Tessa Needham was only a few games into the Quest Kermodes鈥� 2015/16 basketball season when she fell prey to an injury.
A year later she is back and playing, though lucky to be on the court at all. Going into the Christmas break this year, the point guard was leading the team in assists and tied for eighth in the PACWEST.聽
She is also averaging 8.9 points a game, second on the team behind Jordin Wilkinson.
She played only three games in 2015/16, though she was able to write off the season.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 sure I鈥檇 get my eligibility back,鈥� she says.
This means she can play an additional season if she wants to make up for last season. For her studies at Quest, she is focussing on economic development and would like to continue studies and perhaps for a non-governmental organization, possibly in international development or business. She is due to graduate in April, and she has not decided on whether to come back and use that last season of eligibility.
Hers was not a typical basketball injury, like a sprained ankle. In fact, it did not take place on the court but while Needham was training with weights in the gym.聽
鈥淚 bruised my spinal cord,鈥� she says.
She started feeling spasms and tightening in her left side from her ribs down to her toes, so teammates Miriam Baumann drove her to the hospital.
鈥淏y that point, I was totally numb and that pain was growing,鈥� she says.
In the first month, she was dragging her legs and she needed to undergo tests such as MRIs and CT scans.
鈥淎s it is nerves, it鈥檚 really complicated,鈥� she says.
She eventually began to heal though and has been able to work her way back into playing shape, though she admits 鈥渢he new normal,鈥� while manageable on the court, means she still does not have all the sensation she has had, and she finds her game is not quite as explosive on her left side as it had been.
鈥淪ometimes the nerve pathways never fully recover,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y body is not as resilient as it used to be.鈥�
She has to be careful when she is in the gym training now, but on the basketball court, she does not think the injury presents any issue.
鈥淎s far as playing, I鈥檓 not worried at all,鈥� she said.
Needham grew up in Regina until age nine when her family moved to Calgary.聽
鈥淚 started playing when I was eight or nine,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 think I got really serious about it in Grade 9.鈥�
Needham was in Alberta until 16 when the family moved to the West Coast. She started in high school in her home of Port Moody but switched to Riverside in Port Coquitlam because of its strong basketball program, even though that meant becoming a role player.
鈥淚 went to the program knowing I would be a bench player,鈥� she says.
Many of the girls on her team went on to play at bigger universities in Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS), though many only lasted a season or two.
鈥淭hey lose the love of the game,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 really thankful that I ended up here.鈥�
When she first arrived at Quest, she knew it was going to be an educational experience on the court.
鈥淚 had some really awesome players to learn from,鈥� she says.
This culminated in a PACWEST championship for the Kermodes at the tournament in 2015.
Then it was her turn to lead, at least until the injury. She credits the patience and confidence that coach Dany Charlery has had in her abilities to run the offence, though she admits point guard is not her natural position.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not what I鈥檝e done. We just kind of needed that,鈥� she says.
If she isn鈥檛 quite as quick as some of the other point guards around the league, she has some size on them, which helps with other aspects of the game such as rebounding. At 5.0 boards a game, she is third on the Kermodes in rebounding.
During her down time last season, she also took the opportunity to help the team, functioning almost as another assistant coach.
鈥淚 was learning to lead from the sidelines,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his year it鈥檚 nice to have the option to lead by example.鈥�
