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Hanson ready to step back on court for T-wolves

The moment, a little more than a year ago, is clear in Nolan Hanson's mind. During a practice, before the UNBC Timberwolves had even played their first exhibition game, he got the ball and started to drive for the rim.
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Nolan Hanson of the UNBC Timberwolves men's basketball team missed all of last season because of a serious injury to his right knee. A year later, after surgery and an exhaustive rehabilitation program, he's ready to return to Canada West action with the T-wolves.

The moment, a little more than a year ago, is clear in Nolan Hanson's mind.

During a practice, before the UNBC Timberwolves had even played their first exhibition game, he got the ball and started to drive for the rim.

"I tried to do a move that I've always done - just tried to do a Euro step to get around a guy - and as soon as I planted my foot, I felt my whole knee kind of buckle underneath me," he said earlier this week. "Right away, I knew I'd done something pretty horrible."

At the time of the injury, Hanson was preparing for his fourth season of Canada West men's basketball with the Timberwolves. Originally, the common opinion among health professionals was that he had torn the medial collateral ligament in his right knee and would need about six weeks to heal, no surgery required. But an MRI later revealed the damage was much worse - a torn medial collateral ligament, a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a torn lateral meniscus.

Just like that, Hanson was out for the season.

"It was pretty disappointing," said the 22-year-old guard/forward. "It had been a lot of hard work to get to the position where I was at last season and it always sucks to go out that way."

Now, Hanson is ready to get back in the game. The six-foot-one Prince George product had surgery last December - the operation performed by Dr. David Nelson at the University Hospital of Northern B.C. - and followed a strict rehabilitation program under the watchful eyes of Davis Rodrigues at Accelerated Sport & Spine Physiotherapy.

Hanson described his rehab as "frustrating" and "a process that was unlike any other." At the same time, he was able to find several positives in what was an excruciating experience: he was able to focus more on the academic side of his life, he was in a position to do some career planning and he had the chance to expand his social group. Also, Hanson had the opportunity to study the game of basketball, which should be invaluable to him as he moves forward as a player.

"From a basketball perspective, I still showed up to all the practices," he said. "I showed up to just watch and help out and give my input wherever I could with some of the younger guys. And it's funny how much you learn just from watching basketball, let alone playing. There was so much I picked up and I even kept a journal and wrote down some of the stuff that I found really key that I wanted to remember for this season."

Hanson, a star at College Heights secondary school before he joined the Timberwolves program, went through UNBC's 2016 exhibition schedule with minimal problems. Head coach Todd Jordan was mindful of keeping his floor-time to about 10 minutes per game and Hanson responded well.

Physically, his knee swells occasionally. Mentally, he said there's been no "block" when it comes to doing the things he wants to do.

"I've been trusting my knee the whole time and haven't really had any anxiety around (re-injuring it)," said Hanson, who has a smooth, deadly shot from the outside and likes to slash to the hoop when he gets the chance. "It's been more around playing in general - just getting used to five-on-five CIS-level basketball again."

The CIS, or Canadian Interuniversity Sport - of which Canada West is a part - re-branded itself as U Sports last week. No matter the name, it represents the top rung of university athletics in the country.

The Timberwolves will play their last preseason game on Saturday in Vancouver against the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks of Waterloo, Ont.

Hanson won't be in uniform, but not because of the knee. Instead, he just had a case of strep throat and is erring on the side of caution by minimizing contact with his teammates.

The T-wolves will start their regular season next Friday and Saturday in Winnipeg against the Wesmen. The following weekend, they'll play their home-openers against the University of Alberta Golden Bears. Hanson is fully aware Jordan will continue to manage his minutes and knows - depending on team and individual circumstances - he may have to adjust his game a bit. Overall though, he can't wait to play.

"I'm excited to get a shot at it again," he said. "I've had lots of friends and acquaintances who have gone through this injury and you're like, 'Oh, I feel bad for you,' but you don't really understand the extent of the (injury and recovery) process. So now, having gone through it myself, I'm not the same person coming out of it and definitely a little bit different as a player. It's definitely a life experience, that's for sure."

Jordan praised Hanson for being "unbelievably prudent in taking care of his rehab" and envisions him becoming a significant contributor as the season moves along.

"If he gets back to 100 per cent health, I think he's going to have a big impact," Jordan said. "He's got some leadership qualities and is a veteran guy who's been through the system. He's more than capable of having a big impact on games so we're hoping we get that from him. But I don't want to put too much pressure on him at this point because he's just trying to survive coming back from this injury."

In missing all of the 2015-16 season, Hanson is still in his fourth year of eligibility. Next year will be his fifth and will coincide with his graduation from UNBC as an English major.

"It works out well," he said. "I can play out that last year and graduate at the same time."