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March 3, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS - With a win against Indiana in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, Drey Mingo returned to Conseco Fieldhouse, the facility that was the site of one of the most emotional moments in Purdue basketball history. So it was fitting that Thursday also was the day that Mingo learned she had been selected as one of 11 finalists for the V Foundation Comeback Award. On Dec. 18, against Auburn in the Boilermaker BlockBuster, Mingo made her first game appearance since being hospitalized in critical condition with bacterial meningitis. Two days before Thanksgiving, on Nov. 23, the Atlanta, Ga., native was found on the floor of her apartment unresponsive and with just a slight pulse. She was transported to the hospital and the first night was given a 50 percent chance of survival. She fought for her life and continues to fight, leaving the hospital after five days and returning to the court less than three weeks later. In the BlockBuster game, Mingo played two minutes in a 76-56 dismantling of Auburn, scoring two points, grabbing a rebound and committing a foul. Today, the 6-foot-2 forward has returned to full strength and against the Hoosiers contributed 21 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals in Purdue's 66-62 victory against Indiana. In the two games prior, Mingo delivered a career-high 25 points along with nine boards against Ohio State and a career-high 15 rebounds and 12 points in the win at Penn State. The difference in her statistical performance only touches the surface of the impressive strides Mingo has made to to achieve her goal of returning back to as she says, "being Drey". Mingo suffered hearing loss as a result of her illness, with less than 15 percent hearing in her left ear and about 60 percent in her right ear. Yet three months from her release from the hospital, Mingo leads the Boilermakers in rebounding, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and is third on the team in scoring.
As her miraculous story continues, Mingo's journey has landed her as a finalist for the 2011 V Foundation Comeback Award. The award is presented by the The V Foundation for Cancer Research in conjunction with ESPN. The recipient will be announced during ESPN's basketball tournament coverage in early April. The finalists are: Jessica Breland, North Carolina; Dawn Evans, James Madison; Jacki Gemelos, USC; Angel Goodrich, Kansas; Levi Knutson, Colorado; Drey Mingo, Purdue; Cory Pflieger, Rice; Thomas Robinson, Kansas; Kim Rodgers, Maryland; Krystal Thomas, Duke; and Whitney Hand, Oklahoma. The annual award is open to men and women collegiate basketball student-athletes in all divisions. It is awarded to an individual or a team who has accomplished a personal triumph in the face of true adversity, be it in health, life or moral dilemma. The award is presented in memory of Jim Valvano, the late basketball coach and ESPN commentator, whose personal battle with cancer inspired the creation of The V Foundation. In his memorable speech at ESPN's inaugural ESPY Awards announcing the creation of The V Foundation, Valvano's "Don't Give Up . . . Don't Ever Give Up!"® motto created a legacy from which the Comeback Award was created. The 2011 recipient will be selected by a six-member sub-committee of The V Foundation Board of Directors. Past recipients of the award include a Boilermaker, Katie Douglas was the inaugural award winner in 2001. Other recipients include: Kristin Koetsier, Western Michigan (2002); Justin Allen, Arizona State (2003); Jamie Carey, Texas (2004); Kayla Burt, Washington (2005); Grant Dykstra, Western Washington (2006); the United States Military Academy Women's Basketball Team (2007); Nicole Hester, Drexel (2008); Tiffara Steward, Farmingdale State (2009); Dallas Blocker, Youngstown State (2010). The V Foundation for Cancer Research
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