Arts and Sciences | Athletics | Lion VoicesSeptember 19, 2025

Abby Summitt and When the Ball Stops Bouncing

Written By: Ian Silvester

Abby Summitt still has plenty of moves to make before that ball stops bouncing on her college basketball career.

Before Abby arrived at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, she believed her time of playing competitive basketball would end with an Arkansas high school girls basketball championship.

Coming to UAFS and continuing to play, however, was “in the stars” for the former Greenwood standout.

“I came up here, did a tour, and met with (Ryan McAdams, head coach). He said all the right things, and I really felt like he cared about where I was going in the future, and not just how I was going to play for him and how things were going to pan out for the team,” she said.

Fast forward to today, Abby and the UAFS women’s basketball team are about two months away from the start of what will be her senior season with the Lions. It’s a bittersweet time for Abby, whose junior year was cut short due to an injury that continues to nag.

During a preseason practice, what Abby thought to be a sprained ankle turned out to be torn ligaments that required surgery. Recovery time was only meant to last a little more than a month, but it resulted in a lost season.

For the first time in her playing career as a student-athlete, the mantra Abby’s mom always told her, “The ball stops bouncing one day,” felt closer to reality than ever before.

“It was really frustrating,” she said. “It was mentally draining, especially with academics as well. I couldn’t do the things I was brought here for, like playing basketball. I was expected to do my rehab every day, try to get back, and succeed in my classes as if there was nothing wrong.”

Abby, a biology major with a dream of going to dental school to become a dentist, leaned into her studies and support system while working her way back to the hardwood. Conversations with fellow student-athletes allowed her to vent and believe she would return to play.

“It’s leaning on the people around you because if I had to do it myself, I couldn’t have,” she said.

It’s been nearly a year since Abby’s surgery. She is back to her routine of waking up at 5:30 a.m. for 6:30 a.m. conditioning practice before six hours of classes. That is followed by practice and treatment on her ankle. Then it’s dinner and studying until waking up to do it all over again.

She laughed as she described her daily routine balancing academics and basketball.

“It gives you a whole lot of self-discipline. … I have to really dedicate a whole lot of my time to studying, whether it’s right after practice or going to a study hall,” she said.

Looking ahead to the end of the season and her May graduation, Abby revealed the emotions that creep in when she thinks about the goodbyes, working with professors to navigate her travel schedule during the season, and counting the endless possibilities of what comes next.

“The ball does stop bouncing at some point, and UAFS has prepared me for that moment, and every day after,” she said.

---

Watch Abby's Story:

• Tags:
• Biology
• Lion Voices
• UAFS Athletics
• College of Arts and Sciences
• Women's Basketball