Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – As a three-year starter Alex Wiese intended to use experience to her advantage during what she hoped would be a huge senior season.

Before playing a game this season Wiese has already leaned more on her past experiences than she ever imagined.

Wiese spent the offseason recovering from the second season-ending knee surgery of her career.

Since undergoing surgery in March to repair a second torn ACL the Regina senior has pulled heavily on the knowledge of what to expect during recovery and the belief she could come back.  

“I honestly think it was easier the second time because I kind of knew what I was doing and I had an idea of how it would go,” Wiese said. “The experience of having gone through it all once helped a lot. I think I am coming back even stronger.”

A torn ACL and the surgery, rehab and time away that follows is an incredible daunting task for any athlete.

Going through that process twice in three years would be devastating for most high school players.

For Wiese, a 5-foot-11 bundle or energy and smiles the ACL injuries were mere setbacks in what has already been a brilliant career.

 “I don’t know if there is a kid that could have handled it any better than her,” Wallace said. “She has such a positive attitude and such a superb work ethic and she is so determined to come back and have a great senior season so it’s been really fun to watch her. I think she is going to have a great senior season.”  

Wiese had a strong freshman season cut short by her first torn ACL in February of 2016.

She returned in time to average 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds to help Regina reach the state semifinals as a sophomore.

Wiese had the best season of her career as a junior averaging 15.4 points and ranking eighth in 2A with 10.4 rebounds per game.

Her latest knee injury was came on her opposite knee and was sustained in practice just days before the Regals’ Class 2A state quarterfinal loss to Grundy Center.

“It happened and I knew it right away,” Wiese said. “In the beginning it was definitely hard especially right before state, that was heartbreaking for me.”

Wiese had surgery in March and was back on the court within a month shooting and dribbling.

Using her first time going through the rehabilitation process as a guide, Wiese attacked her rehab.

“I lifted a lot just trying to get stronger and to do the right things in the right order to get back,” Wiese said. “The waiting is hard, that part didn’t change, but I really stuck to the plan.”

Perhaps more importantly than the expectation of what it took physically to get back to full strength Wiese knew how to handle her injury mentally.

The injury kept her out of the state tournament, making the first-team all-state pick a spectator for Regina’s 46-45 quarterfinal loss to eventual runner-up Grundy Center.

“It was really hard but I think since I’d done it before I knew no matter what happened to me it wasn’t about me,” Wiese said. “It’s about my team so I had to support them no matter what.”

With the season over Wiese turned her attention to her recovery.

She was determined to not let the state tournament loss or the second surgery affect her final season.

“I knew how I had to be mentally, I knew if I was really negative about it that it wouldn’t benefit me at all. I knew I had to stay positive and I think that helped me a lot,” Wiese said. “That was not easy to do, you think a lot why is this happening to me again but you have to move past all of that. To push forward you have to get past the negativity.”

With the start of her senior season just days away Wiese is ready to not only return but to make her final season her best.

That will be no small task for the Truman State signee who has averaged a double-double with 15.5 points and 10.6 in 66 career games.

“I have always considered her one of the elite rebounders in the state and now I think she gotten a better offensive game,” Wallace said. “Now you have to cover her outside the paint as well.”  

As a junior Wiese shot 58 percent from the field and 70 percent from the free throw line while scoring in double figures 21 times including five games with 20 or more points.

“Her perimeter game is really starting to come around,” Wallace said. “In the past she was more of a post player with her back to the basket and now she is really working on her facing game a lot.”

Wiese joins fellow senior and future college teammate Kennedy Wallace as the lone returning starters from a Regina team that went 21-5 a year ago.

The goal for Wiese is to end her final season by lifting the Regals to a fifth consecutive state tournament berth.

“Our goal is to get back to the state tournament and to win it and I am really excited about this team,” Wiese said. “I think we are going to be really good this year.”