Meghan Calley always had the potential to play college basketball. As an upperclassman at Highland, she began to fulfill that potential. But even as she grew closer to her goal, a fear lurked that she would fall short, that she would be a victim of circumstances.

In light of the pandemic, nearly every collegiate athlete was granted an extra year of eligibility, which meant seniors didn’t have to graduate and schools didn’t always necessarily need to recruit high schoolers.

For many athletes over the last year, finding a scholarship has been tougher than nabbing a parking spot at a jam-packed Costco.

Calley’s quest grew much tougher at the onset of her senior season. During Highland’s third game, the senior was trying to beat the first quarter buzzer. She came off a screen and rose up for the shot. When she touched the hardwood, her knee popped and pain coursed through her body.

A later MRI revealed the worst: a torn ACL. Her season was done. No more basketball. No more chances to impress college coaches.

“She’s been playing varsity since she was a freshman and she’s one of those girls who is always working, always in the gym, lifting for this moment — her senior year. That was a tough go,” Highland coach Gino Mariani said. “I was glad (the injury) didn’t put a punctuation on her career.”

Instead, the injury was just a comma, a mark of more to come. On Tuesday, Calley signed to play college basketball at North Idaho Community College in Coeur d’Alene.

“When I stood up and thanked everyone for coming, I was like, ‘This is totally surreal,’” Calley said of her signing ceremony. “I’ve wanted to play college basketball since, like, fourth grade and I was like, ‘Holy. This is actually happening.’”

Injuries are often poison to college scholarships. If it doesn’t kill them altogether, a setback as bad as a torn ACL can slim down interest. Colorado Mesa and the University of Hawaii at Hilo were both talking with Calley before her injury. Then her knee got roughed up and the phone lines practically went silent.

Calley started seeking offers like a lost traveler looking for shelter. She reached out to colleges to speak with coaches and was forced to inform them of an injury that wouldn’t heal for months. Regardless, North Idaho coach Korina Baker watched Calley’s film, then picked up the phone.

“I don’t think your ACL is going to be a problem,” Baker told Calley. “I still want you.”

“I’m super grateful that she had that confidence in me,” Calley said, “that I’m going to come back even stronger.”

Mariani always had that confidence in Calley. He knew whoever took a chance on Calley would be rewarded, gifted a scrappy guard who can shoot the lights out and create havoc in transition.

The Highland coach was one of Calley’s first calls after her MRI results came back. It was deja vu for Mariani, who’s seen plenty of high school careers come to a snapping end with one bad step. Perhaps, he said, that suddenness creates a perspective of what it means to play the sport.

“When it gets taken away from you, not by choice, you have that realization like, ‘Wow. That’s the end,’” Mariani said. “She didn’t want that to be the last time she ever suited up to play competitively.

“She would have had a wonderful (senior) year, no doubt about it. It’s tougher, but she had enough good film from her sophomore and junior seasons that coaches were going to look at her.”

Calley flipped through some of her freshman-year film the other day. She was less than impressed. “I looked like a lost puppy,” she joked. Then she turned on her footage from the first three games of this season. She looked in control, confident.

“I hate taking plays off. I’m going for loose balls. I’m looking for teammates — I love watching my passing highlight film,” Calley said. “On defense, (I get a ton of) steals. When we’re in zones, I’m pretty good at that.”

For now, though, Calley only has to focus on recovery, on making the most of a scholarship that seemed so unlikely once upon a time.

“I just started running two weeks ago, so that’s been nice. But I’m a little out of shape and my quad is tiny right now,” Calley said with a chuckle. “In a couple weeks, I should be getting into some jumping stuff … At nine months (which will be August), I’ll be back in contact play.”