By HEATHER REEVES
The BYU women’s basketball team has lost one of its key players for the season.
Point guard, ReNae Hansen, tore her anterior cruciate ligament Friday night at Midnight Madness. The injury has put her out for the rest of the season.
“I was on the fast break and pulled up for a jump shot and I felt my knee buckle,” Hansen said. “I knew something was wrong.”
Hansen went to see a doctor Saturday morning and he diagnosed her injury as a torn lateral miniscus with a possibility of a torn ACL, but since there wasn’t a lot of fluid in her knee they would wait and see.
The decision was made on Monday to do an arthoscopic surgery to see exactly what was wrong with Hansen’s knee. The doctors performed an ACL operation Monday night, and Hansen began rehabilitation Tuesday afternoon.
Hansen is just coming off of the shock of the whole ordeal.
“It’s just starting to sink in that I’m going to be out for the whole season,” Hansen said.
Hansen is a key player for the Cougars and her absence on the court this season is going to be noticeable.
“It’s really going to be tough,” said assistant coach Tom Gneiting. “ReNae is going to be hard to replace.
Last year Hansen was the second leading scorer for the team averaging 12.2 points a game. From three-point range Hansen is an asset for the Cougars.
BYU needed Hansen this year. With the new coaching staff, the returning nucleus, including Hansen and the new recruits outlooks were high for the season.
Now the coaches are scrambling for a new guard. Sophomore Megan Jensen is still out with injuries, so they’re turning to the walk-ons.
“We’re going to have to see what our walk-ons have,” said head coach Trent Shippen.
“We really have no one to replace her (Hansen) with,” Gneiting said.
The whole team is remaining on the positive side.
“I knew they would have a great season,” Hansen said, “But at least it happened while I was playing good and early enough in the season so I can red shirt.”
This red shirt will give Hansen two more years of eligibility.
“Now I’ll be able to finish my career with my good friends,” Hansen said.
“ReNae is a spark plug to the team,” Gneiting said. “They feed off of her energy. It was a little tough in practice today, the team was a little down. On the positive side it happened quickly enough so that we can plan for the year now.”
The Cougars will get through this year and find someone to take Hansen’s place for the season, but they are planning on and expecting the return of Hansen for next year.
