Whether it is an injury as simple as an ankle sprain or as complex as a torn ACL, the Nicholls athletic training program provides the necessary services to aid its injured athletes.

Head athletic trainer, Shaun Duhe, delivers the needed training and rehabilitation to injured athletes of the Nicholls football team and men’s basketball team, and he has a staff to handle the other athletic departments.

 Duhe has been able to build unique workouts and exercises to custom fit the needs of each sport and individual, particularly junior basketball guard Fred Hunter.

“An ankle injury is an ankle injury in any sport, but when they are returning to play their specific sport, we like to mix drills from their sport in their training,” Duhe said.

Upon entering his junior basketball season, Hunter set high expectations and specific goals he wanted to achieve during the season.

“I wanted my team to win conference, and I just wanted to be a better play while stepping up and being a leader for the team,” Hunter said.

Hunter was able to avoid the injury bug throughout his career of playing basketball dating back to his youth.

“I’ve been playing organized basketball since about third grade, and the most I had was a sprain ankle,” Hunter said. “When I’m out there on the court, I never think about getting injured.”    

Hunter was injured during a practice the day before a regular season game, and he recalled the feelings and thoughts that were going through his head.

“I knew I tore it because I heard my knee pop, and I was just thinking that I was done for the year,” Hunter said.

With Hunter’s season coming to an abrupt and disappointing ending, he, like many other athletes at Nicholls, relied on the training and rehabilitation programs offered by Duhe and the athletic trainers.

When faced with an injured athlete at Nicholls, Duhe takes it upon himself and his staff to first evaluate the extent of their injuries to determine what is the next step in the rehabilitation process.

“When something happens to one of our athletes, we like to evaluate them, set them up with a doctor, give them treatment and anything else regarding to an injury with a particular person,” Duhe said.

Duhe describes how an injury of Hunter’s nature is a tedious process. Not only is rehabilitating the injured part of an athletes body important, but it is vital for the Nicholls training staff to insure the proper mental state of the athlete.

“In Fred’s case and in other longer rehab cases, there will be times when they are not seeing progress everyday, but it is important to remind them to continue to work hard and push through it,” Duhe said.

Although Hunter is in the process of recovering from a serious injury, he benefits not only from the physical training but also from the focus on his mental state.

“I can’t do anything but stay positive,” Hunter said. “Everybody looked at it as a sad thing but I have another year of basketball left, and I will stay positive because I will be back.”

With the help of Duhe and the Nicholls athletic training, Hunter does not dwell on his torn ACL. Instead, he focuses on the future and the next time he steps on the court to compete.

When asked if his injury will linger in his mind the first time he competes again, Hunter said, “I’m not really sure, I may think about it, but I was told if you think about it there’s a better chance it will happen again, so I will learn to let that go and just play.”