By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
While others might have wondered how Ava Leroux would ever play basketball again, she never doubted she could return to the court.
She wore a big smile on her face following Friday’s game, which provided another example of what amounted to a year-long battle to first remain alive and then play college basketball again.
She was in a horrific automobile accident while on break during her freshman season shortly before Christmas 2023.
“It was very, very hard and scary,” Leroux said. “I’m glad that I’m here. I’m glad that I’m alive.”
Three days in intensive care and six days total in the hospital. She underwent seven surgeries. She missed last year’s January term and the spring semester. Because of a head injury, she wasn’t cleared to play until mid-December.
“It is refreshing,” Elon coach Charlotte Smith said. “It is amazing to see where she has come from because I saw first-hand the images of the vehicle after the accident. It’s a miracle to even be here.”
After spending time with a group of high school friends, Leroux was driving Grace Howard, a track and field athlete at Coastal Carolina, home in their hometown near Pittsburgh on December 22, 2023.
“I was hit head-on by a drunk driver,” Leroux said.
During her hospital stay, Smith, assistant coach Edgar Farmer Jr. and athletics director Jenn Strawley visited, but she doesn’t remember those.
“I had a very bad brain injury. I had a brain bleed in the front part of my brain,” she said. “That was definitely the most hard thing to deal with. I’m still struggling with stuff. My memory is kind of bad, too. On and off, it’s definitely getting better and I’m going to therapy for that. Everybody around was scared. … The doctors were like, ‘She may be vegetable,’” she recalled.
[Story continues below photo.]
The brain bleed in the frontal and temporal lobes also involved brain shearing. She wears game-day protections on a knee and right shoulder. She’s suffering from shin problems.
But she’s out there, scoring 10 points twice across four recent games.
A significant step in the recovery unfolded December 19 when she appeared in a game at Long Beach State. Her first basket came as part of a three-point play when she was knocked to the court.
Teammates rejoiced after the whistle, embracing her and celebrating the moment that normally wouldn’t have come with such an outpouring of joy. Not only were there points, but she absorbed contact on the sequence.
“It was kind of scary, but I knew I was going to get up and keep playing,” she said.
More to come
It’s an ongoing process for Leroux, 19.
“With my brain injury and memorizing stuff, I’m still working through it,” she said. “It’s hard to study. It’s just hard to remember things, so I’m still working through that.”
Leroux, a 6-foot-4 center, is the daughter of former NHL player Francois Leroux. She majors in exercise science.
Prior to the accident, she played in 12 games last season, averaging nearly 15 minutes per outing. Her college debut came with 10 points at East Carolina.
That seems like a long time ago. She returned to Elon for both summer sessions. That also involved gradual steps toward playing basketball again.
For the first month-plus this season, she watched from the bench.
“I love to cheer on my teammates, she said.
She likes playing even better.
“I was very determined since the accident happened,” Leroux said. “So I knew even when I was in the hospital that I was going to work hard and return to basketball and I did.”
The comeback has been an inspiration for the Phoenix.
“The mental fortitude. She’s tough,” Smith said. “I’m just super-happy for her that she’s living in this moment right now.”
Her sister, high school junior Juliette Leroux, has a scholarship offer from Elon. Ava Leroux said she hopes they become teammates.
For now, she relishes the support received from Elon and the chance to compete.
“Basketball is such a big part of my life and it feels I’m getting back a piece of me that I lost when the accident happened,” she said. “I’m just grateful to be playing with everybody, seeing my teammates, being on the court. It feels so amazing.
“I think I’m doing pretty good so far. Still definitely have to work my way back up to the player that I was. I’m still not there yet, but I’m trying my hardest and I will get there.”
Elon overcomes Hampton
Freshman guard Jayda Angel scored nine of her 15 points in the last five minutes as the Phoenix pulled out a 59-51 victory against visiting Hampton on Friday at Schar Center in a Coastal Athletic Association game.
With Iycez Adams fouling out and team scoring leader Raven Preston on the bench with a late-game injury, Elon (8-6, 2-1 CAA) found a way for its second straight triumph and fourth win in its last five games.
“That’s what you have to do in those big moments is play with confidence,” Smith said.
Leroux and Adams both had 10 points. The Phoenix registered 10 blocked shots for the first time in almost seven years, with five of the rejections by Adams.
The Phoenix built a 12-point lead in the third quarter, though Hampton (4-10, 0-3) was even on Jasha Clinton’s three-point play with 7:16 left. The Pirates went up by four.
The game’s only 3-point basket came from Angel to tie the score at 47-47. Elon ended the game on a 10-1 run, beginning with Angel’s bucket off a drive.
Friday’s game was moved up two hours because of weather-related concerns.
The Phoenix is back in action Friday night at home vs. Stony Brook and again Sunday afternoon vs. Hofstra.
