The old saying goes, home is where the heart is. And after unforeseen time off, home for UAlbany's Morgan Haney is on the basketball court.

“I don’t think I realized it until I was out for two years and not being able to contribute on the court,” Haney said. “I felt something was definitely missing in my life.”

What You Need To Know

  • As a freshman, Morgan Haney was lighting it up on the court before tearing her ACL in her seventh game

  • The ACL injury was just one of many to plague her over the next two years

  • But now she's healthy and ready to continue her college career

Let’s backtrack two years to 2019. Haney, then a freshman, was lighting it up on the court.

But just seven games into the season, Haney tore her ACL in her right knee. And the list of mounting injuries didn’t stop there.

“Five-and-a-half months later, I re-tore it during physical therapy and in that case,” Haney said. “I actually tore my meniscus as well. Then a couple months past that, I re-tore my meniscus as well. So I’ve had three knew surgeries total in the last three years, so yeah, not great," she said with a chuckle. "Not ideal.”

Believe it or not, she knew exactly how to handle it, having torn her left ACL in high school. Once again, Haney’s second home became rehab and the bench cheering on her teammates, but more importantly, soaking in as much as she could.

“A lot of players might, her situation, feel more sorry for themselves or separate themselves, but she was engaged every practice, she was trying to learn," head coach Colleen Mullen said of Haney. "She was a sponge.”

“There’s a lot of stuff I see now that I didn’t see my freshman year," Haney said. "How to read screens. Different looks in the offense. There’s a lot of stuff coaching-wise that I’ve learned.”

Through it all, Haney’s leadership was the one thing that stood out, culminating with being named a team captain for this season’s group.

“I know she’s doing the right things on and off the court," Mullen said. "She’s a terrific student. A leader in that area. She’s great with camps. Good in the community. On the court you know she’s going to compete to win and do whatever it takes.”

“I’m going to try and do my best," Haney said. "There’s no perfect leader. That’s something coach Mullen reiterates all the time.”

Her journey came full circle once again this past week, checking into Wednesday night’s 29 point win over Hofstra for her first game in nearly 730 days, finishing with six points, and six rebounds.

But through it all, her journey back to the court has taught her a lesson she’ll never forget.

“It’s just taught me adversity and the challenges you go through in life," Haney said. "You can always go through something but it’s always the way you respond. I feel like I responded well and it’s taught me so much. Anything I think I’ll face in the future, I’ll be able to handle it.”

And that future, not just for Haney but the team is getting brighter each day.

“I expect to win a lot of games so I’m going to hold the team to that standard," Haney said. "I’m really hoping it pays off.”

“She’s going to have a great season and a great career," Mullen added. "I already know it so I can already say it.”