HOLDEN — To witness and fully comprehend the spirited play that Wachusett Regional High senior Hannah Best delivers when on the volleyball or basketball court is nothing short of astounding, considering the adversity and hardships she has had to overcome. It’s been a painful and traumatic experience, as she related to The Landmark in a recent interview.
“I was playing basketball, and I tore my ACL. It was a week before volleyball tryouts last year. I missed my entire junior year for both sports,” Best recalled. “I had surgery at the end of September and was cleared in May.
“When you tear your ACL, you think of people rolling on the ground screaming, but for me, it was the opposite. I came to a jump stop and I felt a tweak, and I kind of just walked it off. I finished the tryout.
“I’ve rolled my ankle so many times, and I didn’t think anything of it. The next morning I woke up, and it felt kind of stiff. My mom took me to the doctor and I got an MRI, and that’s when they told me that it was fully torn and the only way to fix that was surgery.
“I had a brace that went from my hip to my foot and then there were crutches. It was a lot of physical therapy. I felt like I was there every day.”
“Hannah is a competitor,” volleyball varsity head coach Jennifer Burton said. “She has worked hard at her position and has become one of the best blockers in the league. She doesn’t get rattled, which helps her teammates to settle down in competitive situations. She is well-liked by her teammates and has a calming influence on the court. She is direct with her teammates but supports them in a good-natured way during practice and games.
“Hannah’s very no-nonsense. She’s out there for one reason and that’s to play her best, and to help her team get the win. She’s a quick learner who works hard and is very coachable.”
Best, who hails from Holden, was first introduced to what would be her chosen sports by her father, who himself was an accomplished athlete. His influence led to achievements that resulted from hard work and commitment to team.
“My dad is a huge basketball guy. He played at Holy Name, Assumption and then professional,” Best said. “He signed me up for recreational leagues in first and second grade, and I’ve been playing basketball since then. I played AAU, and my dad convinced me that I should try volleyball. Freshman year I decided to sign up. I did, and I loved it. This is my fourth year playing volleyball.
“I played for AAU Bay State Jaguars, and we traveled across country. I also did the same thing for volleyball. I played club and tried to get to as many clinics as I could.
“The people I’ve met through sports have become some of my best friends. The friends I made in fourth-grade tryouts have made me so close to my teammates. I’ve built relationships that I’ll have forever. Seeing them every day at practice is one of my main motivations. We became very close last year, and it won’t be like we’re controlling the team; rather, we’ll make it fun.”
Best will experience a new phenomenon in the oncoming basketball season, which will begin shortly. She will be a captain on the 2024 squad and is more than ready to show her leadership skills, which will be counted on heavily by WRHS basketball coach Jim Oxford.
“As a captain, we have to look out for everybody and make sure they’re doing their job. Growing up, I always did the camps and school, and I always looked up to the counselors,” Best said. “Now I feel it’s like me being looked up to, and I really have to make sure we’re strong and are what the younger kids would want us to be like.
“My sophomore and junior years in basketball, we made it to the final four in the Division 1 State Tournament. This year, we’re looking to do that again or go even farther. We have a super-strong team this year, with seven seniors out of 12 (players). Playoffs are the time we look forward to, and I’m really excited for that.
“I’ve always been someone who gets kind of nervous even though I’ve been playing forever, but I feel like when I start, all the nerves go away. It can be intimidating when there’s a big crowd. We warm up, and I get more excited than nervous, which is good.”
Best not only takes pride in her sports endeavors but also her academic success. She is a member of the National Honor Society and has earned high honors in all quarters of her time at Wachusett. Combining sports and academics, and doing it well, has been something she has mastered, which is not always the case with student-athletes.
“Having to balance sports and schoolwork has been tough, but I feel like I’ve been able to do it over the years. My grades have been really good over timen, and I feel like it motivates me to do better in school, which motivates me to do better in sports.”
“We missed Hannah last season. She definitely would have helped us when we faced Andover in the state semifinals,” said Oxford. “Hannah is a pleasure to coach. She works hard, strives to be a good teammate, and wants to win.
“We want to push Hannah out more on the offensive end. She has become a much better shooter, and we want her to be consistent shooting threes. Hannah makes everyone on the floor better. She’s positive, mentally tough and understands the game well. I think Hannah will do a great job as a captain. She’ll lead by example. She can also be straightforward with her teammates.”
Best is aware that the expression ‘Mountaineer pride’ carries significance throughout the school and community, and she carries that pride with her whenever suiting up in a Wachusett uniform.
“I feel like it’s just a jersey, but the word Wachusett represents so much more than that. Wachusett represents everyone I’ve known over the years, the school in general, the coaches and what it means to be a Mountaineer. It’s a privilege that I get to wear that jersey because we have a lot of pride when it comes to this school.”
