras, Marian of Wisconsin and Oakton.
Wherever she goes, Costello wants to help give the same care to injured people as she received. She lauded Core Sport and Physical Therapy in Evergreen Park for her return.
“It’s athletic based,” Costello said of rehabbing her knee. “I worked with a basketball and they pushed me around. I worked out and they helped me get strong.”
Before the injury, she confirmed that she had no idea what she was going to study in college.
In that way, it was a blessing in disguise.
“Maybe,” Costello said. “I’m glad I’m in the spot I’m in now.”
Brown, who also had offers but decided in the fall she will give up competitive basketball to also study physical therapy, pointed out that Costello has been a great teammate.
“She brings so much joy and so much encouragement to the team,” Brown said. “Whenever you’re doing bad, she’s always the first person to pick you up.
“And she’s always willing to help you if you don’t know what you are doing.”
Last season, Costello was named one of the school’s Macs for Merit recipient for athletics.
Lewis praised Costello for putting in the hard work to get back.
“Lily was doing so well before she hurt her knee,” Lewis said. “We never got a full sense of what Lily can do. She’s so dynamic defensively. She’s a good post defender and can defend guards.
“With her on the floor, we have a ton of stability in our defensive situations.”
Costello acknowledged how hard it was to sit on the bench as a junior.
“When the injury happened, I was definitely frustrated because I knew I could help the team last year,” she said. “We struggled with height and struggled with rebounding.
“I felt bad because I wasn’t helping. That left me in a weird spot.”
But now, her situation is much better.
“As I got back into things, it feels like I never left,” Costello said.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
