SURREY – Surrey-based Indo-Canadianbasketball star Harleen Sidhu is back onhome turf and playing for the UBCThunderbirds women’s basketball team.Less than two years after closing out hercollege basketball career, Fleetwood Parkgrad Harleen Sidhu is back bangingunder the rim with the UBCThunderbirds.Sidhu, a lanky forward who less than twoyears after closing out her college basketballcareer, had suited up for Nebraskaafter high school, but a lingering kneeinjury forced her to call it a career afterjust three seasons.“It was the same injury I had back in highschool,” Sidhu told the Surrey Nownewspaper. “I finally had surgery on itafter my third year at Nebraska andunfortunately it took too long for me toget back out there and I ended up sittingout my fourth year. With graduationcoming up and my knee still botheringme, I thought it was probably time forme to hang up my shoes.“I thought I was done and then I cameback home and, well, things changed…”Sidhu enjoyed her time as a Cornhusker.She played three seasons and was a partof a talented squad that made school historyin her sophomore year.“That was one of the best teams inNebraska history,” Sidhu said. “We had alot of seniors that year and we ended upfinished 31-2 and going as far as theSweet 16 (nationally). It was somethingthat was really cool to be a part of and I’llnever forget it.“Everything you see on TV about thehype and the craziness about MarchMadness was exactly what it was. Theintensity and the atmosphere was amazingand we averaged something like10,000 fans for our home games. To playin front of that crowd was definitely surreal.”In her junior year, Sidhu struggledwith knee pain but managed to start severalgames. The pain got steadily worse tothe point where she decided to have surgeryon the wounded joint at the end ofthe season. Sidhu learned that a partialtear of her ACL in high school neverreally healed and in subsequent years, theligament sustained a series of smallertears. The surgery ended up being a completeACL reconstruction, leaving herwith a much longer recovery time thananticipated, reported the Now newspaper.“I was on crutches for a long while,”she recalled. “All I wanted to do was beable to walk around, but they kept tellingme I couldn’t. It was really frustrating tobe in that situation.”With basketball out of the picture, Sidhufocused on her studies. She graduatedwith a degree in food nutrition in thespring of 2012 and then returned hometo Surrey. With her degree complete,Sidhu put school aside and joined theworking world. She earned lifeguard andswim instructor certifications and took ajob at a YMCA pool in Vancouver. Shealso worked as an office assistant and volunteeredwith the B.C. Cancer Agency inSurrey. She also helped coach hoops atthe regional training centre and as well aswith a U-15 provincial B team in thesummer. “I wasn’t surprised that I wasinterested in playing again,” she said. “Inmy mind, I had unfinished business totake care of. That’s just the mentality Ihave. I didn’t want to go out with a kneeinjury and that’s it, call it a career. I wantedto do something more and I wanted tofinish my career in a way that I was happywith.” With that in the back of her mind,Sidhu was quietly pleased when she raninto UBC Thunderbirds coach DebHuband and assistant coach ShaunMcGuinness while attending a TrinityWestern University game in Novemberof 2012. McGuinness and Hubandasked Sidhu if she was interested inplaying again. With two years of eligibilityremaining, the UBC offer wasenticing.Off the court, she is takingclasses to prepare her for UBC’s nursingprogram, a lifelong dream of hers.Despite the long road she took back tobasketball courts in B.C., Sidhu saidthere’s not much she would do differently.“I have no regrets at all,” she said.“The only thing I wish was differentwas the injuries. I’m happy that I wasable to graduate and come back homewith a degree and give them the threeyears that I could give. I have noregrets and I’m happy to be where I amnow.”Courtesy Now Newspaper
