BENTONVILLE — Kindal Coleman believes she’s still trying to get back into the swing of things after missing almost all of last season with a knee injury.

Recent indications are that Bentonville’s junior point guard is progressing quite nicely.

Coleman has picked up the scoring pace through 7A/6A-West Conference play and provided coach Tom Halbmaier with another vital piece to the Lady Tigers’ puzzle this season.

“I think I’m getting a lot more confidence than I had earlier in the season,” Coleman said. “My teammates have picked me up, and it has a lot to do with my teammates.

“I’m getting a lot of open looks, and I get a lot of passes where I can shoot the ball. I’m thankful for my teammates getting me those.”

Halbmaier envisioned the 5-foot-7 Coleman playing a significant role for the Lady Tigers last season, but that all changed during a game against Bryant in the Crabtree Invitational. She went up for a layup, but she was in immediate pain once her feet touched the floor again.

She thought the injury was minor and tried to return to action the following week, but the pain returned during warmups. A trip to the doctor followed, where it was revealed she had torn her anterior cruciate ligament and needed surgery.

“She’s such a competitor that she wasn’t going to stay down long enough to let it heal by itself,” Halbmaier said. “It wasn’t just a simple ACL; she had some other stuff that needed to be cleaned up, and no fault of her own.

“She worked hard in rehab and really was committed. It was going to be a long road, but for her to be doing some of the things she’s doing now, it’s definitely a blessing.”

Coleman was medically cleared to resume basketball duties in June, but it came during the two-week “dead period.” It was up to her to get herself back into basketball shape, so she did.

She ran on the beach — which she said was difficult — during a family outing in Florida, and she played some pickup basketball games when she could. She also went to a gym with a friend, where they would shoot 300 shots each day over a five-week period so she could regain her touch and be ready once practices began in earnest.

The work was worth it, as Coleman assumed her point guard role, giving Halbmaier an additional weapon on the perimeter. She is averaging 7.4 points per game — including an 8.5-point average in 7A/6A-West Conference play — and has scored 12 points in Bentonville’s last two games against Siloam Springs and Springdale High.

“I’m very proud of where she is right now,” Halbmaier said. “She’s worked hard to get at the level she’s at, and she’s not there yet. She’s got a lot more basketball ability in her.

“She has a high basketball IQ. I thought it would be very tough for her at point guard, but she stepped right in. The transition has been smooth. She sees stuff on the floor that you want a point guard to see, and she has that even keel. She doesn’t get rattled.”