Surgery.

For an athlete, this one word has the power to ruin an entire career. For sophomore guard Shilpa Tummala, it has been an ongoing battle over the past year and a half to beat this setback.

A two-time captain at St Mary’s High School in Phoenix, Ariz., Tummala was ESPN’s No. 69 recruit in the nation and had led her team, ranked No. 1 in the country by ESPN, to two straight state titles. With these accomplishments under her belt, it seemed only natural that Tummala would continue this streak of success during her Harvard career. Furthermore, there were high preseason expectations that she would make an impact in her very first season on the Crimson squad.

Before even stepping onto the floor for Harvard, Tummala was voted both College Sports Madness preseason Mid-Major Freshman of the Year and preseason Ivy League Freshman of the Year. Without notching a single stat, Tummala made waves as she claimed huge honors in the women’s basketball circuit.

However, a storm was brewing for the rookie. Tummala was dealing with chronic shoulder dislocations that were continuing to worsen. In her freshman season, rather than racking up stats and gathering honors like she had been predicted to, Tummala was unable to give the game her all as she dealt with these debilitating issues. In flashes of what could have been, the guard sunk two threes and went four-for-four from the floor to notch 10 points in her Ivy debut against Dartmouth in January. But there was trouble in paradise—the shoulder problems continued to build up until the inevitable occurred. Tummala was going to need surgery.

“I had two major incidents where [the shoulder] completely dislocated,” Tummala said. “I couldn’t do anything else but get the surgery.”

With no other option, Tummala went ahead with the procedure and had to watch from the sidelines as her teammates moved on in their season without her.

“It was rough,” Tummala said. “Anyone with an injury can tell you that they kind of feel that they are separated from the team. You have to find a way to stay connected with the team even though you’re sidelined.”

The drills that Tummala usually excelled in were out of the picture as her athletic activity became defined by rehabilitation exercises and workouts tailored to her limitations. Even more frustrating for the guard was her inability to give her team the performance she had been nationally recognized for in preseason predictions.

“I think that was the most difficult part, feeling like I couldn’t contribute to the team as much as I wanted to,” Tummala said. “It was a mental struggle for me.”

However, she wasn’t facing the challenge alone.

“All of my teammates and coaches were really supportive,” Tummala said. “The training staff was phenomenal. With their help, I met all my recovery checkpoints on or before I was supposed to hit them.”

The combined efforts of her support system has paid off, and Tummala is poised to make her comeback this year. Once again, her presence on the squad is expected to make a huge impact.

“She’s a big, strong, powerful, smart guard,” Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. “You don’t always find all those things in one body. She has one of the greatest three-point shots in the country. She has a very high court IQ, and she is one of the most remarkable passers that I will ever coach.”

With the loss of several key seniors last year, such as top-scoring guard Victoria Lippert ‘13, Tummala’s return to the team is made all the more crucial.

“I’m not going to ask any one person to fill those shoes [of the graduated seniors],” Delaney-Smith said. “But Shilpa clearly can help with some of those points.”

And this is exactly what Tummala hopes to do in the coming season.

“I want to be confident and bring good energy and have a presence that builds my team up,” Tummala said. “Whatever the coaches and my teammates expect of me, I hope to fulfill that role.”

It is undeniable that Tummala enters this season with her fair share of obstacles and pressure, as she will fight to maintain her progress in her recovery and bring a dynamic presence to the Crimson squad. Although this is bound to be a challenge, Tummala is keeping her fundamental goals in sight.

“Even in my comeback, I have the feeling of not being able to do everything at my 100 percent and having to still build up to my 100 percent.” Tummala said. “But I’m always keeping the perspective that I’m blessed to be able to play with such a great group of girls and a coaching staff that is so supportive of me doing well this year.”