Career-ending injuries often crush a player’s dreams before they truly begin.

As a shorter player on the basketball court, Megan Hanson was faced with constant pressure.

One crucial play changed all.

Jumping for the ball left Hanson with a snapped knee as a freshman at Esperanza High School.

Her torn anterior cruciate ligament meant long months of surgeries, recovery and tough realizations of what might come next.

Instead of walking away, Hanson was recruited to play at Cypress College, where she learned the game from a coach she calls “the John Wooden of women’s basketball,” and discovered a passion that would lead her to success.

She underwent two surgeries in her first year playing college basketball, followed by a third surgery when her body was rejecting the stitches, and had a redshirt year where she wasn’t allowed to compete but could practice with the team.

That journey has now come full circle.

Hanson, once the undersized guard batting through knee surgeries, is stepping into her biggest role yet as the new coach of the El Camino College’s women’s basketball team.

She brings not only lessons of control and strength but the perspective of a former scholar-athlete and school psychologist that believes success is built on growth on and off of the court.

It was at Cypress College that Hanson formed a special connection with her coach, Margaret Mohr, a Division I athlete and health coach for the Women’s National Basketball Association.

“I feel like all of my coaching knowledge comes from her and just everything I learned,” Hanson said.

After community college, Hanson transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned her bachelor’s in psychology and worked for the university.

She later earned her master’s in school psychology at California Baptist University in Riverside.

She moved to San Francisco to work at Sunset Elementary School and Sanchez Elementary School.

Later Hanson returned to Newport-Mesa Unified, helping with Cypress College and Sage Hill High School basketball while assisting athletes apply to other colleges.

She was also involved in the Cypress scout team.

“Seeing her from when we were at Cypress College […] whenever we would ask if anybody had anything to say, she was one of the first ones that would be vocal,” assistant coach Michael Vasquez said.

Hanson’s career highlights include being named Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earning the Orange Empire Conference Character Council Award, and helping Sage Hill College, under coach Kerwin Walter, to division state championship.

“She’s not a typical coach that just stands around and kind of tells you what to do, it’s like let me show you how it’s done because she played and coached at the highest levels,” Vasquez said.

Her love for basketball, along with her desire to share knowledge and build connections with young women shaped her decision to step into coaching.

“As a high school player, I wished so badly that I could have gone and played for four-years,” Hanson said. “Being at a level where I’m going to teach you hopefully what you need to know to get to four-year is a rewarding role to be in.”

Being able to have her knowledge spread from Mohr to her athletes keeps her legacy alive.

Hanson emphasizes being a mentor to young women.

“I just love the connection that you get to build in the relationships that occur in being a coach, then continue to blossom,” Hanson said. “My gyms aren’t quiet. Communication is such a huge piece of the game.”

Hanson requires encouragement, teamwork, motivation, and high levels of perseverance from her athletes.

Knowing individuals go through challenges in their lives, she wants to be there for her players while creating the hardest workers in the gym and pushing them to greatness.

Her players notice the energy she brings.

“She comes with a lot of energy and is very enthusiastic. She gets us all hyped up to make sure we play our part as a team,” business major Aymia Smitch, 19, said.

Hanson’s vision for ECC’s women’s basketball team is to be in the top three of their conference and make it to the playoffs.

She also aims to prepare players to transfer to four-year universities, both academically and athletically.

Hanson and her staff create PowerPoints for the players, going over their major, top schools, clubs on campus and more.

Hanson gives gratitude from the amount of support from administration and excitement for her new position.

Off the court, Hanson is one of eight siblings, including being a twin. Her hobbies are sunsets, going to the beach, and spending time with family and friends.

Expressing her being confident and loud in the gym, she admits to be an overthinker at home but her motivation is a quote referring to God, “He doesn’t call the prepared, He prepares the call”.

What began with a torn ACL injury and having two surgeries now gives Hanson wisdom on the court at ECC, where she is ready to lead a new generation of athletes through teaching them the lessons she’s carried.

“Something I learned from Coach Mohr, even my mom is being super encouraging. I am gonna yell the most positive things that you can hear all practice. I expect you to be a good teammate and push yourself as well,” Hanson said.