Isabelle Harrison stood hunched over in the entrance of The Athlete’s Foot at Gurnee Mills Mall, beaming as she signed a basketball for two young fans.
Harrison’s 6-3 frame was nearly double that of her new admirers, a set of 5- and 6-year-old sisters. Before formally being introduced, the two young girls circled throughout the store. Each time they passed Harrison, they paused as if they wanted to say hello but were searching for the courage.
Finally, it was Harrison who made the introduction.
“Hello there,” Harrison said. “That’s your sister?”
Watching as the pair ran throughout the store, yelling back and forth to each other, Harrison was reminded of her own sister, Diane, and how she has helped her navigate the unexpected challenge of facing a potential season-ending injury during her first preseason with a new team.
“After I had surgery, I stayed at my sister’s house because I couldn’t walk,” Harrison said. “I couldn’t do anything and she was there, being my big sister.”
Friday marks 11 weeks since Harrison had surgery to repair a tear in her left meniscus, which the Sky’s new forward said came out of left field.
She explained there was no moment that she can look back on as having caused the injury, and she wasn’t experiencing any nagging pain. After a routine evaluation to check out slight swelling following one of the Sky’s preseason games, Harrison was shocked when she got a call explaining she would need surgery.
“It was just a regular day for me,” Harrison said. “I knew the next day I was going to be in practice. I had treatment scheduled and then it was like, ‘You have to have surgery.’ ”
Harrison is still trying to make sense of the forced redirection after being ready to begin a new career chapter in Chicago.
Protecting her mental health has been a vital part of her road to recovery. Sometimes that meant opting to watch cartoons with her nephew or a high school rom-com with her nieces instead of a basketball game.
A week ago, Harrison joined her team on the bench for her first regular-season game with the Sky and was reminded on why she opted to sign with them as an unrestricted free agent.
“I’m never sitting on the bench to get the vibes or the atmosphere,” Harrison said. “I’m always sitting there ready to do my job. So, I finally was able to sit down and see the atmosphere of Chicago that I always loved when I came up here with previous teams.”
Most notable to Harrison was the loyalty and personal approach she has seen Sky fans exemplify. Those characteristics are what have helped Harrison maintain a connection to the game while she rehabs.
“I’ll have Sky fans message me asking how my day is going,” Harrison said. “That’s special because a lot of people don’t really care to check in, and it’s like, we’re humans, too. We go through [stuff].”
Harrison’s rehab is progressing, with strength work being her primary focus at the moment. She was back working with staff over the last week and moving forward will be splitting time between Dallas, where she had her surgery, and Chicago.
Interim coach/general manager Emre Vatansever has said that while Harrison and Rebekah Garnder are both progressing, his expectation is that neither will return this season. Harrison, though, isn’t ready to rule herself out just yet.
“With this injury, I’m pushing,” Harrison said. “I’ve never pushed an injury before because I’ve always had the time off to not push it. With it still being the season, my hope is I would love to get back as soon as I can. If I can’t make it [back before the end of the season] well, then that doesn’t surprise anyone. But I’m very focused and dedicated.”
