My name is Danny Hummer.  I was born on September 10, 1995 in Columbus, Ohio.  I have one good brother and two (sometimes!) good sisters.  We live in Upper Arlington, Ohio a suburb of Columbus.  From the time I can remember I’ve always loved the game of basketball.  Since 3rd grade I’ve been competing at an elite level, at least within my age group.  Three years ago I noticed my body felt different.  I was in pain.  Countless doctors looked at me but couldn’t figure out the problem.  My peers and coaches started to lose faith in me because they couldn’t “see” the injury.  I couldn’t go 100% all the time.  It was just too painful.  Not knowing what’s wrong with you can cause you to question everything that you’ve done.  And that’s the exact thing I did.  I started to question whether I was really even that good or if it was in my mind.  I knew the pain was not just in my mind but it was hard to block out the questions, because I couldn’t do moves or things I used to be able to do easily.  I couldn’t run the way I used to.  My burst and acceleration went away.  Waking up every morning sore and stiff took its toll on me.  I can honestly say I was kind of depressed for a time.  If it wasn’t for my family who believed in me,   I don’t know who I would’ve turned to.  My mindset finally changed when Dr. Ellis of Ohio State figured out what was wrong with me.  I had Femeroacetabular Impingement, or FAI, in both hips. The discovery of what was wrong began a journey, a journey through which I healed and was able to achieve one of my major team goals: a trip deep into the Ohio state tournament draw and all the way to the state championship game.  Along the way, I learned a lot about myself.  First, that I am stronger than I thought.  Second, that I have great determination.  Third, I’ve always thought I had mental toughness and throughout this process I raised that to a whole new level. Fourth, I’ve come to appreciate people who reached out to help me and barely knew me.  Fifth, I was able to find out that a lot of people truly care about me.  People were there for me not when I was just up but when I was down.  Last, I learned that the physical pain I had to experience through the surgeries should forever prepare me for life challenges ahead.

3rd grade team

2014 Upper Arlington Basketball