Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

Her knees are shot, but her jumper isn’t.

Ketchikan’s Laci Effenberger of the Cal State East Bay women’s basketball team recently returned to the court with a 3-point barrage after yet another round of rehab following her seventh career knee surgery.

The junior transfer pumped in 9 points in back-to-back NCAA D2 games in California on the strength of 6-of-8 3-point shooting.

“It’s been a roller coaster, but I swear the past two games made it all worth it,” she told me.

Effenberger, 22, made her season debut the previous weekend, taking only one shot in two games. This is her first year with the team after transferring from Clackamas College in Oregon.

She missed the first 14 games after having two knee surgeries, her sixth and seventh since 2009.

“Right after I signed I had to have ACL surgery. I was rehabbing and something didn’t feel right with my other knee and I went into have it scoped, and I had a partial meniscus tear and a piece of floating tissue and floating cartilage,” she said. “After that, the recovery time depends on me and how I feel. This is my third week practicing. I’m still not 100 percent but it feels so good to be on the floor again.”

Effenberger, a 5-foot-7 guard, scored 9 points on 3-for-3 shooting in 18 minutes against Chico State. She also had 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.

The next night she had 9 points on 3-of-5 shooting in 26 minutes against Cal State Stanislaus.

“If all I can do is shoot I better be good at it,” she said.

Oh, the woman can shoot.

She transferred from Clackamas College, where last season she set a NWAACC tournament and school records with 112 points in four games. She scored a career-high 43 in one game.
“It’s been a long journey,” she said. “The level is definitely harder but it’s as expected. I still don’t believe I’ve played my best basketball yet, but only time and hard work will tell.

“For me personally as always I prepare for every game like it’s my last.”