"She texted me the other day that she was really motivated. We were talking the other night [and] when she does come back she said she's going to be so hungry to play that she's not even going to be worried about her knee.''

Whitney Bays averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds during her junior season and led the Highlanders to their third straight appearance in the Class AAA state title game.

Huntington became the first girls team in the Mountain State to lose in the championship game three straight seasons after falling to North Marion 66-64 on a buzzer-beater in March. The Highlanders should be one of the favorites again this year, returning three other starters who scored in double figures.

Bays, a three-time Class AAA first-team all-state selection, is ranked No. 28 in the ESPN HoopGurlz Top 100 list for the Class of 2010. She is the subject of a nationwide recruiting battle because of her ability and athletic 6-foot-2 frame. More than 50 college coaches were in attendance at the AAU game in which Bays, who plays for the West Virginia Thunder 16-and-under team, injured her knee.

"The college coaches have been absolutely wonderful,'' said Susan Bays. "Nobody is backing off her. They all still want her. The Thursday she had surgery, when we got home that night she had 58 phone calls and I had 33. They've really been supportive.''

Knee injuries aren't the career-enders they once were. Candace Parker had three knee surgeries, including one to repair a torn ACL before her senior year in high school, but went on to lead Tennessee to two national titles and became the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft.

"There's not a college team you can hardly find that doesn't have two girls that have torn their ACLs and come back,'' Susan Bays said.

Susan Bays said earlier this summer Whitney would rise early every morning to run the hills at Ritter Park. After each run, Whitney worked out at the YMCA in Huntington for nearly three hours, playing against boys and shooting baskets.

"She's not a sit-still person,'' said Susan Bays. "Basketball has been such a big part of her life; it's an adjustment. I'm really proud of her, how she has handled all this. She really has a good outlook. I think she's done better than me.''

Reach Tommy R. Atkinson at  tatkin...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-4811.

Whitney Bays is still focused on basketball, maybe even more so these days.

"She went somewhere the other day to watch a pick-up game and she was dribbling for about a half an hour with her left hand as she was sitting in the bleachers,'' said Susan Bays, Whitney's mother. "She's determined to improve her game.''

Whitney Bays, a two-time West Virginia Gatorade girls high school basketball player of the year from Huntington, underwent knee surgery July 16 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Susan Bays said Whitney is already off crutches and walking with a knee brace. The mother said Dr. Jack Steele, an orthopedic surgeon in Huntington, found a slight tear in Whitney's meniscus but decided against repairing it, allowing it instead to heal on its own. Susan Bays said Whitney could begin shooting baskets in three months.

"She's going three times a week to rehab,'' said Susan Bays. "The surgery went really well. They expect her to have a full recovery. They're already pleased with how she's doing.

"The first three or four days she was on pain meds. She quit taking the pain meds the Monday after surgery. Once those wore off she wanted to get out and go. She can't do really anything on the court.''

Whitney Bays suffered the knee injury July 9 during the Run 4 The Roses AAU basketball tournament in Lexington, Ky.

Susan Bays said Whitney's AAU coach, Larry Lambert, stopped by Tuesday evening.

"Like he said, she was playing some of the best basketball he had seen her play at these tournaments,'' said Susan Bays. "He said he expected to see her in the WNBA.''

Athletes are usually released to resume normal activity six months after surgery, which would put Whitney Bays' return around the middle of January. She would have about a month and a half to get into game shape before sectional tournament play starts at the end of February. The state tournament is scheduled for March 10-13.

"We're not going to make any decisions on that right now,'' said Susan Bays of Whitney's return this season. "We're going to see how things go and we're going to let her take her time and rehab until her leg is strong. What the doctor recommends or feels is best is what we'll do.

"She texted me the other day that she was really motivated. We were talking the other night [and] when she does come back she said she's going to be so hungry to play that she's not even going to be worried about her knee.''

Whitney Bays averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds during her junior season and led the Highlanders to their third straight appearance in the Class AAA state title game.

Huntington became the first girls team in the Mountain State to lose in the championship game three straight seasons after falling to North Marion 66-64 on a buzzer-beater in March. The Highlanders should be one of the favorites again this year, returning three other starters who scored in double figures.

Bays, a three-time Class AAA first-team all-state selection, is ranked No. 28 in the ESPN HoopGurlz Top 100 list for the Class of 2010. She is the subject of a nationwide recruiting battle because of her ability and athletic 6-foot-2 frame. More than 50 college coaches were in attendance at the AAU game in which Bays, who plays for the West Virginia Thunder 16-and-under team, injured her knee.

"The college coaches have been absolutely wonderful,'' said Susan Bays. "Nobody is backing off her. They all still want her. The Thursday she had surgery, when we got home that night she had 58 phone calls and I had 33. They've really been supportive.''

Knee injuries aren't the career-enders they once were. Candace Parker had three knee surgeries, including one to repair a torn ACL before her senior year in high school, but went on to lead Tennessee to two national titles and became the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft.

"There's not a college team you can hardly find that doesn't have two girls that have torn their ACLs and come back,'' Susan Bays said.

Susan Bays said earlier this summer Whitney would rise early every morning to run the hills at Ritter Park. After each run, Whitney worked out at the YMCA in Huntington for nearly three hours, playing against boys and shooting baskets.

"She's not a sit-still person,'' said Susan Bays. "Basketball has been such a big part of her life; it's an adjustment. I'm really proud of her, how she has handled all this. She really has a good outlook. I think she's done better than me.''

Reach Tommy R. Atkinson at  tatkin...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-4811.