By Ben Eskin
January 6, 2024, was an average Commonwealth Coast Conference gameday. The Western New England Golden Bears women’s basketball team was set to head to Milton, Massachusetts, to face off against the Colonels from Curry College. For graduate student Lindsey Carey, it was a normal day. Matching up with a historically weak opponent, there was almost no doubt in her mind that her team was going to come out on top. Of course, road games were never as enjoyable as the home ones, but for the 6’0” forward, keeping her routine the same was critical. “I always had small rituals I did pregame,” Carey said, “putting my uniform on in the same order, hitting the top of the gym door as I walked through it onto the court; it was nothing crazy.”
The Greenfield, New Hampshire native was playing the best basketball of her career. Coming off the bench averaging a career-best of 10 points per game, her confidence was at an all-time high. “I was letting things come naturally to me, my mindset was positive, I didn’t want anything to change,” she remarked. Little did she know her entire world was about to change, and not in the way anyone would want.
It didn’t get the media recognition that JuJu Watkins’ torn ACL in the NCAA Tournament did, but it was an injury that was just as devastating. Just over four minutes into her time on the court, Carey took an awkward fall and almost immediately knew something was wrong. “I was in shock,” Carey explained, “everything just stopped, and I didn’t know what happened.” Her ACL, MCL, and meniscus were all torn. A long road of recovery was ahead, and her basketball career was over.
Growing up with her dad, Steve, coaching her team, basketball was one of the many sports that Carey competed in. Basketball had a competitive atmosphere, a fast pace, and everything she was looking for. Carey has played basketball for as long as she can remember, but it wasn’t until 8th grade that she noticed herself pulling away from the rest of the class. “I started to compete with myself, not so much with others. I wanted to be as good as possible because I enjoyed playing so much. I worked out almost every day and set myself a goal to make the varsity team as a freshman in high school,” she explained. She accomplished that goal and described basketball at that point as feeling like an addiction, not the kind you want to break, but the kind you can’t get enough of. “I wanted to see how much I could improve my skills and push myself; I’ve had that yearning for self-improvement ever since,” Carey said.
She wore number 30 for all of her basketball career because of Steph Curry, one of her biggest role models. Carey modeled parts of her game after one of the best point guards in the history of the NBA. “In middle school, I couldn’t shoot three-pointers, but watching Steph inspired me to learn the skill,” she commented. Being the oldest sibling and lacking familiarity with college athletes, Carey was more inspired by professional athletes. Sabrina Ionescu, the star point guard on the New York Liberty who played collegiately at Oregon, was and still is someone Carey often looks up to. She cites her dominance in the women’s game and positive mindset as reasons why Ionescu inspires her.
Who knew the rewind button on a TV remote could hold so much power? But for the Western New England graduate, it did. Carey remembers that in middle and high school, she would watch NBA games and rewind to watch footwork or moves she wanted to copy. “A number of the skills I have learned have come from replaying Kevin Durant’s rise-up jump shot or Kristaps Porzingis’ turnaround jumper,” she said.
While January 6, 2024, was a day she will never forget, it was not the first time that Carey battled adversity within the sport she loved forever. Of course, basketball is a physically challenging sport, as you need to mix strength and physicality with precision and endurance, but the mental side is just as critical. Throughout her career, she was played out of position while being doubted by coaches and teammates. “I used to let these factors dictate how I played,” she remarked, “when you get into a mental slump, it is so easy to spiral further, and it can become very challenging to dig yourself out of it.” Through this, Carey learned how important taking accountability was. She had to train her brain to remember that she was the only one who could change how she played. “I put in countless hours of work and always gave 100% effort. I saw how these things set myself up for success, and it became easier for me to tune out the outside noise.”
Making an impact on her teammates was something that Carey valued just as much as any team victory or individual accomplishment. She relived a moment on senior day when the underclassmen on the team wrote a note to each of the seniors. One of her teammates wrote her a note saying, “Thank you for always pushing me to work harder. Thank you for always reminding me that it is okay if I make a mistake.” It was a simple message but one that hit home for Carey. “It was something I had always struggled with,” she explained, “I was always so hard on myself when I made a mistake. I tried to work on being constructive with myself.” This point was something Carey truly believed in for her personal success, but also something she tried to instill in the underclassmen during her time within the program. “Hearing this was extremely rewarding. I am glad I could make a positive impact on someone like that,” she said.
While this was a message that she passed down to her teammates, there were numerous life lessons that Carey believes basketball taught her. The first couple that came to mind were time management and discipline. Being a Civil Engineering major, there was little time to learn to balance schoolwork and basketball. She remembers reminding herself there was no time to procrastinate; she simply couldn’t afford to. The rigorous practices led by longtime head coach Nicole Chaszar taught discipline, which was beneficial both on the hardwood and off. “I think that any team sport teaches patience,” Carey acknowledged, “trusting and working with your teammates isn’t always easy. This is something that is important to remember in life as well.” Carey remembers hearing the winningest coach in Western New England history describing herself as one of the hardest workers she ever coached. “Lindsey always put in that extra effort, she took extra shots before and after practice. It paid off in her play on the court,” Chaszar commented.
Fast forward to March of 2025. Carey is working a full-time job as an environmental engineer, a transition that she calls, in short, “the least fun thing she’s ever done.” As her devastating injury ended her career prematurely, she had to transition to life without sports a little earlier than she envisioned. She describes the transition as a “huge one,” whether you were an athlete or not. “Going from an active lifestyle to a passive one is a tough adjustment,” she added, “you have to make sure you keep those hobbies you have on the side to balance things out.”
It has been a little over a year since she suffered a nightmarish injury. She is still in rehab today and continues to cope with some limitations. It is a hard moment to relieve, and a bit traumatic for her still to this day. “I can’t even put into words the emotional and mental toll that having basketball taken away from me has taken,” she said.
Put this into perspective: ten-plus years of playing basketball nearly every day of your life, to not even being able to walk. Rather than wearing the familiar blue and gold uniform on gamedays, she found herself in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, accompanied by crutches, and seated at the end of the bench. Carey emphasized she could not get through this challenging time without the support of her teammates, family, and friends. “I was stubborn,” she said, “I didn’t want to ask for help or be an inconvenience to them. But they were always there for me, giving me support throughout my recovery.” To this day, Lindsey still experiences a lot of highs and lows, but she recognizes how lucky she is to have caring and willing people around her who take their time to help her.
Strength: not physical strength, but mental strength. This is what came to mind when Carey was asked about what she learned about herself through her years on the hardwood. She had a winding road, with adversity both on and off the court, and at times, she had doubts. She lost her confidence; she questioned her abilities. Carey has always been hard on herself but recognizes something now that she did not before facing adversity. “Whatever problems I face in life, I know I am more than capable of excelling regardless of the challenge. Before basketball, I never would have believed this.” She thinks about the number of superstars and role models in the world of women’s basketball right now. While she doesn’t have the platform that Paige Bueckers or Caitlin Clark does, Carey’s advice to the younger generation of girls starting the sport is worthwhile, nonetheless. “Remembering that it is just a game and supposed to be fun is what I would tell them,” she explained, “putting too much pressure on yourself is not always good. Take time to internally check-in and ask yourself if you are enjoying what you are doing.”
If her life story could have been rewritten, the chapter containing the injury would have been scrapped first. There were hard times and dark days, but when the light peaked out at the end of the tunnel, Carey recognized there were important lessons she had learned, and she is a stronger person because of it. Lessons that don’t simply relate to sport but ones that relate to life and everything it will throw your way.
