Libertyville's Trees stood tall
Four days after she and Libertyville basketball teammates suffered their first loss in almost one year to the date, Savannah Trees rested on a hospital bed.
Her torn left labrum needed to be repaired.
That's what happens when a player carries a team on his or her shoulders for a full season. Eventually, the shoulder gives way. Doctors are consulted. Nurses are told to prep for surgery. The shoulder is cleaned and cut.
OK, that's not true.
The senior point guard didn't literally hoist her teammates and put them on her shoulders.
Not that she couldn't carry a teammate on her shoulders.
The girl is, in fact, physically strong.
Skilled with a basketball, too.
It was a combination of her season statistics (13.8 points, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals per game) and one monster stat for Libertyville (29-1 record) that has made the slick-ballhandling Trees the captain of the Daily Herald's 2011 Lake County All-Area team.
“I can't think of another kid in the area who was as instrumental to her team's success as her,” Wildcats coach Kathie Swanson said. “There is no way we would have been nearly as successful without her leadership, composure and production on the court. A lot of pressure was put on her to be the main distributor and scoring threat on our team every night. We couldn't afford any ‘off' nights from her. She knew that and always delivered.”
As Libertyville's most varsity-tested player, Trees expected to carry the team, if needed, and relished the responsibility of being its go-to player.
“I knew that was my role to step up in the big times and hit those shots,” she said. “I knew I was capable of doing that.”
She did it time and time again, too many times to count.
Her individual achievements exceeded her expectations.
“I think it went a little better than expected,” said Trees, a repeat all-area selection and three-year varsity player. “But I worked really hard in the off-season to make sure this was my best season so far, and I think it paid off.”
All the time, shoulder surgery awaited her.
“It wasn't a certain time it happened,” Trees said of wounding her shoulder. “But over the last couple of years it's been bothering me when I'm working out or bench-pressing.”
Bench-pressing, Savannah?
The 5-foot-8, slim, braces-wearing, sweet-smiling Trees looks like she wouldn't hurt, well, a tree.
Make no mistake, however, she takes pride in her sculpted arms and shoulders.
“I like working out,” Trees said. “People always make comments about my arms, like I have man arms or I'm buff.”
She's not offended.
“It's just annoying because I know it's not girlie to be strong like that,” Trees said. “I think it shouldn't matter.”
She discovered last April that she would need surgery to repair her shoulder but decided to put it off until after her senior season because it's the only break she has from basketball before starting college.
Fortunately for Trees, she shoots a ball right-handed.
“It never hurts when I play basketball,” she said. “So it didn't affect me at all (during the season).”
Her left arm rests in a stylish, black sling, matching her black Libertyville uniform she wears for a portrait in conjunction with her all-area captain honor. She's on basketball rest for six months — six weeks with the sling part of her daily attire.
But even though she finds it difficult to drive a vehicle with the use of only her right arm and get dressed one-handed — “I have to get up a lot earlier,” she said — she's fine. She's tough.
“I didn't have to take any Vicodin or anything (for the shoulder pain),” said Trees, the daughter of Mike and Sarah and little sister of former Libertyville hoopster Josh.
Pain for Trees was losing to Zion-Benton in the Class 4A Mundelein sectional semifinals Feb. 21.
Libertyville came into the game with a school-record 29 wins against no defeats, and had beaten the Zee-Bees three times.
“It's hard not to think that it took something away (from the season), but you just have to look back and see all the great things that we did,” Trees said. “Just forget about the loss and think about all the better things.”
Libertyville's undefeated regular season wasn't something any of its players or coaches publicly acknowledged as a goal. But the Wildcats won Buffalo Grove's season-opening tournament, successfully defended their tourney title at Mundelein, and again knocked off Wauconda for the North Suburban Conference crown. They then claimed another regional championship.
“I was expecting us to be good,” said Trees, who was one of four returning starters. “But I didn't think we were going to repeat everything we did last year — win both holiday tournaments, our division, our conference and a regional. It was cool that we did that.
“Being undefeated along the way was another thing that was great. I never expected us to be undefeated because that's hard for any sports team to do. Even UConn (Connecticut's women's basketball team), they're really good, but they still lost.”
It appears Trees will play college basketball in Indiana, either for DePauw University (Division III) or Valparaiso University (Division I). She plans to visit Valparaiso this weekend.
“I'll probably make my decision soon,” said Trees, who's interested in nursing. “I love it (at DePauw). It feels like a good fit for me, but I have to see how Valpo looks.”
She's not bent on playing D-I.
“Yeah, it's cool to say you play Division I, but you want the best fit for yourself,” Trees said. “If that's not the best thing, then I'd rather go D-III and have a more fun time.”
Wherever she plays, she'll be ready. And ready to lift.