Canada guard Shona Thorburn rehabs in time for Pan Ams, ready for Olympic ... - Edmonton Sun
First she used a friendly rim to beat the first quarter buzzer from 23 feet. By the end of the Canada’s Pan Am Games-opening victory over Venezuela, Shona Thorburn had scored 14 points, and answered one of the biggest questions facing the women’s national basketball team this summer. Any lingering doubt was erased as Thorburn went on to play five games in five nights, helping Canada earn gold in Toronto. It was the first action this summer for the Hamilton native, who watched the national team’s first training camp from the sidelines on a stationary bike after suffering a high-ankle ligament tear at the end of the March. “Typically it’s four to six months (recovery), but Pan Ams were 3½ months since the injury happened so it was emotional to be able to play,” said Thorburn, who turns 33 on Friday. It’s funny, because people don’t realize, when you’re injured you actually put in a lot more time than when you’re healthy and you’re going to practice every day. The top two teams in each of two groups advance to the final round, where the champion will punch its ticket to the 2016 Rio Games. Thorburn is ready to go, proving her fitness by playing at least 15 minutes in three of Canada’s five Pan Am contests, including the semifinal, where she picked apart Cuba’s defence to the tune of eight assists and just two turnovers. Source: www.edmontonsun.com
