By Tim Wester
Sports Correspondent
When you are a kid with a bump or bruise, you are often told to rub some dirt on it and go play.
Sometimes life isn’t that simple.
In the case of former Waterford athlete Megan Jensen, a 2013 graduate, what started out as a simple bruise turned out to be the first symptom of a blood clot in her right arm.
Jensen first discovered the bruise playing in an AAU basketball tournament the summer before her senior season at Waterford.
After the bump continued to swell, Jensen went to her doctor, who diagnosed it as a blood clot and set the soon-to-be senior in high school to Children’s Hospital in Wauwatosa.
Jensen ended up having two surgeries. The first was to examine the blood clot and the second was to remove her bottom rib that was pinching a vein and creating the clot. As a result, Jensen had missed most of her summer AAU season before finally being cleared to play basketball in September.
“It all happened for a reason,” Jensen said. “It certainly stunk at the time to learn I couldn’t play, but at least I’m alive to tell the story, which what really matters.”
Jensen’s positive outlook carried into her senior season at Waterford, where the point guard averaged 10.2 points per game and 2.2 assists to lead the Wolverines to a 13-10 record and a tie for second place in the Southern Lakes Conference.
Jensen also earned first team All-Southern Lakes Conference honors for her gritty season.
“Being named all-conference was all about hard work and getting the conditioning and my shot back,” Jensen said. “And I was able to do all that.”
But it was her leadership that stuck out the most to the Wolverines. Jensen voluntarily spent hours with head coach Dena Brechtl going over tape and breaking down opponents.
“I had a pretty good relationship with coach Brechtl that season,” Jensen said. “We just watched lots of tape, trying to figure out how to get better.”
Despite all her hard work on and off the court, Jensen’s one regret is not being able to win the Southern Lakes Conference her final season.
“We let some games get away against Lake Geneva Badger, which kept us from winning conference and dropped us into a second place tie,” Jensen said. “But we had a good group of girls that came out wanting to play and get better.”
Now a graduate of Waterford, Jensen has taken her talents to Clark University in Dubuque, Iowa where she continues to utilize her positive outlook on the basketball court as a freshman for the Crusaders.
“So far my playing time varies depending on game situations,” Jensen said. “But the school is fantastic. Our team not doing so hot right now, but we are working hard to get better.”
“Being three hours away from home is tough, but it is like a big family here.”
Jensen was able to share her college basketball experiences with the current Wolverine roster over her winter break as she watched and practiced with the team.
“I look at the team’s (Waterford) stats every now and again this season,” Jensen said. “And I text coach Brechtl every once in awhile as well.”
Jensen also excelled on the softball diamond in 2013. For her efforts, the infielder earned first team all-Southern Lakes Conference accolades.
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