Deans' tough decision works out well at Hersey

Jason Deans is one of the best golfers and tennis players in the Mid-Suburban League.

When he was about to enter Hersey High School, no one would have predicted that.

Jason was focused on playing basketball and baseball for the Huskies.

However, after his freshman year, he made one of the toughest decisions of his life and today, his parents Kevin and Christine could not be prouder of their son.

Jason had put in countless hours playing basketball and baseball.

But after suffering three concussions, Jason decided to switch strictly to golf and tennis in his sophomore year at Hersey.

It's also been a life-changing moment for his father, who hopes others can learn about the seriousness of concussions.

"The sports world was just starting to understand what traumatic brain injuries can do to you long-term back in 2011," said Kevin, who coached Jason in basketball and baseball. "I had no clue of the dangers my son faced and was also in denial about the risks."

Kevin said the pediatric doctor suggested that Jason should sit out the season after his first concussion.

"But I did not listen," Kevin said. "Two months later he suffered his second concussion and the nightmare began. He missed going to Cooperstown as part of his travel baseball team trip and never played baseball that summer."

The most devastating thing was that Jason could not go to school and finish sixth grade due to his constant headaches, missing 35 days of school that spring. He was able to return to school before seventh grade headache free after his neurologist came up with the right medication using trial and error.

Today, he is finishing quite a career at Hersey.

"I would love for him to continue playing golf or tennis competitively in college, but he has found himself a lifelong love of both sports and I think he has bigger plans for a possible teaching career," Kevin said. "His golf coaches and tennis coaches have all been very inspirational teachers and given my son a great understanding of life skills to take with him wherever he decides to go. Thanks to coaches Cap (Dan Caporusso), (Mark) Gunther, (Kent) Borghoff, (Andy) Walton and (Rob) Pihl and all my son's teachers at Hersey."

Jason is a two-time all-conference golfer and two-time sectional qualifier while serving as one of three captains for a team that was a sectional qualifier last fall. His team placed third in regionals for the first time in quite a while.

He has also been part of Hersey's tennis team that has won two consecutive MSL East titles.

Not bad for someone who did not start playing competitively in either sport until high school when he received that third concussion.

When he got to Hersey he had been concussion-free since sixth grade and was coming off two solid years of playing feeder basketball and travel baseball.

However, his path changed forever in November of his freshman year when he suffered another (his third) concussion at basketball practice.

"The aftermath was a blur," he said. "I went back to my neurologist and told my coaches I would be sidelined for a while. I just focused on homework that would take me twice as long as it used to."

Jason was able to return for the last few games missing two months of the season, but sat on the bench most of the time.

Then came baseball season that spring.

"I had been wearing a protective helmet in the field since seventh grade, so I had heard all of the names and jokes," he said. "But the jokes were now much harsher and the environment more hostile."

Jason, though, enjoyed baseball more than basketball because he was healthy the whole season and was able to make an impact on the team with his pitching.

"But every time I looked over at the tennis courts (right near the baseball field), all I heard were laughs and encouragement," he said. "After the season ended, my dad and I decided to sign me up for tennis camp to improve my footwork for basketball."

The immediate encouragement from his new coaches and teammates was refreshing and it took Jason only a few days to realize he would enjoy playing tennis more than baseball.

After a summer filled with basketball, golf and tennis, Jason decided baseball and basketball were no longer his sports.

"The team environment and the potential risk for another concussion made the decision that much easier for me," he said. "Now the challenge would be telling my dad, who coached me in those sports (baseball and basketball) for many years."

Jason told his father a month before basketball tryouts his sophomore year. "I expected the backlash to be immense, which it was," he said. "But my decision never budged."

"I laid out my reasons for switching from golf, baseball and basketball to just golf and tennis," Jason said. "I said both are non-contact sports and I like playing golf and tennis much more than baseball or basketball, and having the winter off would help my grades dramatically."

Kevin hopes his son's story is something all parents will think about when their kids compete in contact sports. "I could not visually see his injury or have ever known the way people can suffer silently with the after-effects of a concussion". "We missed watching him play those sports in High School, and the time we enjoyed with the other players' parents, but it just wasn't worth the risk to his health and well-being".

Jason and his No. 1 doubles partner Patryk Kot were a big part of the Huskies tennis team that took first place in the Edwardsville Spring Invitational earlier this season.

They won the deciding match in a tie breaker to win the second set and a 10 point tiebreaker (10-8) to finish the match while the Huskies No. 1 (Aidan Burke) and No. 2 (Kevin Mi) singles players secured their matches earlier. Hersey defeated Triad High School 3-2 for their first-place finish.

"Just making the decision to change sports isn't what transitioned me from childhood to adulthood," Jason said. "It was how I was able to make a hard decision and stand by it while providing solid evidence for my reasoning. This decision has greatly impacted my life to this point and has proved to me that I can be independent."

And it's made his parents proud.

"To say the least, we are very proud of him and what he overcame to be the young man he is today," Kevin said. "Hersey High School plus playing multiple sports have been the reasons for that. My wife Christine and I have just stood by and enjoyed the ride after he recovered fully from this last concussion."

"We were all very honored by his recent nomination to the IHSA all-state academic team and even though he was not chosen, it revealed to us that he has truly enjoyed his Hersey High School experience with his teachers and coaches and it showed in the classroom and on the field of play."

Jason has been offered Merit Scholarships from multiple colleges.

He is an Illinois State Scholar, National Honor Society member, as well as National Foreign Language Honor Society member. His weighted GPA is over 5.0 and he scored a 33 on his ACT, in addition to being an accomplished pianist.

He now faces his next big decision on where to attend college. His parents will let him make that big choice as well.