Luppani’s Tenacity Gives Chapman a Leg Up

Chapman point guard Flo Luppani would seem the ideal candidate to take a medical redshirt season.

In the last nine months, Luppani has undergone reconstructive surgery on both knees. In September she was on crutches after a staph infection caused one of her knees to swell.

But Luppani wanted no part of inactivity, and now she starts for the Panthers. “The truth is I didn’t want to redshirt,” she said. “I would have been bored if I wasn’t able to play.”

The odds against her playing at all this season seemed great. Luppani tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee last January while playing for Orange Coast College. After arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage and ligament damage, she was fitted for a brace and finished the season.

In March, Luppani had reconstructive surgery. In June, just before Luppani was going to start playing basketball again, a doctor discovered the ACL in her right knee that had been reconstructed after a high school injury was “shredded.” This time Luppani’s knee ligament was reconstructed using a patella tendon from a cadaver.

Then her right knee started swelling and an infection was discovered. After rest and heavy doses of antibiotics, Luppani was able to start running in early October.

Because of Luppani’s medical history, Chapman Coach Mary Hegarty had to make other plans for point guard. Maureen Fox, a junior college transfer who hadn’t played much at the point, started the first few games. Luppani, making rapid progress, was a reserve.

But after the Panthers struggled with their ballhandling and lost games to San Francisco State and Cal Baptist last Friday and Saturday at the Cal State Stanislaus tournament, Hegarty decided a change was necessary.

Tuesday, Luppani started and played the entire game at Cal Lutheran. She had nine points, 12 assists and five turnovers in Chapman’s 75-54 victory.

“She responded to the challenge,” Hegarty said. “I can’t say enough about how mentally tough she is. It really helps to have that kind of leadership at the point.”

Luppani’s move into the starting lineup also will allow Fox to move back to wing, her natural position.

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Umahl Anderson, a junior on the Chapman men’s basketball team, is also battling back from a reconstructive knee surgery. Umahl, who had major surgery last fall and arthroscopic surgery this month, played for the first time in the Panthers’ tournament Friday and today.

Limited to playing in short spans, Anderson played about nine minutes in each game, scoring 16 points and totaling 10 rebounds and four assists as Chapman beat LIFE Bible, 99-75, and Southwestern (Ariz.), 101-47.

Chapman Coach Mike Bokosky said Anderson, who at 6 feet can play either guard or forward, will help the team. “He’s a long way away from being 100% but we are really happy to have him back. He is such an intelligent player, mature and experienced.

“He give us more depth and more options. He can play so many different positions and he brings more leadership to the team.”

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The Southern California College men’s basketball team made its traditional early season Division I step up last Saturday, losing, 94-60, at Texas El Paso.

The Vanguards played the game without starter Kevin Carlson (out because of a rotator cuff injury) and reserve Brian Carlson (flu) and never challenged.

“I don’t think our kids were intimidated or in awe of anyone,” SCC Coach Bill Reynolds said. “We just couldn’t stop them.

“We couldn’t generate any offense and couldn’t stop them from scoring much. But it was still a neat experience. Hopefully, our kids will learn what it takes to compete at close to that level.”