Rylee Kalocay, a 17-year-old, 5-foot-9 senior guard, is a standout basketball player by all accounts. Pete Serio, her coach at Upper St. Clair High School, feels she’s “one of the best players in western
Pennsylvania.”
So, it’s hard to believe that just a short time ago, Rylee’s basketball future was in question. But midway through her junior year, she suffered season-ending anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus tears.
The ACL is one of four different knee ligaments that connect the femur (thighbone) to the tibia and fibula (lower-leg bones). It helps to control the knee’s back-and-forth and rotational movements. Noncontact ACL injuries are common in sports, including basketball with its sudden stops, starts, and changes in direction.
A Heartbreaking Injury
“We were winning the game with three minutes left,” says Rylee. “I came down on the left side and pivoted in a way that was awkward and uncomfortable. In the moment, I didn’t even realize it was a big deal.”
Everyone in the gym that night realized it was a big deal, though.
“Rylee doesn’t remember any of this, but I remember it like it was yesterday,” says Rylee’s mom, Wendy. “I can still hear her scream — and then the gym went dead silent.”
Wendy, an executive administrator with UPMC, knew to call the experts at UPMC Sports Medicine. Shortly after her injury, Rylee saw Dharmesh Vyas, MD, PhD. Dr. Vyas is an orthopaedic surgeon at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township.
The Kalocay family and all of Rylee’s coaches, athletic trainers, and teammates were still holding out hope the injury was only a meniscus tear. But the MRI showed Rylee had also torn the ACL. Within 24 hours, Rylee’s plans for her pivotal junior year of high school and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball were on pause for at least nine months.
It was a crushing blow. Rylee had dreamed of playing basketball at the highest level since fourth grade. Her junior year was prime time for positioning herself for scholarship offers from Division I programs.
A Remarkable Comeback
Dr. Vyas and his staff felt Rylee’s pain and disappointment. Knowing that Rylee was a tenacious athlete, they gave her reassurance.
“Dr. Vyas had this calming way about him,” Rylee says. “And total confidence that he’d make me good as new. I never had the tiniest bit of doubt about him. It was like we connected right away.”
Prior to surgery, Rylee completed “prehab.” Prehab is physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around her knee and prepare her for the procedure. It can yield better postsurgical outcomes.
After Rylee’s successful surgery at UPMC Shadyside, which consisted of an ACL reconstruction and meniscus repair, she was up and moving the same day. And it was an outpatient procedure, so she also went home the same day. Simple at-home physical therapy (PT) exercises and weight-bearing activity helped her avoid muscle atrophy and promoted healing.
She began her PT with Mike Kopacko, PT, DPT, at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex immediately. Rylee’s care — from her first appointment to diagnostic testing and PT — was under one roof.
The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex is the primary practice and training facility for the Pittsburgh Penguins as well as a comprehensive outpatient facility for UPMC Sports Medicine. Dr. Vyas is the medical director of the facility.
The first-of-its-kind facility treats high school athletes like Rylee and supports athletes at every level of athletic performance in returning to health after injuries. The world-class staff provides clinical care and services including physician services, imaging and diagnostics, physical therapy, and concussion management. It’s also a leading innovator of sports medicine research.
“I tried to do everything Dr. Vyas and my physical therapist, Mike, asked me to do,” says Rylee. “I was always a month ahead of the goals we set for my rehab.”
At around eight months post-surgery, a month ahead of schedule, Rylee returned triumphantly to the basketball court.
“Dr. Vyas and Mike knew I was ready, and I knew I was more than ready,” Rylee says. “My high school coaches needed to see it in writing to be comfortable that I was ready to return full force with no restrictions. I kept telling them, ‘I’m cleared, I’m cleared.’”
“Rylee really worked her tail off in rehab,” says coach Serio. “She was possessed to come back better than ever.”
A Silver Lining
The long rehab from Rylee’s knee injury allowed her and her family to visit more schools and find just the right program. In September 2024, Rylee committed to continue her academic and basketball careers at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.
Rylee feels excited for the future and happy to put her injury in the rearview mirror as she finishes up her senior year with countless accolades. These included leading scorer for the 6A and 5A classifications and 6A Player of the Year.
She finished her senior basketball season strong as a star player on the team. The team became the WPIAL Class 6A champions and PIAA Class 6A state runners-up in 2025. Plus, Rylee was named to the Class 6A First Team All-State, one of just five girls basketball players to be named to the team from across the state. She’ll also never forget the care team that made her recovery possible.
“The way Dr. Vyas and Mike helped me was just unbelievable. I don’t know how else to describe it. They pushed me, so I pushed myself,” she says.
World-Class Orthopaedic Care
If you’re an athlete or active person looking to treat, rehabilitate, or prevent sports-related injuries, UPMC Sports Medicine can help. At two world-class sports medicine facilities in the Pittsburgh area, our experts use individualized, cutting-edge techniques to help speed recovery and restore function.
Our comprehensive services help people of all ages and skill levels learn how to prevent injuries while focusing on nutrition, conditioning, and sport-specific performance training. We’re here to help you get back to doing what you love most.