Northern Star: Aidan Altona
Denfeld senior returns to court after severe knee injury
DULUTH, Minn.- After suffering a torn meniscus and a partial ACL tear in December, Duluth Denfeld’s Aidan Altona returned to the court in last week’s Iron Range Senior All-Star Game.
Altona was set to have an earth-shaking season with the Hunters in 2023-24. But after going up for a shot block in their season opener, everything changed when he landed in an awkward position. “Right when it happened, I knew right away. I was like, ‘Oh, this ain’t normal at all.'”
Altona’s knee injury kept him off the court for the rest of the season. But it didn’t keep him out of the gym. “I went to every practice. (I) went to every game, didn’t miss anything.” says Altona. “Even though I might be out, it’s still my team.”
After three months of physical therapy, Altona was finally cleared to play. While Denfeld’s season had already ended, Aidan was given an opportunity to play as a Hunter one last time.
“Me and my coach (Phil Homere) knew about this all-star game for a while. So, he was really trying to push me to be able to come back. And so, right when I got cleared, I was like, ‘I’m good. I’m going to give this a shot.'”
While warming up in the Iron Range Senior All-Star Game, Aidan took his newly healed knee for a test drive, dunking in the layup line. “I thrive off my confidence,” he explained. “Coming back, I knew what I could do. And I knew that I was fine. And you know, if you play like you’re going to get injured, you’re probably going to get injured. So, I knew not to do that.”
Once he was subbed into the game, Altona let it fly, knocking down a three-pointer from the corner. “I’ve been waiting for that feeling for a while,” Altona recollected. “So just seeing that shot go in, I was like, ‘There’s no stop me now. I’m hitting them all.'”
The Iron Range Senior All-Star Game gave Aidan the opportunity to end his high school playing days on his own terms. Now, his sights are set on continuing his hoops career at Bethany Lutheran. “I am thrilled. I mean, college basketball has always been a dream of mine. So being able to actually achieve that dream, it’s going to be a great ride.”
