Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Angela Gopher, Box Elder Girls Basketball

The Box Elder girls basketball team will be making its return to the Class C State Tournament this weekend in Great Falls. To get there, Bears have needed contributions from everyone on their team, including senior Angela Gopher.

But Gopher almost didn't get the chance to help the Bears reach success this season.

Gopher has dealt with several injuries throughout her high school career. After suffering a knee injury during her freshman year, Gopher received a severe concussion during her sophomore year that saw her be flown to a hospital in Kalispell to see a specialist. During this time, it did not seem like basketball would be in her future.

"I was down for a very long time and I honestly didn't know if I was going to play again after that incident," Gopher said.

Gopher was out of it for months, not just the game but in most aspects of her life. She fell into a dark place where she could not sleep for two weeks and she had trouble keeping up in other areas of life.

"For a while, I gave up on everything. I gave up on school, I gave up on sports," Gopher said. "I didn't think I was going to pick up a basketball after that because I risked my whole body for basketball, so I didn't know if it was worth it to pick up a basketball again after that, but I'm glad I did."

Gopher believes praying helped her get back on track and out of a dark place. But she believes the turning point to making her return was her first basketball tournament after the injury. After getting back on the court, she felt like she found herself again.

"I was really scared for a while even playing but after I played in that tournament, I felt really confident and I felt like myself again," Gopher said. "After I played again, I just fell in love with (basketball) all over again and I got that feeling of belonging somewhere and just having that confidence in myself."

After recovering from her injury, Gopher has made the most of the past two years with the Bears. These past two seasons, she helped the Bears advance to the Northern C Divisionals. During her senior year, she was a key contributor for a Box Elder program that won the District 9C and finished second at the Northern C to qualify for the state tournament. After her career nearly ended, Gopher believes these past few seasons have given her a lot.

"I've appreciated it a lot. It takes a lot to lace up your shoes and to get out there. It has opened up a lot for me, not even physically but mentally. It's made me really tough," Gopher said. "I did go through a lot especially this season with being sick and everything but it has made me appreciate life and the people around me because these are the people I'm playing with forever and they are my best friends."

Gopher will get on the court for the Bears one last time this week for the state tournament. Before she plays her last game for the Bears, the Havre Daily News got the chance to ask Gopher five questions. For more on the Bears, see Wednesday's Havre Daily News.

HDN: During your recovery, who helped you the most?

Gopher: "My mom and dad helped me a lot. They were there for me every day. They helped me rest and just get back into the groove of things. It took me a long time to get out of a really dark place and they were there for me to check on me, and gave me food. They were praying for me every day. I even had relatives in Arizona praying for me."

HDN: What have you enjoyed about your senior season with the Bears?

Gopher: "I've enjoyed just being at every practice, especially when we were going to divisionals because I didn't know if that was going to be my last practice. So just soaking it in, going hard every single practice because I didn't know when it was going to be my last one."

HDN: What do you look forward to about the state tournament this week?

Gopher: "I am looking forward to just going out, competing, giving it our all because I just want to play for my community because they're a big part of our team. They pray for us, they feed us, they're just there every game and we want more than anything to win a championship for our people."

HDN: Outside of basketball, what do you like to do in your free time?

Gopher: "I love being outdoors. I love hiking, I love fishing and I love camping. Just everything. We have these beautiful mountains out here so I love being out here all the time."

HDN: What do you plan to do after high school?

Gopher: "I plan to go to Montana State University. I got into a program for pre-nursing so I plan on majoring in nursing and hopefully coming back in a few years and being a nurse for our clinic here."