After long wait, Purdue freshman Jordyn Poole makes debut: "It felt really good"
The point guard played five minutes in her first college game Tuesday at Miami (Ohio) after dealing with a stress fracture in her right shin
This past summer, Jordyn Poole sat in the doctor’s office and knew what was coming next.
It was still hard to hear.
Poole absorbed the message that she would be sidelined indefinitely with a stress fracture in her right shin. She would return, but it would take time.
“It brought tears to my eyes,” Poole said. “It's cool though. I'm glad that's over with now.”
Poole's patience has been tested from that summer conversation to Tuesday night’s long-awaited debut at Miami (Ohio) when she played five first-half minutes but didn’t score.
“It felt really good,” Poole said. “I was tired and a little winded because I'm not in game shape yet. It was really fun being able to get back out there and play with my teammates.”
“IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME”
She watched her teammates practice throughout the offseason but couldn’t participate. In August, she watched the Boilermakers compete during a three-game tour to Spain and Portugal but was regulated to the bench. When official practices started in September, Poole remained a bystander. And throughout the first 10 games, Poole sat on the bench.
“It’s been a long time,” Poole said. “At the beginning, I was a little more discouraged, but as I went through it I was praying and trusting, believing my time was going to come.
“As long as I do all this now, I know it'll come later. I knew I was going to be back before Big Ten play, and that made me feel better, too.”

Meanwhile, the Fort Wayne Snider graduate continued to rehab her lower leg and slowly joined individual drills consisting of passing and dribbling. How she responded to more intense workouts was an important step to test her leg.
Poole was finally cleared for full practice earlier this month and won’t forget Tuesday's moment.
Poole showcased flashes of her game that fans will enjoy. The 5-foot-7 Poole dribbled into the paint and attempted a pair of midrange jumpers. Both were short, a byproduct of her conditioning level, which will improve.
“I told her during the fourth quarter, I thought her minutes were great,” Purdue coach Katie Gearlds said. “She took two pull-ups that I have a lot of confidence that she's going to hit. She hasn’t played in a while but will hit those jumpers, and people will have to respect her. She can spray things out to the perimeter or drop things down inside.”
CONCERTATE ON DEFENSE
She focused Tuesday on the defensive end, an area she can control and not worry what happened on offense.
“I knew that if I played hard on defense, it was going to be cool because I'm not in game shape,” Poole said. “I didn’t want to turn the ball over. The points are going to come, I know they're going to come, so I'm not worried about that.”
On a night where the Boilermakers had 25 turnovers, Poole was one of two players who protected the ball.
Once Poole’s stamina improves and she adjusts to the college game, how does she fit in with the Boilermakers?

A playmaker who can control her dribble, maneuver around defenders to find midrange shots, and has an eye for finding open teammates in scoring positions.
“She's fast. She can pass the ball well. She can also score herself,” senior Ella Collier said. “She's going to be a huge tool for us, especially later in the season. It was good to see her on the court. I've been trying to help her out with plays and everything. I was happy to see her finally have her first career game.”
PART OF POINT GUARD ROTATION
Poole said her leg started bothering her last season as a senior with the Panthers. She began to feel more pain when the state tournament started but played through it. That wasn’t a good idea.
Her last competitive game before Tuesday was as a member of the Indiana All-Star team against Kentucky in June.
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Granted, Tuesday was a small sample size at the college level, but those opportunities will increase. She’ll be part of a point guard rotation still searching for a consistent leader to emerge. Along with Poole and Collier, Amiyah Reynolds, Rashunda Jones, and Destini Lombard played the position against Miami.
“I know she's been practicing, but there's going to be an adjustment period for us and learning how to play with her,” Gearlds said. “I told her - ‘Hey, you're the top 50 kid in the country; get out there and play like it.’
“For five minutes, or whatever it was, she played. I don't think she turned the basketball over and took two great shots that we feel good Jordyn is going to knock down in the future.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Indiana State (2-8) at Purdue (6-5)
Time: 2 p.m.
Watch: B1G+
Listen: 95.3 BOB-FM