By LARRY VAUGHT
It has been over three years since Cassidy Rowe verbally committed to play basketball at the University of Kentucky but despite all that has happened in that time in other ways it doesn’t feel like it has been that long to her.
“In some ways it feels like it was just yesterday when I committed,” said the Shelby Valley High School guard who signed with the Wildcats last week.
She had a torn anterior cruciate ligament and was rehabbing a knee injury when she committed to UK and despite another ACL knee injury, a rib injury and the departure of head coach Matthew Mitchell, Rowe never wavered in her desire to play for UK.
“So much has happened since I committed,” she said. “When I committed (as a freshman) I knew it was a huge deal but it never really crossed my mind I was actually going to Kentucky. Now signing makes it a reality that in a few months I am going to Kentucky and actually going to be on the team. That is amazing to me and such a blessing. It’s something every little girl dreams of.”
Cassidy Rowe said the family and fan support she got in eastern Kentucky was “truly a blessing.” Her father, Shelby Valley coach Lonnie Rowe, and others made sure the signing ceremony was special.
“I felt very loved. It was just special,” she said.
Despite all that happened in the three years after her commitment to UK, she never had any second thoughts about whether Kentucky was the right spot for her.
“Coach Mitchell stepped down and then coach (Kyra) Elzy became the coach. I was sad he stepped down because he really did change my life with the scholarship offer. But I love coach Elzy and I am glad she was the one who became the head coach,” Rowe said. “I just knew I wanted to be at Kentucky. The second I went there for my first visit when I was in middle school, it was for me. Everybody treated me as if I was already a Wildcat even then. I knew I wanted to stay close to home and knew then it was UK for me.”
Rowe recently took her official visit to Kentucky and said she was “treated like royalty.” She never considered taking any other official visits unlike some athletes who visit several schools before they commit or even take visits after they verbally commit. Rowe visited Louisville — the team she grew up cheering for because her dad is a Louisville fan — in middle school and also went to an elite camp at Northern Kentucky. That was it for being on other campuses.
“Kentucky was always loyal to me through all my injuries, so I just wanted to stay loyal to them, too,” Rowe said. “It was a big thing when Kentucky offered right after I had my first (ACL) surgery. A team that had so much faith in me and was so encouraging to me, that meant a lot.”
Rowe has not had a chance to talk with Mitchell since he resigned before the start of last season for personal reasons. She would like to speak to him to say thanks.
“I have let him know in the past when we talked that he was a big difference maker in my life but it has been a while since I told him that. It would be nice to see him and tell him again,” the Shelby Valley senior said.
Going into this season, Rowe has scored 1,032 points and 182 made 3-pointers. She has dished out 464 assists, pulled off 321 rebounds and made 198 steals. She played in 65 high school games as a middle schooler but was limited to six games her freshman season and 19 as a sophomore due to the ACL injuries. Last season she averaged 12.9 points per game and shot 41 percent from 3-point range.
Her father believes she would have close to 2,000 points and 1,000 assists if she had not been injured because even the games she played as a freshman and sophomore she not only wore two knee braces but had a restriction on minutes she could play.
“She only played a handful of games those two years when she even played three quarters. Most times it was two quarters,” Lonnie Rowe said.
Cassidy Rowe says she is now healthy and a better player than she was before her injuries.
“I just want to stay healthy this year. It took a lot to get back here and I feel I am back to where I was before the knee and rib injuries,” Cassidy Rowe said. “I think I am quicker and stronger and excited to show what I can do.”