It was December 17th, 2023. Vanderbilt was playing against inner-city foe Lipscomb inside of Memorial Gym early on a Sunday afternoon. It was late in the first quarter with the Commodores leading the Bisons 13-10.

Then-freshman Madison Greene had four points in just six minutes and was making a significant impact off the bench for the Commodores.

With less than a minute to go in the opening quarter, she had the ball at the right wing, took a screen, drove it inside for a layup and hit the floor. She couldn't get up: clutching her left knee and not being able to put any weight on it as she was helped off of the Memorial Gym floor.

It was an ACL tear that would end a promising freshman campaign after just 11 games. Before the injury, Greene was off to a great start to the season, averaging 6.9 points per game and roughly 19 minutes per contest. She had even just posted a career-high 17 points against Louisiana Tech just two weeks prior.

Fast forward to almost a year later and Madison Greene hasn't just picked up where she left off before her injury, she's been even better.

This started on opening day, with Vanderbilt's first game of the season being against the same team that Greene suffered her injury against last season, the Lipscomb Bisons.

One can only imagine how many thoughts and emotions could've gone through Greene's mind. It was her first game back from a major injury against the same team, on the same floor that she suffered that injury on just 10 and a half months prior.

It would've been understandable if Greene got off to a shaky start, but instead she emerged as one of the Commodores best contributors. Greene put up 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and a team-high six steals in 28 minutes, helping the Commodores to a dominant 102-50 win over Lipscomb to start the season.

Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph, who has been open about her history with injuries from her playing days, raved about Greene's performance and how big it was for her to get off on the right foot.

"One of the things people never really talk about when you have an injury like her's a knee injury, and I'd know because I had a few, is the kind of mental hurdle when you come back and play on the court." Ralph said. "...To see her miss no beats in her first game was really impressive, but also she worked for it. I'm happy for her."

The opener was a great story for Greene, but how would she follow that up against Austin Peay next game? How about 14 points with four rebounds and two steals? Even more importantly, Greene saw an increase in her playing time, logging over 30 minutes of game time in just her second game back from injury.

"For Maddie, coming back from an injury you need time, she needs to play, so you saw her play a lot of minutes the last couple of games for that very reason." Ralph said after the game. "I expect her to be on the court playing big minutes for us all year and I want her to feel comfortable doing so."

The next game for Greene and the Commodores was a tough road test against South Florida. Many figured that Greene would continue in her role as a key piece off the bench that can come in and contribute in multiple areas of the game. However, things changed 15 minutes before tip-off when Shea Ralph told Greene that she would be getting her first career start due to Vanderbilt guard Iyana Moore dealing with back spasms before the game.

The guard responded with a 15-point performance in 37 minutes of action. Greene also shot five of nine from the field with each of her makes being 3-pointers.

The sophomore from Columbus, Ohio has shown a relentlessness that Shea Ralph always knew was in her, even going back to when they scouted her as a high school prospect.

"She is like a bull in a china shop a little bit." Ralph said. "She's a bulldog and it's one of the things that I recognized right away when we went to watch her play in the summer when she was in high school. She's relentless. I like coaching players like that, they're fun to coach."

Greene hasn't just been fun to coach I'm sure, but she's also been fun to watch and one of Vanderbilt's most reliable pieces when on the floor.

Through three games, Greene is Vanderbilt's third-leading scorer, averaging 14 points per game. She is also leading the Commodores in minutes played per game (31.7), steals per game (3.0) and three-point percentage (60%).

No longer is Greene just a comeback story of perseverance and relentlessness, she's become a story of emergence; showing Vanderbilt fans and the college basketball world what she is truly capable of.