We all can use a break along the way as we pursue our life’s dreams. That’s kind of the way it’s been for Elise Roughan as she enters her senior year at East Brunswick High School.

East Brunswick point guard Elise Roughan will be looking to become a scorer as well as a distributor for the Lady Bears this winter. A key member of the Bears’ girls basketball team, Elise was in the starting lineup as a freshman as the team went against Woodbridge in a regular season Greater Middlesex Conference game three years ago. Ten seconds into the game, as players scrambled for a loose ball, there was Roughan, diving like she usually did, only to have an opposing player fall on her leg.

“Crack” went her tibia, causing what Roughan remembers as the most pain she ever experienced in her young life. The break shut her down for the remainder of the season. Good thing, too. Roughan’s leg was in a full cast and she needed the time to recuperate to be ready for the following season. Along the way, she endured endless physical therapy sessions designed to speed up the process. Roughan also learned something else: Physical therapy was what she wanted as a career option.

“I watched how the people helping me made such a difference in the way I approached my recovery,” Roughan said on Tuesday. “PT is more than just manipulating muscles and bones. It’s encouraging patients.

That’s exactly what I want to do with my life. ” Which is why Roughan is the perfect leader for East Brunswick’s basketball team as she prepares for her senior year. A point guard her previous seasons, Roughan will be asked to step up her scoring as a senior. And for good reason.

“Another important player, Shannon Nulty, went down with a torn ACL,” said Bears coach Katie Motusesky. “That is going to put more of the responsibility for point production on Elise’s shoulders. But if there’s anybody who can handle that added burden, she is that player.”

There are indications that Roughan will meet that challenge. East Brunswick is currently winding down its participation in the GMC Summer Basketball League, but the rigorous schedule allowed Roughan to show that her shooting has improved. An 11.2 ppg scorer last season, she has been hovering near the 20-point average for much of the summer schedule.

“We figured that if Elise can average something like 16.5 points a game,” saidMotusesky, And that would be a great accomplishment for somebody who does so much for our team and school.”

Motusesky is referring to the hours tutoring younger students in academic classes and even basketball. An honors student with a 3.8 grade-point average, Roughan has devoted free time working with those who want to improve their performance, both in the classroom and on the court.

“It’s amazing to me that Elise can manage her time like she does and still work as hard in practice and in games,” Motusesky said. “She always has a smile on her face and she serves as a wonderful example to her teammates that this is the kind of effort it takes to win games.”

Basketball is not the only sport that occupies Roughan’s life. In the fall she’ll trade in her basketball shoes for spikes and take her position on the field as a defender for the Bears’ championship soccer team. The sport will serve to keep her in condition until she transitions back to basketball this winter.

Even while playing soccer, however, Roughan will literally have her hands on a basketball.

“One of the ways I’ve learned to become a more effective scorer is repeating my shooting stroke,” she says. “So I’ll lie down with my back on the floor and keep tossing a basketball in the air. It’s strengthened my touch.”

Following her senior year, Roughan will be faced with a decision about where to pursue her major in physical therapy. She would also like to continue playing basketball. She has definite ideas about how to go about that.

“There are some Division III schools that offer six-year programs, which will allow me to earn my Ph.D. in physical therapy,” she said. “That’s kind of what I’m looking at. Stockton and Ramapo are two of those schools. That would be great because I could play basketball, too.”

Her support team is her immediate family made up of her father (Frank) and mom (Ginny), and younger sister, Kaitlyn.

“I’m kind of close with my family,” she said. “They’re the ones I lean on when the road gets a little rough.”

Moving forward, Roughan does not need to be reminded how fortunate she is to be able to dribble a basketball. She is in possession of a videotape that shows her tumbling to the floor after her infamous injury three years ago. She occasionally watches it and recalls the pain. More important, she also remembers the road back to recovery and the people who helped her along the way.

“I’ve been fortunate to be in a position where I can pursue my dreams,” she said. “Now I’d like to help others accomplish their aspirations.”