It has been a long and winding road for New York Liberty player Rebekah Gardner, who has dealt with injuries. But Gardner showed up ready to go when the Liberty started preseason workouts.
She spent last season with the Liberty, after her rights were traded from the Chicago Sky, sitting on the sidelines. Obviously, that’s no fun when the Liberty stormed their way to the WNBA championship.
Advertisement
Gardner is done with all that now. She is ready and raring to go while looking to become an integral part of the Liberty’s bench rotation.
“I put in a lot of work,” Gardner said in an interview with the New York Post. “When I tore my Achilles it was devastating.”
Gardner suffered a foot injury during the 2023 season for the Sky and didn’t play again. After recovering from that setback, Gardner tore her Achilles while playing in an overseas league.
Gardner wants to return to 2022 form
There’s no doubt that Gardner wants to return to a form that put her on the WNBA all-rookie team in 2022. If at all possible, then she wants to be in a position where Liberty coach Sandy Brondello can make her a No. 1 choice off the bench.
“She’s going to be a real spark off the bench for us and it’s great to see her back on the court,” Brondello told the Post. “And imagine if we had her last year. She’s versatile.”
Advertisement
While Gardner looks to get in game shape with her Liberty teammates, the main thing will be to see how much she can contribute. It’s going to take a little time on her part. Brondello, though, is not worried.
“She plugs in anywhere,” Brondello said. “Today, I had her with some of the starters there and she just plugged in and finds a way. And it’s great to see players come back there to who they were, but continue to add to it. And I think we’re adding to her game, she’s going to add to our game so excited about that.”
Gardner to test Achilles in preseason
The Liberty open up their preseason schedule on May 9 with a home game at Barclays Center against the Connecticut Sun. This should be a good test to see how far Gardner has come along when working out with her teammates.
Brondello will be keeping a watchful eye to see how Gardner responds to any in-game activity.
