North Carolina State University Athletics
CARR: Halteman Adjusting Without Hoops
11/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 4, 2010
By A.J. CARR
RALEIGH, N.C. — Hanna Halteman arrived at NC State in 2007 with solid basketball skills and hopes that soared considerably higher than the 10-foot goals in Reynolds Coliseum.
She remembers telling late, legendary Wolfpack coach Kay Yow “I want to do great things for you; I want to be a 1,000-point scorer; I want to be a contributor.”
Her aspirations were admirable, her intentions sincere. Then adversity struck. Freshman year, she broke her ankle. Sophomore year, she suffered a concussion and missed two and a half months of the season.
This fall, in a September practice, Halteman took another hit and sustained a second concussion. She recalls the moment, setting a screen, getting inadvertently belted beneath the chin by an aggressive defender and feeling a “funny crunch” in her head.
After thorough analysis, Dr. William Jacobs advised her to give up the sport. No more hoops. Career over -- prematurely.
“It kind of took my breath away immediately,’’ said Halteman, reflecting on her initial reaction to the doctor’s words.
Yet while her basketball dream has been shattered, her life has not come unraveled. She explained how drawing on her Christian faith brought strength and peace.
“God transferred my mind from ‘why me?’ to ‘what can I learn from this?’” Halteman said.
“My identity is not in basketball,’’ she emphasized. “ It’s so easy for athletes to get caught up in their sport. It becomes their idol, who they are. My identity is in Christ; that’s why I’m so joyful.”
THE TRANSITION
She is adapting to the change.
Instead of sharpening her shooting touch, Halteman is looking for ways now to encourage teammates. She shows up at practice. She will be cheering at home games, but isn’t allowed to make road trips.
Sure, at times, it’s possible the 6-3 junior will wonder what might have been, think about how she could be helping on the court had injuries not short-circuited her playing days.
All that is a matter of speculation, but coach Kellie Harper said: “This was definitely her best pre-season. She had confidence. The thing she is very good at is shooting; that’s her strength. That’s the area we could see her contributing, coming in and spotting up.”
Though Halteman won't be shooting, she remains in Harper’s plans.
“She has such a positive attitude it’s important she’s around the girls on the team,’’ the Wolfpack coach said. “When you hit the rough patches you need people like Hanna to help you through it.”
OTHER INTERESTS
While continuing to be the good teammate, Halteman, with more time in her schedule, wants to explore modeling possibilities, preferably for an athletic company.
Friends and family members have encouraged her to pursue that. So she’s planning to assemble a portfolio with pictures and send it to various outlets.
“I think it’s something I would enjoy,’’ Halteman said, smiling. “I want to give it a shot and see how it goes.”
Some teammates have suggested she try for a spot on the “Bachelor” or "Bachelorette" TV shows as well. But Halteman hedges, figuring that wouldn't be a comfortable role.
An honor-roll student, she will continue working toward a degree in business administration and staying active in FCAIA -- the Athletes In Action/Fellowship of Christian Athletes program. She's a leader in the campus ministry, unabashedly shares her faith, and is fortified by a favorite Bible verse, Ephesians 6:10: “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”
Long range, after graduation, Halteman hopes to start a business that will set up Christian devotions for middle school and high school age students and call on athletes to do a lot of the ministering.
Until then, she has plenty to do on campus, completing her degree, working with FCAIA and backing her Wolfpack teammates.
"I want to be there for them,'' Halteman said.
