GREER — Queen of Adversity is no misnomer. It fits Kendal Haroski to a tee. She wears it like a badge of honor, stiff upper lip, chest out.
One week into the season, Haroski was having the game of her life against J.L. Mann on Dec. 6. She was 5-of-8 from the 3-point line and scored 31 points in Riverside's 72-67 win. Then that adversity crept in.
"After the J.L. Mann game, my body just started feeling a little weird," Haroski said. "Eventually my parents and I got it checked out, and it turned out I had a stress fracture. It sidelined me for about a month."
It would have been easy for Haroski to sulk over the fracture to her right fibula. But that's not how the 2024 all-state guard is wired.
Then that adversity crept in.
"I love basketball, so of course, not being able to play was difficult," Haroski said. "But honestly, I learned a lot from watching on the sides because I'm able to see the game from a different angle. The game slows down a lot when you're not playing. I learned more about my teammates, myself, and most importantly, how to remain patient. I put a lot of faith in God, and it was a reminder that everything is on his timing."
Haroski also credits her family for being a rock for her as she recovered from her injury. Especially her father, Ed Haroski, who has watched her pursue the sport since she started.
"She (Kyndal) started playing church ball when she was about 5 or 6. These are little kids playing, so the idea is that the kids aren't supposed to foul, or play super hard. But I just remember Kyndal always playing super aggressive," Ed said, chuckling. "She would always try to go for steals and block shots. Some of the parents would get a little annoyed, but I wasn't going to teach her not to be aggressive. You either want it, or you don't want it — and she's always wanted it.”
Haroski made her much-anticipated return for the Warriors (18-7, 10-3 in Region 2-AAAAA) on Jan. 28 against one of Riverside's region rivals, Dorman. She scored nine points while on a minutes restriction as the Warriors topped the Cavaliers 62-55.
"We're trying to ease her into things now that we have her back," Jones said. "We're being cautious with her, so we're having to limit her minutes but still get her into a flow. So it has been a little difficult to find where she fits, but we know she'll get her groove back and help us peak at the right time.”
Haroski is averaging 13.5 points per game. She scored 15 points in Riverside's 62-32 win in last season's Class AAAA state championship, the first in the program's history. She's played on varsity since the seventh grade and is a three-time All-Region and All-County player.
She remembers the feeling of last year's state title win. And now, all of her attention is aimed toward the Warriors becoming back-to-back champs.
"Sometimes I get emotional just thinking about it," she said about the 2023-24 season. "Part of the reason it's so special is because all season, we knew we could do it. And this season, we feel the same way. Now, we're in a position where we know what it takes to get there. We just have to play our game, and hold each other accountable."