I am not a doctor, and I don't know anything special about Hanno's injuries, but think about this. I had arthroscopic surgery on my kneee on Feb. 10. My injury was the most common of all, I'm told-- a torn medial meniscus. The surgery was also very routine. And yet I am still not even close to 100% of my pre-surgery status.
I am an avid exerciser, and have been for years. Only one week ago was I able to resume a daily workout. I'm doing about 50% of what I was doing before, in terms of speed and effort and time spent. My kneee is sore off and on, and I am constantly favoring it, consciously or not. I have to ice it every day, and especially after workouts. It is still swollen, if only a little now. I get in and out of cars gingerly. My orthopedist says my knee wil be like this for weeks, and won't be totally normal for 5-6 months. I'm not suffering, mind you, but I'm not yet able to do the same things I was doing before.
Now, I am a couple of decades older than Hanno, but I am amazed at what an impact minor arthroscopic surgery has had on me-- a very healthy, in-shape guy. I certainly can't play basketball yet or do anything that really stresses the knee joint, such as lateral moves or jumping or even fast running.
So I look at Hanno playing DI basketball against the best players in the USA and simply admire him for his guts. My heart goes out to him for many reasons-- this should have been the year when he could play with wild abandon, but he couldn't. This should have been the crowning year of his Ute career, but it won't be.
Hanno may have shown us more about who he really is this year, playing with not one, but two injuries, than he could have going full speed. After all, somewheere deep down, we all know this is about more than winning, don't we?
I hope we will always remember Hanno Mottola as the gutty Finn who gave us several years of pure joy, and not as anything else. Whatever happens on the court today, that's how I'll think of him.
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