SURREY — When Keegan Konn suffered a season-ending injury, he knew his high school basketball career was over.
What the six-foot point guard with the Holy Cross Crusaders didn’t know is if his collegiate career was threatened when he tore his ACL in January.
Konn had been recruited by the Simon Fraser University Clan to play NCAA Division II hoops in 2017-18, but after surgery on April 4, the six-to-eight-month recovery period will keep him off the court until the season is well underway.
“I’m not going to lie, I did second-guess everything for the next couple of days,” said Konn, 17. “But the coach (SFU head coach Steve Hanson) said he wouldn’t treat me like a piece of meat. He was going to treat me like an athlete.”
Eight days after surgery, the Clan put an NCAA Letter of Intent in front of the six-foot point guard on April 12, and Konn signed it, committing himself to the Clan.
“Keegan has an unbelievable motor and he will raise the level of practice by his tenacity and work ethic,” said Hanson. “I know Keegan will come back stronger than ever from his knee injury – it’s just who he is. He’s a tremendous leader who will fit in with the culture we are creating here.”
Konn, an honour-roll student with a 3.5 grade point average, said signing with SFU was “a dream come true.”
“In Grade 10, I had heard about their business program, so they were always in the back of my mind,” he said. “The coach came out to watch me this year, I went there for a visit, and I decided to go there.
“It’s a good business school, they have good academics, and a good basketball team.”
Konn was averaging 27 points per game when he tore his ACL in January. The injury cost him a chance to play in the B.C. Senior 4A Boys High School Championship in Langley, where the Crusaders placed third.
But after sitting on the bench while watching him teammates reach the semifinal round of the provincial championships, he put a positive spin on his situation.
“It was a good experience to sit and watch, I learned a lot,” he said. “Even after the injury, I would argue we became a better team. The other guys played their hearts out, it was good to see.”
Konn is aiming for early in the new year to make a return to the basketball court, saying he won’t play until he is ready.
“The last thing on my mind is rushing my rehab,” he said. “I want to be 100 per cent, or I risk tearing it again.”
Rick.Kupchuk@ surreynowleader.com