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By Nick Daschel | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Oregon State’s Timea Gardiner begins her sophomore women’s basketball season at Oregon State as she did a year ago: happy, hopeful and ready to make a difference.
The 6-foot-3 Gardiner, the highest rated recruit in OSU program history, came up a little empty on fulfilling those three during her freshman season.
Yet, in another respect, it was very fulfilling.
“I’m grateful for every moment you get,” Gardiner said. “Honestly, that’s the best way I can sum it up.”
It’s what happens when you’re 18 and seemingly immortal, then blood clots lead to a sobering perspective.
Expectations for the combination of Gardiner and freshman Raegan Beers were high. They were the top two players in a 2022 recruiting class rated No. 3 nationally by ESPN.com. Oregon State was about to get back to powerful, inside attack that had been a program staple during a run of seven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
One day in early October and on her way to breakfast, Gardiner rode her scooter into a pole near the strength and conditioning center. The handlebar hit Gardiner hard in mid-torso. It happens.
A few days later, Gardiner said her left side began to spasm.
“I thought nothing of it. It was like, hey this is random,” she said.
That Saturday, Gardiner went to an Oregon State football game. The pain intensified. Gardiner felt like she couldn’t breathe. She left and went the emergency room at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis.
A CT scan showed Gardiner had multiple blood clots in her lungs.
“The world kind of froze. I was, like OK, what now?” she said.
Gardiner was told if a clot left her lung and went to her brain, she could die. She was immediately put on blood thinners. The seriousness of the situation began to sink in.
Gardiner asked, how long am I out, suggesting what, three weeks?
“He said three months. I was like, wait, no way,” Gardiner said. “I’m putting this timeline in my head, and that’s like the middle of January. We’re already into Pac-12.”
It took three weeks for the pain to subside. It followed with weeks of breathing therapy. All the while, Gardiner had to make a decision: redshirt or make a run at playing the second half of the 2022-23 season.
In Gardiner’s mind, it wasn’t much of a decision. Even if it’s 10 or 12 games to help her team on the court, Gardiner wanted to do it.
Timea Gardiner
Oregon State's Timea Gardiner won Pac-12 freshman of the week honors after hitting 7 of 10 shots and scoring 15 points in a 68-65 win over Oregon. (Leon Neuschwander)
It wasn’t until early December that Gardiner said she began feeling normal. But until she was off blood thinners – which was mid-January -- practice was restricted to no-contact drills.
Gardiner attended every practice and games that didn’t involve flying, even though she was sidelined. Gardiner cheered for teammates, but inside it was tearing her up, knowing she could have helped in games against top 25 opponents like Iowa and Duke.
“There were a lot of nights where I went back to my room and cried because I was so frustrated,” she said.
Gardiner’s doctors assured her that she’d be back playing in three months, once off blood thinning medication. On a whiteboard in the team room, players had a countdown on the number of days left until Gardiner could play.
It was January 13, a home game against Washington State.
“I remember thinking, today’s the day. I was surreal for me,” Gardiner said. “When I hit my first three, I celebrated, which I never do.”
Months have passed since Gardiner completed her truncated 15-game freshman season. Basketball practice for the 2023-24 season started last week. Gardiner and Beers are headed to Las Vegas next week to represent Oregon State at Pac-12 media day. Things are back to normal.
There’s reason for optimism. Gardiner and Beers are healthy and have a year of college experience. Junior guard Talia von Oelhoffen is back after knee surgery. The roster includes plenty of perimeter firepower.
“I don’t want to say I have something to prove. But I feel like I didn’t fully showcase what I can do,” Gardiner said.
One more thing: Gardiner still rides her scooter.
“The scooter didn’t cause it,” she said, smiling.