A Quick Comeback for a Big Goal: Livi Tucker Downs’ Road to Division I Basketball

Pictured: Livi with her mom, Lesta, and Jesse Botker, MD

Watch the full video here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19LxxcE33b/

For Livi Tucker Downs, basketball has always been more than a sport. It’s something she has loved for as long as she can remember.

Now, she’s taking that passion to the next level. Livi will continue her basketball career at the University of South Dakota, where she will play Division I basketball.

But during her junior year, an injury put her goal on hold.

A Big Goal and an Unexpected Injury

Livi fractured her thumb during a game at a time when she was closing in on 1,000 career points. She also had her sights set on playing in the Mankato East vs. Mankato West rivalry game, one of the biggest games of the season.

For Livi’s mom, Lesta, watching her daughter deal with the injury was difficult.

“It's hard seeing not just the pain level that she was in but also just her frustration about not being able to do what she loves,” Lesta said. “But she really grew through the process.”

Getting Livi evaluated quickly was important. The family chose Orthopaedic & Fracture Clinic because they knew they could get her seen right away through the OFC Express hours, and because of Dr. Botker’s experience in sports medicine.

“I chose OFC because I was able to get in right away with their urgent care hours a the clinic” Lesta said. “And I wanted Dr. Botker because I knew he focuses a lot on sports medicine and he's an expert in that field and just really good at what he does," Said Livi. 

Care All Under One Roof

The family came to OFC the morning after Livi’s injury.

“They got us in right away,” Lesta said. “We were here before 8, did the X-rays, made the diagnosis and they put a soft cast on.”

Dr. Botker was also concerned there could be ligament damage, so the next step was an MRI.

Instead of waiting for another appointment or traveling to another location, Livi was able to have the MRI that same day.

“We walked from the exam room in the back over to the MRI area and got an MRI that day to rule that out,” Lesta said. “Scheduling was just seamless. They just took great care of her all under one roof. Dr. Botker was phenomenal.”

For Livi, having a provider who understood what was at stake made a difference.

“He was really prompt and very understanding of what I was going through,” Livi said. “He understands how important it is to get athletes back to what they love to do as quick as possible.”

Back on the Court

Livi had a goal in mind from the beginning: get back within a month.

“I kind of told him my goal was to be back within a month because we had our big East vs West rivalry, and those are just always the most fun games of the year,” she said. “I had the 1,000-point milestone coming up as well.”

With her treatment and rehabilitation, Livi was able to return to the court in under a month.

She made it back for the East vs West game and reached the 1,000-point milestone she had been working toward.

The Next Chapter

Now, Livi is looking ahead to a new challenge at the University of South Dakota.

She’s excited about more than just playing at the Division I level. She’s looking forward to the relationships and experiences that come with being part of a college team.

“What I'm most looking forward to within the next few years at the University of South Dakota is creating new friendships and bonds for sure,” Livi said. “There's no place like sports for the girls that you get to play with and the people you get to meet. It's lifelong friendship.”

And, of course, there are goals on the court, too.

“I'm looking forward to all of us working together and competing for our goal of winning the Summit and playing in March Madness.”

For Lesta, seeing her daughter reach this point makes the journey especially meaningful.

“Watching Livi achieve her goal of playing Division One basketball is very special,” she said.

After a thumb injury put her junior season on pause, Livi was able to get back on the court, reach her 1,000-point milestone and finish both her junior and senior seasons doing what she loves. Now, she’s ready for the next chapter at the University of South Dakota.