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Jeskeova impacts after 2 years out for 2 surgeries
2/26/2025 11:19:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU graduate helps historic team after suffering ACL tears twice
A two-year span can fly like an arrow if you are growing a plant or upgrading a cell phone, but the same two years compose a massive chunk of a young adult's life.
Twenty-three months between basketball games turned tedious and trying for Grand Canyon graduate Kristyna Jeskeova, who was sidelined by two knee surgeries that delayed her Lopes debut until last month.
From Feb. 9, 2023, to Jan. 4, 2025, Jeskeova could not play the game that she has loved for most of her life and that brought her from the Czech Republic when her college career started in 2019.
Not only has Jeskeova returned after an absence longer than a master's degree, Jeskeova is finding a way to thrive on a GCU team that was already rolling. In 12 games, Jeskeova's defense, rebounding and versatility has helped the Lopes lengthen their nation-best winning streak to 23 games and clinch a share of the program's first WAC championship.
"It's amazing. and it's also nice that I can help them sometimes," Jeskeova said. "Because I'm stubborn, I was able to."
Playing for Long Beach State, Jeskeova made a jump shot two minutes into a game at UC Santa Barbara two seasons ago and felt her left knee wiggle upon landing. The next morning, her knee swelled and her pain increased before a MRI exam revealed a fully torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Surgery was delayed a month to monitor her other knee ligaments, and surgery created a nine- to 12-month estimated recovery that her rehabilitation diligence reduced to 7 1/2 months.
During that time, she followed assistant coach Laura Dinkins' move from Long Beach State to the GCU staff.
"She was the one who picked me up from my flight, and we haven't left each other since," Jeskeova said of Dinkins. "We're going on our sixth year together, so I do love her."
Jeskeova planned to redshirt last season but worked her way back to practicing and having fun when she was cleared for scout team duty in December 2023. About three weeks later, she was defending GCU teammate Anna Ostlie at the end of a practice when Jeskeova planted her left foot and fell to the ground without contact.
"I knew it was torn because it was the same feeling. and then (athletic trainer) Cody (Jefferson) did the testing, and I was like, 'Whisper it to me.' He whispered, 'Okay, it's torn.' "
The MRI confirmed she needed to repeat surgery and rehabilitation.
"When you see a player work so hard on the road to recovery – and she's the perfect patient who goes above and beyond for rehab – to see all that crash on her and that she would have to redo everything she's worked so hard for, the whole team felt for her," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "It's a testament to who she is as a person because a lot of people would've hung it up at that time."
That stubbornness equated to determination again. But first, there was more frustration.
Because of the first surgery, Jeskeova needed bone grafts to rebuild the area for a repair to the partially torn ACL. That delayed Dr. Thomas Carter's knee surgery three months to May and created a timeline that put another season in peril.
Going off her first recovery, Jeskeova moved up her recovery timeline goal to return at the start of January.
"Nobody really believed in that, just me and Itamar," Jeskeova said, referring to her physical therapist, Itamar Stern of Foothills Sports Medicine, who rehabilitated her five days a week for four-hour sessions on top of Jeskeova completing a master's degree in business administration and starting another master's degree in business analytics that she will finish in August.
Miller watched one of Jeskeova's off-campus clinic sessions to fully appreciate what she was enduring again.
"It was inspirational," Miller said. "She's the type of person you want your own kids to look up to and be a role model for, and she's definitely been that to mine."
As she pledged, Jeskeova was cleared Dec. 23 and played her first GCU game for the Lopes' Jan. 4 conference opener at Southern Utah. The Lopes were rolling with a 13-2 record and an 11-game winning streak but found a way to get better with Jeskeova. The streak is now at 23 consecutive wins after a 12-0 mark with Jeskeova.
"I was struggling so much with the flu, which was actually good," Jeskeova said of her Lopes debut. "When I came in, everyone was so excited. I was excited as well, but if you're waiting for something for two years, it's like, 'Thank God.' It's not even like you're hyped. It's more peaceful, like, 'Finally.' "
On a star-studded, senior-laden team, she already ranks second on the team in blocked shots for the season despite missing most of it. In 13 minutes per game, the 6-foot-2 player has adapted to operating at center with 3.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.
She is grasping the plays, the chemistry and the position better as GCU gets deeper into the program's historic season. The Lopes can claim an outright WAC championship and WAC Tournament No. 1 seed with a win Thursday at UT Arlington.
"Defensively. I feel like I'm back for sure," the former Big West Defensive Player of the Year said. "But offensively, it's much harder to fit in the system. Speed, I would say I'm pretty back.
"When you're on the sideline, you're invisible. You don't come to practices. You don't travel. You're just invisible, so it was hard going through that."
Now, Jeskeova is getting notice for improving a team that lacked for holes. She is a unique matchup problem at her position because of her mobility, even after two knee surgeries.
"No one thought she'd have this kind of impact after having two years off," Miller said. "It's just a testament to her work ethic and the unseen hours. That's why she's been successful.
"If you're going to steal minutes, you have to bring some sort of value. She was rebounding from the ground the first game she played. She was defending and getting deflections at a rapid pace. She was making the most of her minutes. With the confidence her teammates had in her, she's really been uplifted by the whole group."
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Twenty-three months between basketball games turned tedious and trying for Grand Canyon graduate Kristyna Jeskeova, who was sidelined by two knee surgeries that delayed her Lopes debut until last month.
From Feb. 9, 2023, to Jan. 4, 2025, Jeskeova could not play the game that she has loved for most of her life and that brought her from the Czech Republic when her college career started in 2019.
Not only has Jeskeova returned after an absence longer than a master's degree, Jeskeova is finding a way to thrive on a GCU team that was already rolling. In 12 games, Jeskeova's defense, rebounding and versatility has helped the Lopes lengthen their nation-best winning streak to 23 games and clinch a share of the program's first WAC championship."It's amazing. and it's also nice that I can help them sometimes," Jeskeova said. "Because I'm stubborn, I was able to."
Playing for Long Beach State, Jeskeova made a jump shot two minutes into a game at UC Santa Barbara two seasons ago and felt her left knee wiggle upon landing. The next morning, her knee swelled and her pain increased before a MRI exam revealed a fully torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Surgery was delayed a month to monitor her other knee ligaments, and surgery created a nine- to 12-month estimated recovery that her rehabilitation diligence reduced to 7 1/2 months.
During that time, she followed assistant coach Laura Dinkins' move from Long Beach State to the GCU staff.
"She was the one who picked me up from my flight, and we haven't left each other since," Jeskeova said of Dinkins. "We're going on our sixth year together, so I do love her."
Jeskeova planned to redshirt last season but worked her way back to practicing and having fun when she was cleared for scout team duty in December 2023. About three weeks later, she was defending GCU teammate Anna Ostlie at the end of a practice when Jeskeova planted her left foot and fell to the ground without contact."I knew it was torn because it was the same feeling. and then (athletic trainer) Cody (Jefferson) did the testing, and I was like, 'Whisper it to me.' He whispered, 'Okay, it's torn.' "
The MRI confirmed she needed to repeat surgery and rehabilitation.
"When you see a player work so hard on the road to recovery – and she's the perfect patient who goes above and beyond for rehab – to see all that crash on her and that she would have to redo everything she's worked so hard for, the whole team felt for her," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "It's a testament to who she is as a person because a lot of people would've hung it up at that time."
That stubbornness equated to determination again. But first, there was more frustration.
Because of the first surgery, Jeskeova needed bone grafts to rebuild the area for a repair to the partially torn ACL. That delayed Dr. Thomas Carter's knee surgery three months to May and created a timeline that put another season in peril.
Going off her first recovery, Jeskeova moved up her recovery timeline goal to return at the start of January.
"Nobody really believed in that, just me and Itamar," Jeskeova said, referring to her physical therapist, Itamar Stern of Foothills Sports Medicine, who rehabilitated her five days a week for four-hour sessions on top of Jeskeova completing a master's degree in business administration and starting another master's degree in business analytics that she will finish in August.
Miller watched one of Jeskeova's off-campus clinic sessions to fully appreciate what she was enduring again.
"It was inspirational," Miller said. "She's the type of person you want your own kids to look up to and be a role model for, and she's definitely been that to mine."
As she pledged, Jeskeova was cleared Dec. 23 and played her first GCU game for the Lopes' Jan. 4 conference opener at Southern Utah. The Lopes were rolling with a 13-2 record and an 11-game winning streak but found a way to get better with Jeskeova. The streak is now at 23 consecutive wins after a 12-0 mark with Jeskeova."I was struggling so much with the flu, which was actually good," Jeskeova said of her Lopes debut. "When I came in, everyone was so excited. I was excited as well, but if you're waiting for something for two years, it's like, 'Thank God.' It's not even like you're hyped. It's more peaceful, like, 'Finally.' "
On a star-studded, senior-laden team, she already ranks second on the team in blocked shots for the season despite missing most of it. In 13 minutes per game, the 6-foot-2 player has adapted to operating at center with 3.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.
She is grasping the plays, the chemistry and the position better as GCU gets deeper into the program's historic season. The Lopes can claim an outright WAC championship and WAC Tournament No. 1 seed with a win Thursday at UT Arlington.
"Defensively. I feel like I'm back for sure," the former Big West Defensive Player of the Year said. "But offensively, it's much harder to fit in the system. Speed, I would say I'm pretty back.
"When you're on the sideline, you're invisible. You don't come to practices. You don't travel. You're just invisible, so it was hard going through that."
Now, Jeskeova is getting notice for improving a team that lacked for holes. She is a unique matchup problem at her position because of her mobility, even after two knee surgeries.
"No one thought she'd have this kind of impact after having two years off," Miller said. "It's just a testament to her work ethic and the unseen hours. That's why she's been successful.
"If you're going to steal minutes, you have to bring some sort of value. She was rebounding from the ground the first game she played. She was defending and getting deflections at a rapid pace. She was making the most of her minutes. With the confidence her teammates had in her, she's really been uplifted by the whole group."
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