Tearing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the many injuries athletes can endure while playing sports that include jumping or sudden stop in directions. According to UPMC, if surgery is performed, it can take up to six months for an individual to feel fully recovered after the appropriate physical therapy.
“An ACL tear as soon as it happens is one of the worst feelings I’ve ever felt,” Ivan Robinson, a senior guard on Cabrini’s basketball team, said. “The moment it actually happens, it almost feels like someone is stabbing you in the knee repeatedly. Eventually, the pain fades over a while but the initial feeling is definitely one of the worst feelings I’ve ever felt.”
An ACL can sometimes ruin someone’s athletic career but not Devahnte Mosley.
After transferring from Bard College, Devahnte Mosley found community at Cabrini University, and continued his love for basketball within Cabrini’s program.
“I’ve known DeVahnte for about 10 years now,” Robinson said. “We competed against each other in middle school, went to high school together and now college. He is my best friend and roommate.”
Playing from middle school to college, Mosley has adopted many traits on and off the court. When joining the team, Mosley came in with an open mind and ready to try anything.
“From day one, after transferring into Cabrini following his sophomore year, he was always the type of player to come in and put in the work required to be successful,” Tim McDonald, Cabrini’s men’s basketball coach, said. “One area he (Mosley) has improved on has been becoming more of a vocal leader who is looked up to by everyone on the team.”
Always being ready for a game, the off-season was a time to work and improve.
“It was like the second week of school and we were playing a pickup game since the season hadn’t started yet,” Mosley said. “I was going up for a lay-up and when I went to plant, I just remember feeling my knee pop out and falling immediately. I barely made it off the ground and I just remember laying there, holding my knee.”
Being out on injury was never part of the plan but Mosley did not let his motivation down.
“Being out with injury again this year, and fighting back from the ACL tear last year, was really frustrating for DeVahnte,” McDonald said. “However, he showed up every day to do this rehab and was always on the sideline trying to lead and motivate our guys to help them become better. While he couldn’t be on the floor with his teammates; his leadership on our team never wavered.”
Coming back from the injury and always staying positive really showed leadership towards the team.
“Devahnte has been a big part of our team and is one of our teams’ vocal leaders,” Voshon Mack, freshman forward, said. “Being able to bounce back from injuries and to accomplish his goal of 1,000 points is very inspiring. It shows us that hard work will eventually pay off too.”
Scoring 1,000 points in an athletic career alone is such an accomplishment. Cabrini has had many players before accomplishing the unbelievable and to have players each year prove themselves is not only inspiring to their teammates but also the coaches.
“The majority of players after each game look at exactly one thing on the score sheet after games and it is how many points they scored that day,” McDonald said. “As coaches, we always try to get the players to understand the importance of the other stats and try to teach them to be unselfish and not worry about how many points they scored as individuals but to really focus on making the best play for our team. We hope that it helps us win the statistical category that really matters, which is having scored more points as a team than our opponent at the end of the game.”
Consistently going to physical therapy to get stronger, Mosley tried his hardest to keep a positive attitude.
“There were definitely times where I thought I wouldn’t play again, especially earlier this year,” Mosley said. “After doing rehab for a whole year and finally making it back, I hurt the same knee again in the second game of the year. It didn’t feel exactly the same as tearing my ACL but I knew I messed it up again. I got an MRI and it showed that I partially tore my ACL and MCL.
Luckily, Mosley did not have to go into surgery.
“The whole process of going through rehab and getting another MRI made me doubt whether I would ever play again,” Mosley said.
Mosley’s teammates were very proud to be present for his moment of reaching 1,000 like Mosley has been present for all their achievements.
“Being back on the floor with DeVahnte and with him to score his 1,000 point was extremely humbling and great to see,” Robinson said. “He worked extremely hard to get to this point to even give himself a shot. It’s moving and I’m so glad I got to share that experience with him.”
An overflow of emotion hit Mosley when the announcement shouted his 1,000 points. These points were successfully earned through his time at Bard and Cabrini.
“Just knowing that all the hours of workouts, practices, tournaments, rehabs, and everything that I’ve been through in my entire basketball career, all of it finally paid off,” Mosley said. “I didn’t score 1,000 in high school so I made it a goal for myself to do so in college, so all of those things kind of just went through my head at once.
Seeing Mosley transfer to an entirely new program and make a name for himself has been such a successful roller coaster for all.
“DeVahnte is one of a kind type of person,” McDonald said. “He is a good student who is always upbeat and has a positive outlook on life. I couldn’t be happier and more proud of him for fighting through all of the adversity he faced up until now where he is able to get back on the floor to finish out his senior season with his teammates.”
