Brandon Nevens addresses the crowd on Senior Night as CSULB President F. King Alexander looks on.

7:00pm | Two years ago, no one was thinking about whether or not Brandon Nevens would be able to play on his Senior Night. No one was thinking about whether or not he would be able to play basketball, period.

After a scary collapse on the Long Beach State track during a 2008 preseason workout, people were wondering whether or not Nevens was going to make it out of the hospital.

But after missing two full seasons of basketball and wading through the muck that is the NCAA eligibility extension process, here was Nevens on his Senior Night scoring, rebounding and playing solid defense in front of his friends and family to beat UC Santa Barbara. After the game, he was honored along with fellow seniors Greg Plater and Tristan Wilson with a framed jersey and standing ovation.

He wasn’t sure that he’d ever get to see this moment.

“Honestly, I don’t know man,” he said after the ceremony. “A part of me said no and a part of me said yeah.”

Head coach Dan Monson was a little more decisive.

“No, I honestly didn’t,” he said. “And he was such a great teammate that I was just waiting for him to come in some day and say, you know what, they’re never going to clear me, this is too hard. And it’s too early in the morning. And he never missed a practice. I never said something in a meeting and he didn’t nod his head yes. He’s as a good a teammate as I’ve ever seen, to go that long without playing.”

Beating the dangerous “compartment syndrome” in both legs was, frankly, the easy part. While Nevens sat out and waited for medical clearance from the team, and then from the NCAA, he attended every practice, film session and team meeting. Often, he dressed in full practice gear knowing he couldn’t set foot on the court.

“But I just kept faith in God and I kept faith in my coaches,” said the 6’3″, 210 lb. guard. “Because they helped me a great deal in this situation so it just felt good to finally get out here and show what I can do.”

Since finally receiving NCAA clearance in mid-December, Nevens has shown his stuff and remarkably played a key role in a championship season. He’s proven to be an energetic spark, but also a sound fundamentalist with few mistakes. More than anything, he’s the glue guy that the 49ers need, taking charges and tracking down loose balls for easy lay-ins. Long Beach State wrapped up the Big West regular season title last Thursday with Nevens playing key minutes off the bench. No one, not even Monson, saw that coming.

“To be honest with you, as a player I never had seen that much, he was a walk-on,” Monson said. “I let him walk on because he was a great kid, not because he’s a great player. I hadn’t really seen him. I looked up his stats at [Cal State] Bakersfield and it wasn’t really a basketball decision.”

But on a team with several players who will likely make Big West All-Conference teams, Nevens has carved out a vital niche in the rotation.

“He’s a great player for our needs coming off the bench because he’s a low-risk, no-mistake guy,” said Monson. “Brandon could go in and impact a game just with a defensive stop, in one play.”

Even before being medically cleared, Nevens had already made an impact on his teammates for his selflessness and dedication. Last night, the local boy and Lakewood High graduate was recognized for those attributes and more with the McDonald’s Press On Award at a formal banquet at the Lakewood Youth Hall of Fame. It’s awarded for overcoming adversity, but with Nevens you get the sense that he never really had any other option.

“I just want to play, that’s all I want to do,” he said. “I love basketball, I love the game and I just like being around my team and my coaches and that’s what kept me going. They always motivate me each and every day and it pays off.”

During his Senior Night speech, microphone in hand, teary-eyed sportswriters and scorekeepers watched intently as Nevens thanked the fans and coaches and paused before telling his teammates, “Ya’ll are my brothers, man.”

After two consecutive seasons that proved to be disappointments for the team on the court and for Nevens off it, is it any coincidence that Nevens’ inspiring return occurs as the 49ers win the conference title and appear more focused and close-knit than ever? Not likely.

“To get a ring, that in itself is overwhelming,” he said. “Now we have a chance to get to this [conference] tournament and I just want to do whatever I can to help this team, and I know we’re going to go pretty far. We’ve just got to keep it going and keep the defense up and keep running.”

No one’s happier to keep running than Nevens.