Madison St. Rose overcomes a torn ACL to become a star at Princeton: "I feel like a stronger player"

Princeton senior guard Madison St. Rose has been a force for the Tigers since starting over 20 games as a freshman, becoming a full-time starter as a sophomore. 

"I came into sophomore year with a lot of confidence," St. Rose said. "I knew what I needed to prepare for in the summertime, and when the time came, I was ready to give my all."

Giving her all led St. Rose to being named a co-captain her junior year.

"I wanted to prove to my coach and teammates that they were right in naming me captain and putting a lot of trust in me," St. Rose said.

But only four games into her junior campaign came heartbreak. St. Rose tore her ACL in her left knee, causing her to miss the rest of the season.

"I felt so fake to me because I have never been out in basketball before, like ever," she said. "I had to ride a scooter everywhere I went, and it was raining a lot."

St. Rose's recovery was harder than she could have ever imagined.

"I didn't think I'd make it through," St. Rose said. "I have to relearn how to walk. Just learning how to reactivate all the different kinds of muscles that I never had to think about. It was really frustrating."

"I've never seen anyone tackle that injury the way that she has," Princeton head coach Carla Berube said. "She had a tremendous work ethic, love for the game, a love for her teammates."

That love for her teammates made St. Rose still show up, taking on a coach-like role.

"Coach named me a leader and captain for a reason," St. Rose said, "so I did my best to give guidance."

"It certainly helps you when you're looking at the game from another side," Berube said, "so she's even more of a well-rounded player with an even greater IQ for the game."

Having to re-learn most of her basketball movements, even the mechanics of shooting, St. Rose was playing catch-up while everyone else was working on new skills.

"I felt like I was still behind even though I worked my way up to get to the baseline of everyone else's baseline," St. Rose said. "Those days that I didn't feel like showing up were most important."

With the eye of the tiger, St. Rose set her sights on making it back her senior year and is thriving, even hitting the 1,000-point milestone despite missing most of her junior season.

"It means so much looking back on all the hardships I've been through, the challenges, the amount of times I cried," St. Rose said. "It was a process for me to grow and get stronger mentally. I feel like a stronger player."

"I'm someone who likes to compete and work hard," she added. "If you put in the time, work and effort when no one is watching, your success comes out of your hardship."

If you know of an athlete or coach that you want to see on Hometown Hustle, you can email Krystle Rich at hometownhustle@cbs.com.