Fremont fire starter
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PLAIN CITY -- Some leaders are quiet, preferring to lead by example on and off the court.
That's not MeChel Hunt.
Missing six preseason games and the Silver Wolves' first two league games showed that.
Determined to not let her injury recovery define her senior year in a Fremont girls basketball uniform, the 18-year old Hunt finished out her prep hoops career as a feisty, fiery leader when the Silver Wolves needed it the most.
"It was a learning experience," Hunt said of watching Fremont's first eight games from the bench while recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered during girls soccer season in September. "There were times when it was incredibly frustrating, having to watch and not being able to help. I made myself watch, though. I wanted to do everything I could to help me get off to a fast start once I was able to play."
Injuries are never easy to recover from, and some, such as an ACL tear can require not just physical rehabilitation, but also overcoming a mental barrier as well.
Returning to the court vs. Northridge on Jan. 4, Hunt immediately became the Wolves' go-to player and leader.
She finished the season averaging a team-best 14.5 points per game, hitting better than 40 percent from the field and 50-percent (10-of-20) from long distance in 13 games, driving Fremont to its second unbeaten league season in school history and a 17-win season.
Hunt is the most valuable player of the Standard-Examiner's 2007-08 girls basketball team.
"The night after she got hurt during soccer, she called me and said they told her 4-6 months (for her recovery). She said to me, 'coach, I'll be back in four months,' " Fremont coach Larry Hadley said. "Her first full day back in practice was four months to the day of when she got hurt."
Hunt credits much of her ability to step in and contribute to the Silver Wolves immediately after being cleared to Fremont trainer Don Carter.
"I wanted to give myself the best start possible and he (Carter) put in a lot of hours working with me during my rehab, helping me keep the rest of my body in shape while my knee was healing," Hunt said. "Not being able to play made me appreciate playing a lot more; I think I kind of took it for granted that I could play."
After spending the first eight games of the season without Hunt in the lineup, the Silver Wolves were 5-3 overall and 2-0 in Region 1 play. A solid start, with the team's three losses coming to eventual state 5-A champion Skyline, Alta and Region 5 runner-up Box Elder.
Hunt's return was immediately evident as the Silver Wolves began scoring more points, playing better team defense and feeling more confident their abilities.
"With MeChel on the bench, we were just kind of surviving," Hadley said. "After we got those first two region games without her, we kind of started to feel like we could make a pretty good run at it (the Region 1 title).
"I had planned to put her back in the starting lineup as soon as she was ready to play, but she told me no. She said that as long as we were winning, that she was just fine coming off the bench. How many star players would do that? She showed a lot of maturity there.
"When she came back, you could just feel the difference in the kids' attitudes, their intensity and their confidence level. They knew that they weren't just going to be a good team, but now they had a chance to be a great team."
One example Hadley uses for Hunt's effectiveness was during a Jan. 22 home game vs. rival Weber.
After the Silver Wolves didn't score during the first five minutes of action, Hadley sent Hunt into the game and Fremont immediately went from being scoreless to an 18-point lead as the senior scored or assisted on 18 of the Silver Wolves' 22 first-half points.
"That's the kind of impact she could have in a game. Weber had a great team this year and we were really struggling in that game," Hadley said. "She went in and next thing you know, we're up by 18 points and the game was basically over."
Hunt, who also averaged 3.0 rebounds and nearly two assists and steals per game, is headed to the College of Southern Idaho next year to suit up for the nationally-ranked NJCAA power Golden Eagles.
"We overcame a lot of problems and adversity this year," Hunt said. "We had a good year and overcoming adversity made it even better. I think we had an awesome season, going undefeated in region was a lot of fun. It was the kind of senior year I wanted to have."
Hunt is one of four players to earn repeat honors on the All-Area team, joining Layton's Sheila Adams -- a three-time honoree, Davis' Dani Hosking and Box Elder's Mandy Munns.
The All-Area team is selected based on input from the 17 head coaches in the Standard-Examiner's five-county circulation area, individual statistics and team finish in regular-season and state tournament action.
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