If you’re a fan of the WNBA, you likely know the name Bria Hartley.<\/p>\n
She’s been playing in the league since 2014 and is currently a shooting guard with the Connecticut Sun. But her legacy goes back even further as a two-time champion for the UConn Huskies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Hartley’s not on a court across the country, you can find her at TCO Training Haus in Eagan, Minnesota.<\/p>\n
The New York native has embraced Minnesota as her off-season home, where she is raising her 8-year-old son, Bryson.<\/p>\n
Her professional career rerouted her to Minnesota when she tore her ACL in 2020, when hospital space was limited and she found an opening for surgery at TCO.<\/p>\n
She stayed in Minnesota and rehabbed at Training Haus with physical therapist Braidy Solie.<\/p>\n
Two years later, Hartley tore her other ACL while playing against the Lynx at Target Center. She knew where to go for help right away.<\/p>\n
“I just really trust them here at Training Haus. I’ve built relationships with my surgeons, my PTs here, and I really love this facility, so coming back here is really a no-brainer for me,” she said.<\/p>\n
Now that she’s healthy again, she continues to train in Eagan to maintain that health as a 34-year-old veteran player, working with experts who are teaching her the right way to work out.<\/p>\n
That includes pilates from Denise Strenger.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know if I’ve necessarily had the education on how to lift properly and do certain things, until I had my injury and now you realize how much that really matters,” Hartley said.<\/p>\n
Being here during her darkest days as an athlete has made Minnesota more meaningful to her, turning her son into a Vikings fan and working as an assistant coach for the Benilde-St. Margaret’s girls’ basketball team.<\/p>\n
“I’ve always been really big on trying to give back, especially to young girls,” Hartley said. “Just kind of be a mentor and help those kids with their mentality who want to play Division I basketball or who want to play professionally.”<\/p>\n
Hartley hopes she can be an example of rebounding through recovery.<\/p>\n
“There could be moments that are low and very difficult, but I think if you stay your course and stay committed, you can come out on the other side,” she said.<\/p>\n
Hartley says she hopes to play in the WNBA for at least three more years, if not more.<\/p>\n
As for joining the Lynx someday, she said she would be open to it if the opportunity presented itself and it was the right fit.<\/p>\n
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