With a pin and a pop, Arizona's Lindsey Malecha received the surprise of a lifetime.
The UA's walk-on guard was put on full scholarship Friday night. A video posted to the team's Twitter page shows Malecha popping a balloon with a pin, then chasing down the note that was placed inside.
"You embody all the things this program strives to be," the note reads. "You have earned a full scholarship …"
With that, Malecha's voice breaks and she is mobbed by her teammates.
Watch the video here:
It’s that time of the week where everyone gets that #FridayFeeling. But for walk-on @LindseyMalecha, she has that SCHOLARSHIP FEELING!!!! pic.twitter.com/CE96Kz0XIu
— Arizona Women's Basketball (@ArizonaWBB) July 21, 2018
The scholarship marks a happy ending for Malecha, who spent three years getting healthy before joining the team as a walk-on.
Malecha was a three-time first-team all-conference guard at Maplewood, Minnesota’s Hill-Murray High School. In her senior year she was All-State Class AAA, Metro East Conference Player of the Year, and was up for Minnesota Ms. Basketball. She averaged 22 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.
Arizona guard Lindsey Malecha appeared in 23 games as a junior last season in her first with the Wildcats.
An injury scuttled her college plans. Just two days after winning her sectional championship, Malecha hurt her knee in practice. The next day, an MRI revealed she had a complete tear in her right ACL, and partial tears in her MCL and meniscus in the same knee.
She enrolled at the UA, and worked toward joining the team as a walk-on. Coach Adia Barnes added her to the roster last year. She appeared in 23 games in her first season at Arizona, scoring 31 points.
