Sophie Wemyss has overcome a long battle with injuries this season and her dedication to basketball has been rewarded by being named as the latest NWBU McDonald's The Advocate Player of the Round award recipient. The Latrobe under 14 center was a promising under 12 player back in 2017 before breaking both arms and then had surgery in 2018 on a knee to fix osteochondritis disseccans (a joint disorder in which cracks form in the articular cartilage), which saw her spend 12 months off the court. Since her return, Wemyss attends all academy (run by North-West Thunder's Paul Campbell) and training sessions she can while she also referees and helps on the door. Wemyss said it has been a process to get back on the court and she has been loving the chance to play again. "It was pretty tough, my Mum is very involved in the club and my brother plays a lot, so I had to sit through a lot of games," Wemyss said. "We got the all clear on February 16 and I was pretty able to play after that. "I do as much academy and training sessions as I can, but we are being careful with not doing too much to avoid injuries." Wemyss said the team she is a part of consists of mainly bottom age players, but the season has started strongly. "We have had a couple of girls have come from Ulverstone and another from Penguin and we are a young group and we have started pretty well. "We are about fourth and we are getting better." Sign up for The Advocate's sports email newsletter here.
