The decision was almost as painful as the original injury.
Kady Dandeneau, an all-star forward for the UNBC Northern Timberwolves women's basketball team, has opted to sit out for the entire 2010-11 B.C. Colleges Athletic Association schedule. Dandeneau had originally planned to be back on the court for the second half of this season but found out during a Christmas trip to Phoenix she's not ready.
On Jan. 23, 2010, during a home game against the Kwantlen Eagles, Dandeneau went knee-on-knee with a defender and suffered what was later diagnosed as a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a damaged medial collateral ligament and a fracture in her femur.
"I was thinking about playing in Phoenix and we had a practice," she said on Saturday night. "I started playing and just wasn't myself - not very confident and really hesitant. I was thinking about it a lot. That's what was my total focus and when you're out on the court you can't be preoccupied with something else. So I think this is best for me and the team because I can't go out there and have them expect me to do all the stuff I used to do when I'm not ready."
Dandeneau, a 20-year-old Pender Island product who has made her mark as a physical player with a soft shooting touch, said her problem right now is as much mental as it is physical.
"What I'm worried about is I'm not going to be ready and I'm going to hurt myself again," she said. "It could be perfectly fine for all I know but mentally I'm just not ready to put myself out there 100 per cent."
Dandeneau's injury was on the left side. At the time of the incident, she was averaging 18.3 points per game, highest in the BCCAA. She briefly returned to action at the end of last season but then re-injured the knee during a practice just prior to playoffs. Dandeneau had off-season surgery and had been working hard to get herself back in uniform.
Missing the time she has already missed has been torturous for Dandeneau. Now, knowing she won't play again until next fall, she's in even more anguish.
"It's probably one of the hardest things I've had to do but it's definitely the right [decision]," she said.
If Dandeneau had come back for the second half of this season, she would have burned up a full year of playing eligibility. Now, she'll be classed as a fourth-year player again next season and will be able to play her fifth and final year in 2012-13.
The third-place Timberwolves (4-3) resume their BCCAA schedule this coming weekend in Squamish against Quest University. Rachel Hulme, UNBC's interim head coach, said the team will miss Dandeneau but will carry on in a business-as-usual manner.
"It doesn't change things at all," Hulme said. "We were looking forward to having her play but we've played the whole season without her so it's not going to change anything."
