Senior Tommy Hannon, an All-American center on the St. Thomas men’s basketball team, is looking to extend his college playing career to the 2012-2013 season after missing the majority of the 2011-2012 season with serious knee injuries.

Hannon, who played his last game against Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Dec. 22, 2011, has requested a medical hardship from the NCAA to get his final season of eligibility back. After receiving an MRI in January, Hannon learned that he tore his left meniscus, lost articular cartilage and had a baker’s cyst behind his left knee.

When his doctor told him he would not be able to play for the rest of the season, Hannon was devastated.

“It was hard because all this happened my senior year,” Hannon said. “We were off to a good start, and I was playing pretty well.”

Hannon only played in the first nine games of the season, making him eligible for the medical hardship. He had to send a packet of information to the NCAA for review and is still awaiting the decision.

Coach John Tauer said the team was hurt at the loss of Hannon, who he said had been playing “exceptionally well” through knee pain, but his players adapted new roles and worked hard during the “transition period” of playing without the star center.

“Like anything in life, there is adversity and you have to move on, and I thought all our guys responded really well. Tommy continued to be a great, positive member of our team,” Tauer said.

Junior guard Will Deberg, who is one of Hannon’s roommates, knew he needed to help his friend move on from the injury and cheer him up.

“We tried to introduce him to as many girls as possible,” Deberg said.

Hannon said he made it a priority to be a leader off the court and help his younger teammates develop.

“You have to stay positive because there’s not much I can change about the situation,” Hannon said. “I tried to keep the best attitude possible and bring positive energy to the team.”

This isn’t the first time Hannon has had problems with his left knee either. In a game against Bethel his sophomore year, Hannon suffered the same torn meniscus in the last 20 seconds of the game diving for a loose ball. He continued playing on it but finally got surgery after the season ended.

Last summer, Hannon’s knee started acting up once again, but he went to his doctor and was told he could still play on it.

Hannon said the complications from playing on his bad knee for three months caused a loss of cartilage and almost left bone in his knee rubbing against bone.

In the next week or two, Hannon said he should find out the NCAA’s decision. If he is awarded the medical hardship, Hannon will take three classes in the fall and one in the spring, graduating with the class of 2013.

“We’re pretty certain it’s going to happen,” Hannon said. “But if I would have played in one more game, I wouldn’t have qualified (for the medical hardship).”

Since he was sidelined in January, Hannon has been doing Platelet Rich Plasma therapy, which he describes as “taking your own blood and spinning it in a generator to try and regenerate your tissues.” He has not ran since the Wisconsin-Stevens Point game four months ago.

Hannon said he doesn’t want to risk another setback by starting to train too early.

“I could run right now but (my doctors) want to me to be cautious,” Hannon said. “We’re looking at May or June as the time when I can start running again.”

Tauer said he and the rest of the team are hopeful that Hannon’s rehab goes well.

“Injuries like that are always difficult,” Tauer said. “We all have our fingers crossed that he will come back healthy and be able to play.”

This is not the first time a Tommie basketball player was granted an extra year. Former defensive standout Teddy Archer received a medical hardship his freshman year after suffering a back injury.

If Hannon does come back, the men’s basketball team will feature a solid group of seniors; both Deberg and guard John Nance will be key contributors.

Deberg believes Hannon’s recovery will be “huge” for the team.

“We already have several guys back from this year’s team and adding Tommy will make it that much better,” Deberg said.

While the 2012-2013 season is still months away, Hannon said the most important thing for him is to focus on his knee rehab.

“I’ve got the knee of a 40-year-old, so I have to take care of it,” Hannon said.

Hayley Schnell can be reached at schn3912@stthomas.edu.