Q&A: Beyer hoops star Georgie Dancer discusses ACL injury, toll

Though his season ended with a loud pop in his left knee, Georgie Dancer’s career continues in stubborn silence.

The Beyer High School guard is quietly plotting his return to the basketball court, and his journey begins at the Stanislaus Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Clinic in Modesto, where the Sacramento State commit puts himself through “prehab” workouts.

Dancer will have surgery March 21 for a partially torn ACL. Until then, he’ll continue to strengthen the muscles above and below his left knee through various exercises.

This is new ground for Dancer, who never suffered anything worse than a rolled ankle. He tore his ACL on Jan. 22 in the first quarter of a Modesto Metro Conference game against Downey. He landed in a heap along the baseline and immediately understood the severity of the situation. His remarkable high school career was over.

In November, Dancer became the first basketball player in school history to earn a full scholarship to a Division I university. He’ll attend Sacramento State in the fall, joining Stanislaus District alums Jeff Wu of Modesto Christian and Joshua Patton of Sierra.

Wu has become an impact player off the bench for coach Brian Katz as a true freshman. Patton is redshirting.

Like Wu, Dancer hopes to have an immediate impact with the Hornets. That would require two healthy knees.

“I’m going to prepare as if I’m playing next year,” Dancer said in his first interview with The Modesto Bee since the injury.

Dancer sat down with The Bee ahead of Beyer’s season-ending loss to Grant in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I tournament. He discussed the injury, his initial fears, a new role and his motivation to return a better player.

Q: How hard is to sit and watch a basketball game, knowing you can’t contribute beyond the crutches?

A: It was hard at first, but as time went on and I feel it getting better, you have to trust the process. Go with the flow. The biggest thing was getting back the ability to play. It (stinks) watching from the bench. You get all excited and wish you could be in there, but I’m happy for my teammates.

Q: How did the injury occur?

A: It was a back-door play. I was going back door on a dead sprint, caught the ball and came to a complete stop to fire up and make the layup. When I came to a complete stop, my leg went inward, and I hit the floor. There was a pop behind my knee. I was going to get back up, but I couldn’t.

Q: It turned out to be a pretty emotional scene with family members in tears. What do you remember about that moment?

A: It was sad seeing everyone else worrying about me. It (stinks). Everyone counted on me. When I was on the floor and I couldn’t move, they had to get someone to pick me up. All kinds of thoughts go through your head. If you would have done something differently. Maybe called a different play. Made a different cut. Or taken a different shot. All of those things go through your head. But I think things happen for a reason; that’s the way I look at it.

Q: What are some of your worst fears regarding the injury?

A: I didn’t know if I’d be the same after. I didn’t know if it would affect the way I would play in college. If it would take an emotional toll. All of those things popped into my mind, but you try to shut them out.

Q: How do you shut out such legitimate worries and concerns?

A: I moved past all of that. I think I’ll be an even better player. This gives me time to put on weight and muscle mass, and time to work on things I didn’t have time to work on before. Things like left-hand dribbling (and) getting more powerful in my base and quicker first steps and all of that stuff.

Q: How has Sacramento State been through this whole process?

A: They’ve stuck by me throughout this whole thing. They’ve communicated with me and been supportive. They want me back better than ever. They tell me the basics: Take rehab seriously; don’t try to rush anything; just come back as quick as possible doing it the right way.

Q: What was the support like around the Modesto Metro Conference?

A: It’s pretty cool. All of them ask me how I’m doing and shake my hand. They’re all supportive and hope I get better. It’s been pretty nice.

Q: Describe your role with the team after the injury.

A: We (treated) it as if I’ve come out of the game and was on the bench. That’s the way we (looked) at it. I sit on the bench next to the coaches (head coach Kyle McKim and assistant Ron Weltmer). They’ll ask me for suggestions, and I’ll give them my opinion. Sometimes we go with it; sometimes we don’t.

Q: Give us an example of when coach McKim followed your advice.

A: I think we were down (versus Enochs), and I told Coach he needed to put in quicker guards and start pressing them. We did and got three steals, back to back to back, and took the lead by a couple.

Q: What were you looking at or looking for when watching a game?

A: The little things that work well. The little things kill teams. Coach stresses that, but when we’re in the game, we don’t worry about it. Sitting out, the little things – like boxing out or a hard cut – can make the difference in the game.

Q: Fair to say that you and coach McKim have a pretty tight bond?

A: We were really close (before the injury). He checks on me every day. We text back and forth about stuff that happened in the game, stuff that we can fix. He’ll ask, ‘Do you think we should have pressed instead of played zone?’ They’re telling me I’d be a good coach, but I’m not done playing.

Q: What have you used as motivation during “prehab?”

A: The opportunity I was given. Not everyone is given a scholarship and an ability to play at the level I play at. I want to take advantage of that before it’s time to go. The love of the game keeps me going.

This story was originally published March 3, 2016 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Q&A: Beyer hoops star Georgie Dancer discusses ACL injury, toll."