Kelly was finally cleared to practice at Christmas, and on December 30, 1993, made her only freshman year appearance against Vanderbilt. Was her dream finally to come true?

"We were getting killed, and coach asked me if I wanted to test it out in a game."

Boom. Kelly's kneecap popped out of place one minute into her collegiate debut, and her freshman year was finished.

By the beginning of her sophomore year, the leg had healed enough to be cleared, but her knee still retained too much fluid. Plus, the pain in her legs continued. Running was tough. Sprints were practically impossible. To this day Black can only run on a basketball court, and even that on a limited level.

Finally, after the months of waiting, after the countless days spent in the training room, Black was cleared for the February 3, 1995 contest against Columbia. She added nine points and four rebounds in the Crimson's 92-45 trouncing of the Lions.

Black would see action in 12 more games for Harvard her sophomore year, yet the pain persisted. Two seasons of eligibility gone, and not much to show for her efforts.

"Those were the two most miserable years of my life," she said. "I would call home crying nearly every other day. I really feel for all my parents went through."

But Delaney-Smith stood by her prized forward, repeatedly telling her not to give up, that her time would come.

"Kathy has been absolutely wonderful through all of this," Kelly said. "She told me that this is the worst thing that would happen to me, that it would be how I dealt with this adversity."

The comeback trail plodded along, yet the end was near.

CHAPTER THREE: THE COMEBACK

Kelly returned to the court for her junior season, and although the injuries would not go away completely, Black was ready for the test.

"Because Kelly was not able to play, she worked hard in training, and as a result she grew," said coach Delaney-Smith. "When she came back for her junior season, we were looking at this wonderful inside player!

As Harvard cruised through the opposition on its way to a 13-1 Ivy record, Black played in every one of Harvard's contests, averaging 5.6 points per game and adding another three-point shooting threat for the Crimson.

"Since I couldn't jump, I had spent so much time in the past two years just standing and shooting that my injury ended up helping my shot," Kelly said.