Archbishop Mitty All-American girls basketball star forward McKenna Woliczko has gone through a week no athlete would ever wish to endure.

It started last Saturday, when she tore her right anterior cruciate ligament against Ontario Christian during the Sabrina Ionescu SI20 Showcase at Carondelet High School in Concord. It continued as she confronted her new reality with an MRI that confirmed the torn ligament on Monday.

Now, after visiting with renowned orthopedic surgeon Christopher Lehman, who also works with the Golden State Warriors and Valkyries, Woliczko has a path forward. It will be a long one, as she suffered a full tear of the ACL.

“It was torn,” Woliczko’s father Aaron told the Bay Area News Group on Thursday. “So not a tear where it’s partial. It was torn (all the way). So they’re going to take a portion of the tendon, most likely on the top of her knee, toward her quad, and they’re going to basically put that where the ACL was.”

Archbishop Mitty’ McKenna Woliczko (20) is carried out after injuring her right knee during a play against the Ontario Christian in the first half of an SI20 Showcase game at Carondelet High School in Concord on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

But first, Woliczko must reduce the swelling in her knee. Surgery is planned for late January or early February, depending on her progress.

Before her ACL is reconstructed, Woliczko must improve the range of motion in her right knee and increase the blood flow to the impacted area. That slow, painstaking work has already begun.

“She started treatments on Tuesday at Mitty,” Aaron Woliczko said. “The nice thing about Mitty is their athletic trainer and their strength coach are as good as anyone. They could run a college program if they needed to. And so on Tuesday, when school got back in session, she was already working on the ability to be able to have surgery.

“Doing the stuff, the ice and the stimulation and and trying to get blood flow to the area. Really pre-habing for surgery, if you can believe it. Plus some other stretching, flexibility, even some strengthening of the quad. She’s in good hands with the Mitty trainers.”

Archbishop Mitty’s Tiera McCarthy (12) lays up a shot as Archbishop Mitty’s McKenna Woliczko (20) looks on for a possible rebound against Ontario Christian in the first half of a SI20 Showcase game at Carondelet High School in Concord on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

The injury has impacted much more than just Woliczko’s basketball routine. Day-to-day tasks as minute as driving to school have become more complex.

“This is the new norm,” Aaron said. “So the sooner everybody, including our family, figures out what the new norm is, that’s something that’ll make us better. The toughest thing right now is it’s a right leg, and she’s (previously) been driving herself to Mitty from where we live, up by San Francisco airport. So all of a sudden we’re back trying to commute her, whether that’s me or my wife or family, my father in law. We have to figure that out again.”

Woliczko is trying to remain positive amidst the turmoil, but it takes a toll. She supported her teammates in their first game without her, a 84-26 win over Valley Christian to open West Catholic Athletic League play on Tuesday.

“She still went down with the team, was on the bus, did pregame meal, all of that stuff,” Aaron said. “And she was on the bench, high-fiving her teammates and telling them good job.

Archbishop Mitty’s Ze’Ni Patterson (22) and McKenna Woliczko (20) react after they drew a foul against Ontario Christian in the first half of a SI20 Showcase game at Carondelet High School in Concord on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

“I think she knew that there’s time to reflect too, because she’s still trying to digest what just happened. So days like today, when we got back from the ortho, she started reading a book and doing homework, and then next thing I know, she’s been asleep for four hours. That’s kind of the emotional strain that that’s taking.”

The road ahead will consist of all the small victories gained day by day in the recovery process. It will be a long journey, one likely to last into October before full function is achieved. 

After surgery, Woliczko must wait four to five months before she begins running again. In the meantime, she plans to begin specific court-based work in the summer.

August and September will bring the opportunity for non-contact basketball with high-level strength training. By October, the plan is for Woliczko to be ready to roll ahead of her senior basketball season.

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But a great of deal of patience will be required, and the Woliczkos have no reason to rush McKenna back with so much potential ahead in her career.

“You talk about certain things, like tiny goals,” Aaron said. “Just being able to celebrate the little things, because a lot of these little things are going to add up over the course of the next nine months.

“It might sound trivial to someone that doesn’t understand or hasn’t been through it. But just the fact that you can make a straight leg again when the time’s right, you’ve got to celebrate it, and you’ve got to be around people like athletic trainers and physical therapists that understand that. Even though it’s something small in the scheme of everything, just make a bunch of tiny goals and keep hitting them, and then you’ll be back stronger than ever.”

Archbishop Mitty’ McKenna Woliczko (20) makes a shot against Ontario Christian’s Jaden Cox in the first half of an SI20 showcase game at Carondelet High School in Concord, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)