Speedy's Long Journey Back
(FREDERICTON, NB) Kylee Speedy has been dreaming about this week and the opening of training camp for the UNB REDS’ women’s basketball team for a quite a while.
Since February 10th, 2024, to be precise.
Speedy and her teammates were on home court that night, registering a decisive 74-45 win over STFX.
But mid-way through the opening half, Speedy went down.
“I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), Meniscus, and my MCL (medial collateral ligament),” said Speedy. “I remember being in a lot of pain but mostly feeling very scared. Scared it was something serious.”
It was.
“Deep down, I knew,” she added. “I knew, based on how much pain I was in that it wasn’t going to be good.”
In the 18 months since, Speedy has endured reconstructive surgery, a second operation to deal with scar tissue, and a rigorous rehabilitation program.
“My recovery and rehab have been the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through,” she said. “The process has been a rollercoaster, especially mentally. The hardest part was the frustration of being told I couldn’t do the things on the court that I wanted to do with my teammates.”
Following her injury, Speedy missed the remainder of UNB’s 2023-24 season, including the REDS’ run to the Atlantic University Sport championship game, and the entire 2024-25 season.
“Everyone who knows me knows how much I love basketball,” said Speedy. “Having to just watch from the sidelines was hard. Some days I felt mad, some days sad, some days discouraged, even jealous of the players who were healthy.”
While she couldn’t practice or play, Speedy did what she could.
“I showed up every single day. I was the loudest cheerer in practice and on the bench and I tried to use my experience to give feedback and help the younger players,” she said. “I stayed involved and took on more of a supportive, coaching role almost, encouraging, holding teammates accountable, and being someone that they could lean on if needed.”
“Kylee’s grit and determination over the course of her rehab have been very impressive,” said REDS’ head coach Erin McAleenan. “She’s faced each challenge head on, and she’s been such a great leader throughout. The way she cares about her teammates individually as well as the pride she demonstrates daily in being a RED is quite something.”
With the team’s 2025 training camp now underway, Speedy is back on the court and preparing for the upcoming season.
Her rehabilitation complete, she’s been cleared by doctors for a return to competition.
“I’ve never been so excited for something in my life,” she said. “Getting to play in a real game again is something I’ve been dreaming about for over a year and a half. By the time I play in a game again it will have been 602 days since my injury. I just feel pure excitement to show how hard I’ve been working and how much stronger I’ve become.”
The 2025-26 season marks Speedy’s sixth with the REDS.
Because she used no eligibility in her first season, the 2020-21 season which was lost to the pandemic, and none last season, Speedy still has two seasons of U SPORTS eligibility.
She’s begun work on a master’s degree in experimental psychology and plans to play basketball in both years of that program.
And while she’s focused on the demands of her post-graduate studies, UNB’s first pre-season game, scheduled for October 3rd against the visiting Lethbridge Pronghorns, is the light at the end of a long tunnel.
“What pushed me through was my love for basketball and the feeling, deep down, that I hadn’t played my last game yet,” she said. “I found motivation in knowing so many other athletes, especially female athletes, have had the same injury and returned to play. I looked to them as role models.”
“I’m really excited to have Kylee back for this season,” said Coach McAleenan. “Her basketball IQ and competitiveness and leadership will be assets, and her ability to shoot the ball was a big piece that was missing for us last season.”
“I want her to be able to lead by example while also being able to be on the court during meaningful minutes in games,” the coach added. “I see Kylee being able to play a key role for us on the court this season, and being able to enjoy just being able to play the game she loves again will be rewarding.”
Speedy says the recovery process has been a personal quest but acknowledges she hasn’t done it alone.
“I had to show up for myself every day, but our Athletic Therapist, Caitlin Marshall, has been incredible,” said Speedy. “She’s been kind, motivating, and positive throughout. Coach Erin made sure I stayed involved with the team when I couldn’t play, and family and friends have supported me.”
Speedy says she’s learned a lot about herself during the past 18 months.
Coach McAleenan says Speedy has done some teaching too.
“Kylee has been a tremendous role model for the youth who come to our games and who are in our Junior REDS programs. They got to see first-hand how just because you aren’t able to play doesn’t mean you can’t be supporting your teammates and learning from the sidelines,” she said. “Kylee is special, and I’m thrilled that she chose to come back to UNB and to complete her eligibility as a RED.”
“I feel confident on the court,” said Speedy. “My whole body feels stronger and I’m noticing my knee less and less every day.”
Surely a good sign after such an arduous journey.
STORY AND PHOTO: Andy Campbell/UNB REDS