Shocking! Shocking! Shocking!
volleyball.it has reported that American Hitter, Destinee Hooker, has left her Italian Club Team, Scavolini Pesaro, to treat her injured knee–a TORN MENISCUS. The site also mentioned that Hooker left Pesaro without saying GOODBYE.
As of press time, our source confirms that Hooker is still in Italy and will soon return to the United States for the surgery. The “departure time” on the article is incorrect, adds the source.
It appears that Pesaro is not too happy with Hooker’s decision to leave just before the Final Four of the Champions League in Istanbul, Turkey. The source added that Pesaro wanted Hooker to stay and play in the Final Four with an injured knee. Yikes!
We respect Hooker’s decision to prioritize her health over anything, such as winning the Champions League, for now. She made a very smart choice! It’s not all about winning…respecting her physical limits at this point is really the most important thing to do.
Take note: This is the first time Pesaro is in the Final Four of the most prestigious volleyball club tournament in the world and Hooker was a key part of the journey. In our opinion, we don’t think that Pesaro would get this far without Hooker’s presence. She’s been instrumental to the team’s success since her arrival 2 months ago.
We still think Pesaro can pull it off in the Final Four, but the absence of Hooker makes their chances more difficult to attain. In the semifinal match, Pesaro will face Rabita Baku of Azerbaijan which have the scoring machines: Natalya Mammadova and 2008 Olympic Silver medalist, Kim Glass (USA). At the moment, Manon Flier is the sole effective offensive weapon for Pesaro supported by Senna Usic and Martina Guiggi. If these girls can play their best volleyball against Rabita and setter Ferretti makes the right setting choices, then Pesaro might make history to play in the Final Match of the Champions League. But it will not be easy. Mammadova stated earlier in the season that she has a lot of individual awards already so it’s time to win the Champions League crown for Azerbaijan!
We must admit that we’re a little bummed we won’t see the “Hooker vs Mammadova” showdown. Maybe in the near future…
In case you didn’t know, Hooker has been playing with an injured knee since February. O M G! Girlfriend has sacrificed a lot for her team. Here’s a few details from a reliable source:
- February 4: First MRI showed a small tear in Hooker’s lateral meniscus but was told that she had “jumper’s knee.” Hooker played against Novara prior to this medical check up and Pesaro lost in 3 sets.
- February 21/ 22: Second MRI showed a problem in her knee & volleyball.it reported that Hooker was suffering from an “inflamed patellar tendon.” Read More by clicking HERE.
- February 23: With an “injured knee,” Hooker played and helped Pesaro win the 1st match against Volero. The injury was getting more serious after this match…
- March 3: Hooker & Pesaro won their 2nd Champions League playoff match against Volero Zurich in a highly contested 5 set match to advance to the Final Four. We saw this match and we noticed that something was different with Hooker’s jumping.
- March 6: Hooker finally missed a match in the Italian League against Bergamo. Pesaro lost in 4 sets and lost their #1 spot in the league to Piccinini and Team Bergamo.
- March 9: It was becoming apparent that Hooker’s injury was getting more serious when she missed another match for Pesaro against Piacenza. Pesaro won easily in 3 and advanced to the next round of the Italian Cup.
- March 10: Volleyball.it released on its website that Hooker has left Pesaro.
Based on this timeline, it appears that Hooker has played with an injured knee almost 6 weeks. That’s a long time!
We tried reaching out to Hooker’s Camp and have been unsuccessful. We saw this update on Hooker’s Fan Page instead:
Next week my surgery will take place. I will continue to keep you all posted. God Bless, pray, and believe in me. Taking this one day at a time. I will be out for 8 weeks……. but God willing I will return stronger then ever. If you all knew the truth behind my injury you would all be in shock. Sometimes health is more important.”
We wish you a quick recovery girlfriend! We hope to see you back on the court sometime.
Stay tuned for more…
(images: CEV & Hooker’s Facebook Fan Page)