University of South Carolina #24 Demetress Adams tries to find the handle on a dribble around two Connecticut defenders in Columbia's Colonial Life Arena on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2008. UConn led 37-19 at halftime.
Dickerson scored a career-high 31 points against Mississippi on Jan. 22. ... She was named MVP of the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic. ... She made a career-high five 3-pointers against Virgina in November 2007.
Adams scored a career-high 21 points against St. Francis in November 2007. ... She ranks among the program’s top 10 in four categories: blocked shots (140, third), field-goal percentage (.535, eighth), offensive rebounds (274, fourth) and defensive rebounds (462, fourth).
Living in Costa Rica last summer for a study-abroad program, Brionna Dickerson grew fond of the country’s popular greeting, “Pura vida.”
The strict translation is “pure life,” although Costa Ricans use the phrase to express a number of sentiments: sense of community, appreciation of life’s moments — big and small — and perseverance.
Dickerson said pura vida captures her emotions of late of “not (feeling) the best, but I’m counting my blessings.”
It has been a difficult winter for Dickerson and Demetress Adams. Instead of playing in their final SEC tournament beginning today, the South Carolina senior leaders have become physical-therapy partners since going down with season-ending knee injuries in back-to-back January games.
Both have had down days since learning they had torn the ACLs in their right knees, and there have been plenty of tears. Besides taking the top two scorers out of the Gamecocks’ lineup, the injuries delayed the WNBA dreams of Adams and Dickerson.
But not all is lost.
Dickerson and Adams are good students who will graduate in May. They have families who have comforted them without drowning them in pity. Both have embraced the idea of playing professionally overseas as a route to the WNBA.
And though Adams’ leg is in a brace and Dickerson is awaiting surgery next week, both players had seats on the plane to North Little Rock, Ark., this week for the tournament and have been on the bench for most games and practices since getting hurt.
Their roles might be different, but Adams and Dickerson continue to lead Dawn Staley’s first USC team.
“They’re still around. They haven’t left us,” Staley said. “For us, we want them around because they represent the type of players that we want in our program.”
Adams, a 6-foot-4 forward from Bishopville, and Dickerson, a 5-9 guard from Columbia, have been friends since high school when they were teammates on an AAU team coached by Dickerson’s father. Known as “Bri” (pronounced Bree) and “Dee,” the returning starters looked forward to playing their final seasons for Staley.
Adams was averaging 10.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game when she was injured in the first half at Mississippi on Jan. 22. Adams wept when she found out her season was over, and she called her mother sobbing a few days later after returning to her dorm room after a tough day.
Her mother’s reaction surprised her.
Vita Dinkins said she told her daughter: “We’re going to cry today and the next couple of days. But the third day we’re not going to cry anymore because this is a new day and a new attitude. Even though you’re starting over, it’s going to be OK.”
Three days after Adams’ injury, Dickerson’s knee buckled when a player fell into her leg in the first half against Vanderbilt.
For Dickerson, seeing the partial ACL tear on the MRI film was like experiencing a bad dream all over again: The former Heathwood Hall standout missed her final high school season following ACL surgery on her left knee.
Dickerson, who scored a career-high 31 points the game before she was hurt, rehabbed for two weeks with the thought of returning before the end of the season. But the risk of further injury convinced her to change her mind and schedule surgery for next month.
“As much as my heart was going on, ‘Come on, come on,’ my mind was going, ‘Bri, you might have to just go ahead and get your surgery,’ ” she said.
The second season-ending knee injury in five years has tested the resolve of a player known for her cheerful attitude and omnipresent smile.
“It’s hard. It really is hard,” Dickerson said. “It comes to a point where you can’t look at what’s gone wrong in your life. You have to focus on the positives.”
Adams has taken the same approach. According to her mother, when Adams came out of surgery a few weeks ago, she was smiling.
“We can’t go back and reverse what happened,” Adams said. “Yes, it’s unfortunate. But like I always tell people, it’s opened up opportunities for our young players to get on the court that they probably wouldn’t have gotten.”
That selflessness and team-first mentality is why Staley has insisted Dickerson and Adams stay involved with the team.
“I think it’s great for the healing process to be around teammates and be around the very sport that you got injured in. It gives off good energy to the players,” Staley said. “They can look in their eyes and see that they want to play. They’re cheering their teammates on. It sets a tone for everybody else.
“Because I think our players would much rather be in a corner crying somewhere because of our injured seniors. But to see them out there traveling with us, pulling their legs, trying to get into cramped airplanes, I think really helps our players see who they are.”
Dickerson believes things happen for a reason. An international business major who is fluent in Spanish, she is better equipped than most to play overseas.
And while the WNBA remains her ultimate goal, she looks forward to experiencing life in a new country.
“It just seems like a path is being paved and I’m just waiting for the end of the road to come so I can see what happens next,” she said.
Pura vida.
Reach Person at (803) 771-8496.
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