West Q&A: Hansen all the way back from injury

Considering where she was 10 months ago, it's safe to say that Saturday was the best night in the basketball career of Rachel Hansen.

The Minnehaha Academy guard scored 33 points -- a career high -- in a 67-48 victory over Braham in the Minnesota-Scores.net Showcase at Hopkins' Lindbergh Center.

Hansen went 11-for-14 from the field and topped 1,000 career points.

Pretty heady stuff for a player who suffered a severe injury to her left knee in the quarterfinals of the state tournament in March.

The Star Tribune talked with Hansen about how far she's come since the injury.

Q You scored a career-high 33 points and went over 1,000 points for your career in the same game. Pretty special night?

A Yeah, it was very special. Coming off of the injury from last year, it's exciting to be able to do that.

Q Your coach, Josh Thurow, said you and he knew you needed 26 points to get 1,000 going into the game. Did you feel like you might have a good night?

A Well, I was confident before the game. I never doubted my ability. After I made my second three-pointer in a row, I thought I had a shot at it.

Q Have you ever had a better game at any level?

A Not that I can recall. That's my best game so far. Before, my high game was 23 points. It just shows that hard work pays off.

Q Talk about your knee injury.

A I was going up for a layup. When I jumped, my [left] knee just buckled, and I collapsed. At the time, the doctor just said I had a bone bruise. But I had an MRI the next day, and I found out that I tore the ACL, partially tore the MCL and LCL and had a torn meniscus. I knew it was worse than the doctor said. I had felt it pop.

Q Was it difficult to sit on the sidelines and watch your team play in the state tournament?

A Yeah, it was pretty difficult. We had to play DeLaSalle [in the semifinals]. We had lost to them twice before, but the last time was only by three points. I really wanted the chance to beat them.

Q How difficult was your rehab?

A It was tough. I had ups and downs. At first it got better quickly, but then it kind of leveled off. It was tough to get up and go work on it every day.

Q What kind of advice would you give to an athlete faced with the same situation?

A Just keep working hard and challenge yourself to get stronger. Look at it like another sport, one that you've never played before but want to get better at.

Q The injury kept you out of track last spring and soccer this fall. What did you miss most while being sidelined?

A I missed practicing and competing with a team. It was hard to find things to do. I was so used to being involved with a team, but now I had way too much free time.

Q How did you feel your first game back? Nervous? Excited?

A I was pretty excited. I was able to play the last three games of the soccer season. In the first game, after my first hit and I fell down, I got up and was fine. That's when I knew everything was all right.