BACK ON THE BASKETBALL COURT
Former Huskie finds new life in 3-on-3
It was 2012.
Nolan Brudehl thought he was done like an old, worn-out pair of high-top sneakers.
He definitely thought his competitive basketball career was over.
His surgeon initially didn’t think Brudehl would be able to play again. In fact, he advised strongly against him trying.
However, as time went on, Brudehl couldn’t resist.
His buddies dangled the proverbial carrot — an orange basketball, in this case — in front of him.
Not only did Brudehl return to the game he loved as a highly productive member of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, he would find a niche on the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters with fellow former Huskies Mike Linklater and Michael Lieffers.
“I’m completely shocked,” Brudehl said when asked about the successful comeback that has led him onto the world stage.
“At first we thought it was just a meniscus tear and my surgeon, Dr. David Kim, actually went in and he found it was articular cartilage (damage) and that’s the stuff you can’t repair too well. He ended up doing a microfracture surgery on it, which heals to a degree but (typically) not to the same degree that a cartilage would come back to. So he advised me that ‘You should stop playing basketball because you could injure your knee further.’ “
He said he was good about not playing for two or three years, but Lieffers and Linklater kept bugging him that he should come out and play three-on-three.
“It’s less running, they said. It’s half-court, they’d say. It’s more physical. Yada, yada, yada. Finally, I just caved in and started to play again and I’ve never looked back.”
Brudehl, Linklater and Lieffers — three amigos from their Huskie days — have joined forces with Edmonton’s Steve Sir, an NCAA threepoint percentage record-holder and former NBA Milwaukee Buck summer league prospect.
They’ll once again represent host Saskatoon in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters event in downtown Saskatoon.
The two-day championship begins today at 12:30 p.m. and wraps up with the final at 4 p.m. Sunday.
“We used to run with the Huskies every once in a while, too, and there was a point where I just had to do something again,” recalls Brudehl. “I started training at Ignite with Jordan Harbidge and Joel Lipinski. I’ve been there ever since and they’ve got me to where my body is in way better shape than it has been. I just kind of went from there, started running and moving around with the guys. And I found basketball again.”
He’s also thankful to Dr. Kim and physiotherapist Mitch Dahl “for their incredible work and just getting me back to where my knee is healthy, to a degree, and here I am,” added Brudehl, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound power forward who can also dribble the ball when needed.
Transitioning to the three-onthree game has come with its adjustments, trials and errors.
“I had quite a few (ups and downs),” he admits. “The game changes, how you play defence and how you play offence. Your rest periods definitely change too. That’s a big thing too. And the physicality. You can’t take a rest on offence and you can’t take a rest on defence. It was definitely a change for me, that’s for sure.”
The court is roughly a third of the size of a regulation court. So, yes, it appears to be easier on the knees.
“I would say it is,” Brudehl concurs, adding that running had been the biggest part of five-on-five.
Going 94 feet back and forth is “pretty hard on your joints” but, three-on-three, you’ve got 10-minute, 21-point games, so games can go pretty quick, he says.
Brudehl’s basketball comeback has opened the door to some international exposure overseas. It’s been a great experience, he says.
“We’ve been everywhere from Europe to the Middle East to China. I’ve seen more places than I can remember right now, but it really gave me that feeling that I love our country and I love Canada. It’s great to see the other places in the world, but, to come home, it’s nice to get your feet on home soil.”
It’s been an extended hoops reunion for Brudehl with Linklater and Lieffers. The trio won a Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship in 2010.
“It’s awesome,” says Brudehl. “They’re kind of like second brothers to me. I’ve known them for so long and I work with Lieffers as well (at Saskatoon Light and Power) so I see him just about every day. It’s a good feeling to play with two really good friends and travel the world together. You always know that somebody’s got your back and also with Steve. He’s commiserated with us.”
Brudehl, 28, still has U Sport eligibility. “I think I have two (years) actually,” he points out. “I thought about it (returning to the Huskies) for a while. But just with 3-on-3, and I’ve got a (work) career now with a really good job with the city as a lineman, I shouldn’t say I’ve moved on but I’ve kind of progressed in life to have to go back to school.”