(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Mountain Lion Forward Derik Pranger feels free and happy every time he steps on the court to play basketball for UCCS.
But before he could even step foot onto the court for his first game, he faced a setback which nearly took away the ability to play the game he loves
“I have thyroid cancer, which is a little gland in the neck that like controls a lot of like hormones,” Pranger said.
After the news came out, the team was shocked but stood by their teammate.
“When the news came through from our trainer, I was just shocked to be honest with you,” said Mountain Lion Head Coach Jeff Culver.
Point Guard Xavier Martinez shared his support, stating, “It was just that next practice, we kind of addressed it, and we also said like a little prayer for him individually. I’ve had some family members that have gone through that, so I kind of know how it is.”
Pranger underwent surgery in October and managed to recover in time for the first game of the season. Despite the challenges, he persevered and eventually had a standout performance, scoring a season-high 28 points in a game against Fort Lewis in January.
Reflecting on the game, Pranger said, “That was kind of an emotional game for me too, just because everything happening, and then that moment happened, and that’s when I started to feel better physically and mentally too.”
Martinez noted Pranger’s impressive performance, saying, “Towards the end of the game, when Derik caught fire or we knew he was hitting my in the back of my mind, I was just find Derik, give him the ball and let him do his thing and get him some open shots because at that point everything was going in for him.”
Now in remission and fully focused on basketball, Pranger encourages others fighting cancer to keep fighting.
“If you just always trust and believe in what’s happening and believe in the process and the doctors and everything, it’ll be okay,” Pranger said.
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