Lindsey Duvall, the Bullitt East High School junior point guard who recently committed to the University of Kentucky, was released from a Louisville hospital Thursday after having a grape-sized tumor removed from just below her left knee.
Tom Duvall, Lindsey’s father, said the surgery lasted just short of two hours and doctors identified the tumor as a chondroblastoma. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute defines a chondroblastoma as “a rare, benign bone tumor comprised of cells that produce cartilage.”
Tom Duvall said the tumor will be sent for diagnosis, with results expected within two days.
“They feel very confident they got everything,” Tom Duvall said. “The doctors said it could not have gone any better.”
Tom Duvall said doctors used a bone graft to strengthen part of the tibia bone that “had been eaten away” by the tumor.
“They said the leg will actually be stronger than it was before the surgery,” Tom Duvall said. “There’s something there now instead of nothing. … You always look for the silver lining, and I think Lindsey realizes now that she’ll be even stronger.”
The 5-foot-10 Duvall is ranked by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report as the No. 3 point guard and No. 10 overall recruit in the nation in the Class of 2017. Last week she committed to UK after also considering Louisville and Michigan.
A member of the Bullitt East varsity squad since she was a seventh-grader, Duvall has scored 1,999 career points. She was a second-team All-State selection by The Courier-Journal last season after averaging 23.7 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Duvall will be on crutches for 4-6 weeks, with 4-6 months of rehabilitation to follow. Tom Duvall said his daughter is confident she will return to the Bullitt East basketball squad for her senior season in 2016-17.
“Lindsey knows she can’t take anything for granted,” Tom Duvall said. “She had some goals for this season that had to be put on hold. But now she’ll be even stronger. She’s confident about that for next year.”
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.