TCU, football and comebacks: Megan Meyer breaks down her return to Drake women's basketball

With 23 seconds remaining in the first quarter of the Feb. 3 game between Drake women’s basketball and Northern Iowa – and with the Bulldogs holding a 22-10 lead – Megan Meyer waited at the scorer’s table to check into the game.

The buzzer blew and she took to the court.

“I was trying to tell myself that I wasn’t going to be nervous,” Meyer told the Des Moines Register on Tuesday. “When (a coach) came to get me and said that I was going in, I could immediately feel my mouth getting dry.”

Meyer’s nerves were higher than most of her teammates, and for good reason.

After suffering a season-ending – and, at the time, a thought-to-be career-ending – injury last season, Saturday marked the first game action Meyer had seen in over a year.

The injury happened during her senior season, and she opted to step away from the game and pursue another passion. Meyer thought her basketball career was effectively over.

At least, until a recent change of heart brought her back to the Bulldogs.

A season-ending injury left Meyer with unfinished business

To understand Meyer’s return to Des Moines, she needed to go back to Dec. 20, 2022.

The Bulldogs learned that their game against Iowa State was canceled due to inclement weather and the team needed to get in one more practice before an extended winter break.

Meyer and her teammates were elated: Just a couple drills and scrimmages stood between them and time with their families.

Twenty minutes into practice, Katie Dinnebier – in typical fashion – got a steal, and Meyer ran ahead for a fast-break layup.

She remembers extending out a little too far.

She remembers feeling her knee shift.

She remembers falling to the ground.

“I didn’t really say anything, and my teammates were like, ‘You’re good Meg,’” Meyer recalled. “I’m like, ‘No, I’m not good.’ I just remember feeling devastated. In that moment, I remember feeling confused and helpless.”

Meyer spent the remainder of the season on the bench: Missing the chance to play on Senior Day, watching her teammates win the Missouri Valley Conference title and compete in the NCAA Tournament.

With an extra year of eligibility left because of the pandemic, Meyer needed to decide whether to return to Drake. She put off the choice as long as possible because she didn’t want to tell the coaches that she didn’t plan to come back.

Meyer's heart was split between two loves: basketball and her fiancé, Jack Campbell, former Iowa linebacker and the first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft.

From Detroit to Drake, Megan Meyer ends up back with the Bulldogs

Ultimately, Meyer decided to support Campbell during his rookie season.

The extended rehabilitation period from her ACL surgery played a role.

“I spent that summer still rehabbing,” Meyer said. “I didn’t want to have to rehab for an additional four or five months after I'd already spent the whole season watching. It was a lot, mentally, so I decided to move on.”

Moving on looked fun, at least from the outside looking in.

Meyer’s life revolved around Detroit football, attending Campbell’s home and away games and watching her fiancé make it to the NFC Championship in his first professional season.

But, behind the scenes, there were times when it was difficult to remember how her athletic dreams were cut short.

Sometimes – after walking into Ford Field, hearing the music play, watching warmups – Meyer would close her eyes during the national anthem and pretend like she was the one preparing for a game.

“It was obviously really exciting to watch him compete and live out his dream,” Meyer said with a smile. “But, once basketball season started, we would sit on the couch and watch games, and I thought about how much I missed being out there.

“I would tell him all the time, ‘I wish I could just play one more game or it’d be so fun to just put my uniform on one more time or know that this was my last game because I didn’t get to have that experience.’”

Little did she know Meyer would get that opportunity.

On Jan. 17, the TCU women’s basketball program announced it would hold open tryouts after several players on the roster suffered significant injuries. Campbell told Meyer about it and encouraged her to contact the team.

She sent an e-mail and someone from the Horned Frogs called Meyer within the hour. TCU wanted to get her down to campus, but Meyer realized that it wasn’t realistic. She wasn’t enrolled in classes, she had never been on TCU’s campus, and, logistically, she couldn’t pack up and move to Texas on a whim.

Meyer called one of Drake’s assistant coaches, Nicci Hays Fort, and explained her situation. At the time, the former Bulldog just wanted to vent and mentioned that she’d rather finish out the season with Drake, not thinking it was possible.

And then Hays Fort said something that changed everything.

“She was like, ‘Megan, you know, you could do that,’” Meyer said.

But an assistant coach doesn’t have the power to put players on the roster, especially mid-season.

That responsibility lies with Drake head coach Allison Pohlman.

Meyer and Pohlman exchanged text messages and had a conversation about her coming back to the team. At first, the Bulldogs’ coach wasn’t sure if Meyer was serious, but then the pieces started to fall into place.

“In this program, we talk a lot about opportunities,” Pohlman said. “You have to go after them. It’s just like a loose ball.”

Meyer had already been in the locker room, she’d already played with most of the current Bulldogs, she’d already been a member of the Drake community. Pohlman was overjoyed that Meyer wanted to return to the team.

But, as head coach, she needed to think about the 13 other players on her roster.

“In the meeting when our coaching staff shared with our team that she was coming back, everyone was elated, and a little bit in disbelief,” Pohlman explained.

“And I offered that if anybody on our team wanted to have a more in-depth conversation about exactly how they were feeling or how this may impact them, to come and talk about it. That’s how we approach everything in our program – to keep it very open and honest. Really, that’s the only way to operate.”

Basketball is a bit different this time around

On Feb. 1 – Just 15 days after TCU announced open tryouts and rekindled Meyer's hopes of playing again – Drake announced that Meyer had returned to the program.

More: Drake graduate guard Megan Meyer returns to Bulldogs women's basketball team

Two days after the Bulldogs made the news public, Drake traveled to Cedar Falls for the first of two in-conference, rivalry games against UNI. Meyer played six minutes and tallied three points – going 1-of-2 from 3-point range – and one steal.

After the initial nerves wore off, Meyer admitted it was a bit like riding a bike.

Even after an extended break from basketball.

“Before emailing TCU, the last time I’d shot probably would’ve been August, just goofing around in the gym with my little sister,” Meyer said. “But after (sending the email), I made Jack go buy me a basketball and we went to the rec center in Detroit, and we were just shooting some shots and having fun.”

Meyer admits she might need to up her conditioning a bit, but it was easy to come back since she’d taken thousands of shots since she started playing basketball as a 4-year-old.

As for Pohlman, there weren't any concerns about Meyer’s ability to stage a comeback.

“She keeps saying that shooting is just like riding a bike,” Pohlman said. “You know, sometimes people ride bikes a little better than others, and she shoots it a little better than others.”

Good shooting or not, Meyer stepped into a different role than she was accustomed to from her previous seasons.

She started all 34 games in her first year at Drake (2021-22) and all eight games in 2022-23 before her injury. She’s only been back for one game so far, but was limited in her return.

And Meyer is okay with her new role.

“Any way that I can contribute for the rest of this season, I will be super thankful and happy, and I’m excited to cheer on my teammates,” Meyer exclaimed.

Meyer’s comeback offers lessons in life

On the surface, Meyer is just another athlete who reclaimed their eligibility for one final season.

Less than a month ago, she wasn’t enrolled in classes, wasn’t playing basketball and wasn’t even living in Des Moines. It’s been a whirlwind few weeks and, beneath the surface, Meyer knew it was important to come back and finish her career on her own terms.

“Honestly, I truly couldn’t be better, because I am living in this mindset of gratitude right now,” Meyer said. “I feel so thankful for this opportunity that I didn’t really think was ever going to be possible.”

Meyer’s return to the sport she loves so much provided her with closure, and she earned it. Basketball’s been part of her life for as long as she can remember, after all.

She also understands that her ability – and drive – to come back means something to more than just herself. She’s an example for every little girl who will sit in the Knapp Center on Thursday as the Bulldogs take on Bradley and watch Meyer play on Drake’s home floor again.

“I hope it can influence the little girls who come to our games, and around the state. When adversity hits, don’t shut down and use it to learn and grow. Know that by hard work and perseverance, you can do anything you put your mind to.”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How Megan Meyer's returned to Drake women's basketball after injury