By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Raegan McCowan was passing the ball during Western Illinois’ warmups before Thursday’s game with Southeast Missouri State when teammate Addi Brownfield walked by her and playfully slapped her left arm.

Then Brownfield realized what she had done.

“Bad arm,” she exclaimed, and then the two players started to laugh.

It is that left arm, specifically the left elbow that was dislocated and is now in a brace, that is keeping McCowan, one of the nation’s top mid-major players the last two seasons, on the bench as the Leathernecks have risen to first place in the Ohio Valley Conference. Western Illinois is 18-3 overall, 10-2 in the OVC, but McCowan can only watch and help out whenever possible in pre-game warmups and in practice.

“It’s definitely giving me a new perspective,” McCowan said. “You know, I’ve never been hurt in my life, except, if you count it, when I was in middle school and I broke my thumb. I mean, I sat out for that. But other than that, to this magnitude, I’ve never really had something like this.

“But I think it’s a blessing, you know, in disguise. I mean, it’s changing my perspective. It’s slowing the game down for me.”

McCowan, a junior guard who is averaging 17 points per game this season, was injured when she fell to the court during the Leathernecks’ win at Lindenwood in the OVC opener on December 18.

“Honestly, it was the most painful injury I’ve ever been through,” McCowan said. “I’ve broken bones before, but it was nothing like that. I’m someone who’s very in tune with my body. So I could feel all my ligaments tearing and going over the bone. That’s a little graphic, but it was pretty nasty. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”

The injury hasn’t been considered season-ending — the concern now is making sure the elbow is stable so a more serious injury won’t occur if McCowan is cleared to play.

“I could have had to get Tommy John surgery (a procedure to replace a torn ligament in the elbow),” McCowan said. “That’s really what I’m trying to stay away from right now. If I get back, I don’t want to get back too early, and fall on it, and have to have that kind of surgery. That’s a whole year of recovery. So I’m just trying to avoid it.”

The injury wasn’t to her shooting arm, so McCowan has been able to get shots up in practice and before games, which led to a funny moment before the Leathernecks played at UT-Martin on January 1.

“I didn’t have time to shoot earlier in the day, so I was getting some shots up in warmups,” McCowan said. “A couple of their players saw me out shooting and thought I was going to play, and went back into the locker room to tell the coach. He comes out and gets the players in the huddle and starts showing them how to guard me and everything. It was the funniest thing ever.”

McCowan has scored 1,512 points in her career and was on pace to become Western Illinois’ all-time leading scorer this season. She was third in NCAA Division I among freshmen in scoring at 19.4 points per game two seasons ago, and last season ranked 10th overall nationally, and fourth among sophomores, averaging 22.3 points.

The Leathernecks, though, have continued to win without her, getting production from many sources. Mia Nicastro is fourth nationally in scoring at 23.5 points per game. Brownfield is second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game. Mallory Shetley, who transferred to Western Illinois in the offseason and has moved into McCowan’s starting spot, averages 10.2 points. Six Leathernecks, led by Nicastro, scored in double figures in the Leathernecks’ 80-54 win over UT-Martin on Saturday.

“Honestly, it makes my job easier, knowing that they’re picking up my slack when I’m not out there,” McCowan said. “It makes it so much easier for me not to have to rush back. We’re doing just fine. I think we’re flowing. The scoring is being picked up by Addi and Mal and others, so it’s made it easier for me to focus on getting back to being 100 percent.”

“I’m really impressed with our team, the way they’ve stepped up,” Western Illinois coach JD Gravina said. “Madison Davis has gotten more minutes and she’s done so much. Mallory is starting and really playing well. We’ve really moved the ball well. I thought in the game at UT-Martin and then when we played at (Southeast Missouri State), we kind of struggled with our offensive movement without Raegan, but I think we’ve figured it out.”

The question now, with eight conference games, the OVC tournament, and then a postseason tournament, is there enough time for McCowan to get back to help the Leathernecks.

“If it was my call, I would have been back three months ago, you know me,” McCowan said, smiling. “But obviously, we’re just trying to be smart. It’s still pretty unstable, so I’m listening to doctor’s orders, as hard as it is, and just taking my time, just because the stability in the elbow is so important.”

“If I had to guess with the nature of her injury, I’d say it will be a major ease-in process in games,” Gravina said. “Now, is it possible she has a week of practice and is playing at a high level, and we’re ready to send her back out there for 30 minutes? That’s possible. I think it’s much more likely she’s going to get in, even just to get a couple minutes to kind of get that game feel out of the way, and then try to build from there.”

If she can’t return, McCowan could apply to the NCAA for a medical redshirt season. The goal right now, though, is to get her back this season. McCowan has been able to do non-contact work in practice.

“I’m doing one-on-one, getting into some shooting drills and everything like that,” she said. “So just trying to add something every day in practice, whatever my comfort level is. “Obviously, if it feels uncomfortable, I’ll pull myself out of things, but I’m just kind of taking it day by day.”

“We’ll do shooting drills with her,” Brownfield said. “But she just has done such a great job of still being so vocal as a leader on and off the court, encouraging us, finding different ways to contribute. So she’s just been truly spectacular through it all, but we’re definitely ready to have Raegan back out there.”

Brownfield laughed when asked if she has to be careful with McCowan.

“Sometimes I forget, and I’ll chest-bump her, stuff like that,” Brownfield said, laughing. “I’ll be like, ‘Oh, gotta be a little careful.’ But she’s tough. She’ll be fine.”

“I think this will change my perspective,” McCowan said. “Being on the bench, watching the game, the game really does slow down. And I’ve learned a lot.”

Top photo: Western Illinois guard Raegan McCowan (left) watches from the bench during the Leathernecks’ home game with SIUE earlier this season. McCowan has been out since mid-December after dislocating her left elbow. (Photo by John Lovretta)