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Keegan Hyland's dream had always been to play major Division I basketball. But who knew his dream would take him clear across the country?
When you Google the distance between his hometown of Portland, Maine, and Spokane (the city where his dreams have taken him), Google assumes that you mean Portland, Ore. Because who in their right mind travels that far? But dreams can motivate you to do crazy things.
The mileage comes to just under 3,000, by the way, which will undoubtedly hinder his close-knit family from hopping in the car for a roadtrip. The family's sleep patterns will also take some changing to accommodate the frequent 7 p.m. Pacific Time tipoff which translates to 10 p.m. in Maine.
It was the same close-knit family that helped keep Hyland's head up after a stress fracture in his groin decimated his senior year, transforming his role from local star to "cheerleader or an assistant coach" as his father, Tom, put it. But Hyland was resilient, never missing a practice, a game or an opportunity to encourage or help his teammates or toss them a towel on their way to the bench for a timeout.
"It was the hardest basketball experience I have ever had, I felt like I was letting down my teammates, school and community. I wanted to be out there to help us win and it was very tough to be sidelined," Hyland said. "It has motivated me and I picked up certain aspects of the game that I try to use when I play now."
Hyland's groin is healed now, and the incoming freshman has been working hard to recover his strength for this winter when he'll get his chance to compete for playing time in Gonzaga's transfer-depleted backcourt. But hard work is hardly new for Hyland.
"His work ethic is legendary in Maine," Tom Hyland said. "His whole philosophy for years has been that he'll outwork anybody and let the rest fall where it lays."
It's his work ethic which has created the notoriety of being "one of the premier shooters in the country," according to recruiting website scout.com and undoubtedly attracted schools like Gonzaga to recruit him.
Gonzaga didn't contact Hyland until February of his senior year, late enough in the process that Hyland had already considered attending prep school to garner interest from more prestigious programs the following year.
Hyland and his father visited Gonzaga in April with no scholarship offer in-hand, just the hope that they would leave Spokane with one. On his visit, Hyland and his father were immediately impressed with the players and coaches they met. Conversely, Hyland impressed the coaches during pick-up basketball with some of the players and received his offer.
Hyland committed shortly after the visit and only a few months later was in Spokane again, this time as a Gonzaga student. Summer classes enabled him to get adjusted to living away from home and also get ahead academically.
Academics, which are a priority for Hyland, the son of two teachers, were a major factor in his decision to come to Gonzaga.
"We only considered schools that had reputable academics with a good faculty. Academics are extremely important to us and definitely played into this decision," Tom Hyland said.
It will be a new experience for Hyland and his family who find themselves on opposite coasts, but content at the same time.
"As a father, what you want to do is enable your son to put him in a position to actualize his dreams and this has been one of his dreams for his whole life. We'll get by," Tom Hyland said.
Consider it mission accomplished.