Scary concussion left her unable to walk. Now, SLO County basketball star is thriving again

From the moment Makennah Simonson stepped foot on the court for the Nipomo Titans, she’s put her imprint on the game.

As a freshman, the 5-foot-7 guard led her team in points (16.3 per game), assists (3.3 per game) and steals (4.7 per game).

She was an up-and-coming star with a world of potential.

Then, her basketball career came to a sudden halt on Feb. 4, 2020.

“It was against Paso, actually on my birthday. I was going up for a layup and a girl intentionally came up behind me and threw me and the back of my head hit the floor,” Simonson said.

The Nipomo guard suffered a severe concussion that forced her to miss the rest of her freshman season and then all of her sophomore year as well.

The effects from the injury were long-lasting and scary, and they extended far beyond the basketball court.

“I had to relearn how to walk, relearn how to do day-to-day tasks. It took a lot out of me,” Simonson said. “I lost my short-term memory for a bit.”

Finally, last year, she returned to play in her junior season. She led the Titans to a 22-8 overall record and an 8-2 finish in the Mountain League. She was named Tribune SLO County Player of the Year.

Now as a senior and fully healthy, Simonson is the clear leader for the Titans, a tenacious player who affects all parts of the competition and makes her teammates better.

“I play every game like it’s my last because you never know if it could be,” Simonson said.

How Nipomo basketball player recovered from injury

After her concussion, there were moments that left Simonson’s basketball future in jeopardy.

Very easily, the game against Paso Robles on her birthday almost four years ago could’ve been her final time stepping on the court.

“There were many times where my neurologist was like, ‘I don’t know if this is gonna heal,’” Simonson said. “It was a miracle that I did, and there were definitely times where I had to picture my life without it, and it was difficult.”

Recovery was a long and arduous process.

Simonson’s symptoms mirrored those of both a stroke and a concussion. On top of that, a blood vessel in her brain was damaged, causing her legs to go numb.

“I had nausea, constant headaches. I would have episodes where I got extremely dizzy. I couldn’t stand up. I couldn’t drive in a car for a long period of time. I couldn’t sleep. I had sensitivity to sound and light,” Simonson said. “It caused a change in my personality and who I was as well. It caused heightened irritation and also ... depression.”

Those were just the concussion symptoms.

She also dealt with losing memory and coordination on the left side of her body.

“My therapy, it consisted of a lot of stuff. I started with just walking in a line and talking because I lost my ability to multitask. I had to do balance training, GyroStim, vestibular rehabilitation, memory loss training, and (get into a) hyperbaric chamber,” she said. GyroStim therapy uses a computer-controlled rotational chair to help stimulate the motor system.

The healing process was exhausting for Simonson. She would go back-and-forth between doing home therapy and sessions at the office of her neurologist.

When she would arrive home, “the therapy took so much out of (me) that (I) would just lay in bed,” she said.

“I look back on it and it’s truly a miracle I got to the point where I am today. I still don’t know how I’m able to be on the court,” Simonson said.

As the months stretched on, she said it was difficult for her to remain motivated. But just like shooting the ball at the hoop, she had a goal to aim for.

“There were many times going through the therapy … that I had to consider the possibility of not playing basketball ever again and ending my career after that.” Simonson said. “It was definitely a topic my family and I talked about a lot and seeing if it was even worth going back. I decided that it is because of my passion for it.”

Here first time back on the court last year was a moment of redemption — and a chance to make up for lost time.

Simonson quickly reclaimed her role as team leader, averaging 15.2 points a game to go with three assists in her junior season.

Now in her final high school season, Simonson isn’t holding back.

What makes her a great player

Simonson isn’t the traditional scoring star who always carries the scoring load.

While she averages 15.3 points per game, her ability to elevate the Titans with her energy and teamwork stands out.

“The best aspect of her game is just her drive and passion to play. You never have to question whether she wants to be out there, and you never question what you’re gonna get from her,” McCoy said. “She’s gonna go 100% all out every time. It’s a blessing to have a player with that mindset.”

It’s not common to see a star player who also excels in the little things like rebounding, guarding on the ball and outlet passing.

In Nipomo’s matchup against Morro Bay on Jan. 13, Simonsen’s well-rounded play was on display as she guided the Titans to a 58-48 win.

She only scored five points in the game, and instead focused on empowereing her teammates by feeding them quality looks. One way she does this is by launching fastbreaks.

Simonson will grab a rebound, immediately scan downcourt for a player leaking out, and then launch a one-handed pass that lands right in front of her teammate for a layup.

“My dad was a quarterback of the football team, so there was a lot of throwing football in the backyard. That’s where (the one-handed pass) developed because I was learning how to throw a football, and it just came naturally with basketball,” Simonson said.

She will use the same right-handed pass in the halfcourt to whip the ball to teammates cutting to the basket or spotting up for a jump shot.

On offense, instead of settling for outside jumpers, Simonson was able to pierce the Morro Bay defense and draw attention while also analyzing the backside defenders to make smart passes.

She was responsible for numerous points via assists but also countless others where the teammate she passed the ball to swung the ball one more time for an even better shot.

Simonson isn’t only a leader on offense. On the defensive end, she creates chaos.

In the Morro Bay game, the Titans guarded the Pirates full-court. Part of their strategy is to use Simonson as a roamer looking to pounce on an unsuspecting offensive player.

“There’s a lot of times … we put it out there and say Makennah, she’s playing free safety right now. She has the … opportunity to take chances, go for steals and it pays off,” McCoy said. “And then even if she doesn’t get a steal, she’s gonna get deflections. And if she doesn’t get it, she’s sprinting back up the floor as well to recover.”

In the same way her passing sparks the team on offense, her defensive tenacity instills confidence in her teammates that they can guard their opponents, even when they have a height disadvantage.

Simonson is the second-tallest player for Nipomo at 5-foot-7, only exceeded by her younger sister, sophomore Belle Simonson, at 5-foot-8. Across the board, the team is undersized.

Despite the physical disadvantage, the Titans scrap for rebounds and steals. And Simonson spearheads the team in the dirty work. She’s stuffed the stat sheet with multiple double-doubles, triple-doubles, and even a quadruple-double this season.

Simonson played the entire duration of the game against Morro Bay. She was relentless every minute, hounding the opposing team’s guard and forcing turnovers.

What’s ahead for the Nipomo player?

What’s clear is that Simonson can change the game in many ways without needing the ball in her hands.

Combine that with her leadership off the court, and she is an enticing player to any college program.

“I think (her game) will carry over very well because she’s not a selfish player,” McCoy said. “She reads the floor well. She works hard on the offensive end as well as on the defensive end,” Nipomo Head Coach Larry McCoy said. “She’s not one of those superstar athletes who feel like they know everything, and you can’t tell him anything. She’s very coachable.”

Although she has stacked her resume with accolades, success, and gaudy stat lines, she’s still looking for somewhere to play at the collegiate level.

That’s because she missed crucial time in recruiting due to her injury lasting through her sophomore season.

However, even if she doesn’t play at in college, Simonson said she still wants to “finish out (her) high school career because of how hard (she worked) to get better.”

As Nipomo charges into league play with a 3-4 record, Simonson continues to make her case for one of the best players, if not the best player, in the Mountain League.

“It’s just my love for it all in all. I’ve never known my life without it,” she said. “I’ve been doing it since as long as I can remember. The only time I’ve went without it is when I was dealing with my concussion, and I realized how precious it is to me and who I am.”

This story was originally published January 26, 2023 at 5:30 AM.