Actress Ashley Judd was all smiles when she recently posed with injured Kentucky guard Sam Malone for this photo provided by the Malone family. Not only did he enjoy talking to the actress, but his parents are both Judd fans and now have the picture framed at their home in Massachusetts. |
Even though he had already been through three knee surgeries in the last four years, Kentucky guard Sam Malone has struggled a bit with his recovery from surgery last week to repair his latest knee injury.
Malone, a freshman walk-on, underwent surgery last week on his anterior cruciate ligament after he was injured in a Dec. 17 game.
“As much of a trooper as he is and has much as he approached the whole thing prior to surgery with a positive attitude and real strength, once you go through the process and feel the pain it takes a toll,” said Joe Malone, Sam’s father.
Since his surgery, Sam Malone has had to deal with “a low-grade fever and feeling a lot of pain and frustration” from the surgery, his father said. The family debated having the surgery in Boston so he could be near his home, but after weighing various factors elected to let him have the surgery in Lexington so he could be with friends and not have to fly to Lexington a few weeks after the surgery.
He has been staying at Wildcat Lodge with roommate Brian Long, another freshman walk-on, since the surgery and had to watch Kentucky’s win at Auburn on Wednesday night on television.
“He’s always been with his mom after his other surgeries and we’ve all been sick and away from home in our earlier years and know it’s nice to call for your mother and she’s there,” Joe Malone said. “When he calls home, he’s not complaining, but you feel in his voice that he’s weak. But is mother is grateful for the coaching staff, doctor, teammates and fans for being so supportive. She, like I, is feeling very grateful for the kindness of all the people in Kentucky.”
Sam Malone’s mother, Linda, understands what is involved in knee surgeries since her daughter also has had two ACL surgeries.
“I didn’t miss the nursemaid role this time. The first three or four days after the surgery are tough. They are in so much pain you don’t like to see it,” Linda Malone said. “But everyone has been great to him and his roommate has been so helpful. It’s been nice that he has not had school, and coach Cal is only a phone call away if needed.
“I would love to be there to straighten his room, do his laundry, give him a hug and make sure everything is right. He’s really just a big teddy bear, not the tough kid everybody says. I do want to get there to catch a game soon and give him a hug.”
Sam Malone, who knew he had another torn ACL as soon as he saw the MRI exam because of his past experiences, didn’t need long to decide he wanted to continue his playing career. His father told him it “was his call” and had no problem if he decided “taking on the role of team manager or being involved with the program in another way not as a player” was fine with him. The next day Sam Malone decided he wanted to come back to play for Kentucky next year.
“The plan is still for him to travel with the team, and he’s looking forward to being as good a teammate as he can be, even if that just means being around the Lodge lifting spirits or keeping a positive attitude through physical therapy,” Joe Malone said. “He expects to be back on the court next year.”
That should be fun for Kentucky fans, too, since he quickly became a fan favorite this year with his propensity to score quickly once he got into games.
“When he came home for Christmas, he was unbelievable. There was never a day he had the blues,” Joe Malone said. “There was not a day he went through the whole pity scene. He is just unbelievable. I am a biased father, but he’s always been tenacious like that. He’s got a will of steel that has served him well.
“We were so happy knowing what he had been through and how everything was going at Kentucky. Now with this latest injury, we almost feel like someone is doing this so he can set an example for others about what you can overcome if you set your mind to it. He’s sure in his mind he’s going to make it through this again.”
Teammate Twany Beckham figures he’ll do just that, too.
“Sam is doing good. We are trying to encourage him all we can,” Beckham said Tuesday. “I can’t imagine four surgeries. We are all there for him, and he’s with us. He is a kid who loves basketball. I have been through surgery, and it is hard to sit out and watch something you love to do, but he wants to be back and I have no doubts he’ll be back out there with his next year. We love him.”
His father says his son “clearly has fallen in love with Kentucky and its people” and that will help him get through another difficult rehabilitation.
He got some early inspiration from actress Ashley Judd, UK’s top celebrity fan, when she came to Rupp Arena to watch the Wildcats beat Louisville on Dec. 31.
“He just got back in time himself for the Louisville game and was walking back to the locker room after the game. He saw Ashley Judd and knows we are big fans of her. He asked if he could get a picture with her because his parents would love if he could send it back to them,” Joe Malone said.
Since he was in street clothes, Judd asked Sam Malone his name. When he told her, she apologized for not recognizing him out of uniform.
“She told him she felt so bad about his injury and asked how his knee was. Sam said they talked at least 10 minutes. He said, ‘Dad, she was so nice. She really lifted my spirits.’ Linda has a beautiful picture of him and Ashley here now,” Joe Malone said.
“She will never know how much her kindness meant to us. He had gone from the highest of highs playing for Kentucky to being hurt again, and no matter what, when you are out of the mainstream, it hurts. At least for a few minutes, Ashley Judd made him feel very special again.”
Malone, a freshman walk-on, underwent surgery last week on his anterior cruciate ligament after he was injured in a Dec. 17 game.
“As much of a trooper as he is and has much as he approached the whole thing prior to surgery with a positive attitude and real strength, once you go through the process and feel the pain it takes a toll,” said Joe Malone, Sam’s father.
Since his surgery, Sam Malone has had to deal with “a low-grade fever and feeling a lot of pain and frustration” from the surgery, his father said. The family debated having the surgery in Boston so he could be near his home, but after weighing various factors elected to let him have the surgery in Lexington so he could be with friends and not have to fly to Lexington a few weeks after the surgery.
He has been staying at Wildcat Lodge with roommate Brian Long, another freshman walk-on, since the surgery and had to watch Kentucky’s win at Auburn on Wednesday night on television.
“He’s always been with his mom after his other surgeries and we’ve all been sick and away from home in our earlier years and know it’s nice to call for your mother and she’s there,” Joe Malone said. “When he calls home, he’s not complaining, but you feel in his voice that he’s weak. But is mother is grateful for the coaching staff, doctor, teammates and fans for being so supportive. She, like I, is feeling very grateful for the kindness of all the people in Kentucky.”
Sam Malone’s mother, Linda, understands what is involved in knee surgeries since her daughter also has had two ACL surgeries.
“I didn’t miss the nursemaid role this time. The first three or four days after the surgery are tough. They are in so much pain you don’t like to see it,” Linda Malone said. “But everyone has been great to him and his roommate has been so helpful. It’s been nice that he has not had school, and coach Cal is only a phone call away if needed.
“I would love to be there to straighten his room, do his laundry, give him a hug and make sure everything is right. He’s really just a big teddy bear, not the tough kid everybody says. I do want to get there to catch a game soon and give him a hug.”
Sam Malone, who knew he had another torn ACL as soon as he saw the MRI exam because of his past experiences, didn’t need long to decide he wanted to continue his playing career. His father told him it “was his call” and had no problem if he decided “taking on the role of team manager or being involved with the program in another way not as a player” was fine with him. The next day Sam Malone decided he wanted to come back to play for Kentucky next year.
“The plan is still for him to travel with the team, and he’s looking forward to being as good a teammate as he can be, even if that just means being around the Lodge lifting spirits or keeping a positive attitude through physical therapy,” Joe Malone said. “He expects to be back on the court next year.”
That should be fun for Kentucky fans, too, since he quickly became a fan favorite this year with his propensity to score quickly once he got into games.
“When he came home for Christmas, he was unbelievable. There was never a day he had the blues,” Joe Malone said. “There was not a day he went through the whole pity scene. He is just unbelievable. I am a biased father, but he’s always been tenacious like that. He’s got a will of steel that has served him well.
“We were so happy knowing what he had been through and how everything was going at Kentucky. Now with this latest injury, we almost feel like someone is doing this so he can set an example for others about what you can overcome if you set your mind to it. He’s sure in his mind he’s going to make it through this again.”
Teammate Twany Beckham figures he’ll do just that, too.
“Sam is doing good. We are trying to encourage him all we can,” Beckham said Tuesday. “I can’t imagine four surgeries. We are all there for him, and he’s with us. He is a kid who loves basketball. I have been through surgery, and it is hard to sit out and watch something you love to do, but he wants to be back and I have no doubts he’ll be back out there with his next year. We love him.”
His father says his son “clearly has fallen in love with Kentucky and its people” and that will help him get through another difficult rehabilitation.
He got some early inspiration from actress Ashley Judd, UK’s top celebrity fan, when she came to Rupp Arena to watch the Wildcats beat Louisville on Dec. 31.
“He just got back in time himself for the Louisville game and was walking back to the locker room after the game. He saw Ashley Judd and knows we are big fans of her. He asked if he could get a picture with her because his parents would love if he could send it back to them,” Joe Malone said.
Since he was in street clothes, Judd asked Sam Malone his name. When he told her, she apologized for not recognizing him out of uniform.
“She told him she felt so bad about his injury and asked how his knee was. Sam said they talked at least 10 minutes. He said, ‘Dad, she was so nice. She really lifted my spirits.’ Linda has a beautiful picture of him and Ashley here now,” Joe Malone said.
“She will never know how much her kindness meant to us. He had gone from the highest of highs playing for Kentucky to being hurt again, and no matter what, when you are out of the mainstream, it hurts. At least for a few minutes, Ashley Judd made him feel very special again.”
