PORTLAND – This past summer, Portland's Hannah Gruber was on the ground clutching her left knee in agony. She was playing 3-on-3 during a basketball camp at Calvin College when she came down wrong and fell to the ground. It was an odd turning of fate, since it was the final day of camp. After a visit to the doctor she found out she had completely torn her ACL and her road back to playing would require surgery and intensive rehab to get her back to her game.
Hannah is a three-sport athlete, competing for Portland in cross country, soccer and basketball. But, basketball is her favorite sport. She had to face the bleak fact that there would be no playing basketball for the winter season. It was a tough time for the Portland junior. It hurt even more that her sister, Ava, was an incoming freshman and it would be her first year on the team. Hannah had been looking forward to playing on the same team as her sister. What's an athlete to do? What's a team to do?
Well, the team votes someone they admire on and off the court as one of their leaders.
“A kid like Hannah does not come around too often,” shared Portland Raiders coach Jason Haid. “Hannah leads naturally without even trying. I wasn't surprised that the team voted Hannah as a captain. Hannah has been one of our most dedicated players since I started coaching here last year. She started last season as a sophomore and was one of our most improved players this summer. She is very positive, one of our hardest workers and extremely coachable. ”
Younger sister Ava wasn't surprised by the vote, either. “When she was voted team captain I was very happy for her because I knew she would do a great job, she worked so hard the past basketball season to improve so she definitely deserved it,” said Ava. “It did not surprise me at all because everyone respects her so much as a teammate and person. She is one of the best leaders I know because of her being determined and constantly trying to make others better, she is definitely fit for the role.”
Hannah put her nose down and faced her future.
“She loves basketball and although she won't show it, I know she was crushed when she found out she tore her ACL and could not play this season,” said Haid. “Instead of dwelling on what happened, Hannah constantly talks about her goals on getting back with the team. Most days when our team is working hard during practice, we can see Hannah on the sidelines working just as hard with her rehab. Although we really miss her on the court, she has done an excellent job showing leadership from the bench.”
Hannah became a realist and accepted the situation.
“I realized that I could not change what happened, so, I began to look at my injury as a learning experience,” Hannah shared. “I will be cleared to start returning to basketball in February. My goal is to be able to practice with the team after I am cleared, and maybe even warm up with them during districts and on. But games wise, I am most likely out the whole season.”
Since Hannah's injury Ava hasn't been let down by her opinions of her sister as a captain and as a teammate, even though they haven't been able to physically play together. “She has definitely helped me out a lot this year from understanding the offense and defense we run to just getting used to how high school basketball is played,” she said. “She is always there with answers to my questions and has helped me become a lot more comfortable with basketball. As a player, she inspires me to be more vocal to teammates in a positive way because I tend to be quieter. Also, watching her work day after day to recover from surgery and have a positive attitude the whole way through has motivated me even more to be a better player. I can't wait to play with her next year.”
True to her word, Hannah has used the injury as a learning experience and has also embraced her role as a captain.
“I believe my role is bringing something positive to the team when we lack it,” she shared. “My job is to constantly be lifting my teammates up when they need it and keeping them up when they are having a great game. This injury experience has made me more aware of things on the court as a basketball player. After watching so many games, I have recognized many things I would not have noticed while playing. But, more importantly it has taught me that life is determined greatly by your reaction to things. Choosing a positive approach makes a world of difference.”
Sounds like the Raiders selected the perfect person to help lead them.