For Anne-Marie Torp, the first sign of trouble was a series of severe migraines that required hospitalization. As the former Monarch High School guard spent more time in the hospital than in class or on the court, her career at Utah State was put on hold.
On Thanksgiving 2004, she suffered a stroke, leading to the diagnosis of a congenital heart condition and a surgical procedure in Denver a few weeks later to patch a hole in her heart.
A month later, however, she was in worse condition. A specialist in Rochester, Minn., home of the Mayo Clinic, recommended more surgery, and she underwent open heart surgery in May.
Quickly, she regained her health, and gradually worked herself into basketball shape, playing the last 14 games of the 2005-06 season at Utah State.
Yet with two years of eligibility remaining and her sister, Katrina, moving back to Denver from Washington state, Torp decided to transfer to Metro State.
Immediately eligible, Torp has started every game for the Roadrunners (8-2, 3-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference). On a deep squad that averages 74.9 points, she averages 9.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
“I’m loving my decision,” Torp said. “It’s great having my family here, and I’m very happy at Metro. Basketball is going great. My teammates are awesome, and my coaches are awesome.”
Along with students from all of Metro State’s athletic teams, Torp lives at the Regency, a former hotel transformed into a dormitory.
“It’s nice,” she said. “It’s big enough, so we’re not on top of each other. But it is nice to have everyone around, especially with all the newcomers.”
Along with Torp, Metro State coach Dave Murphy brought in Cassondra Bratton, formerly of the University of Denver, and Ashley Mickens a former cadet from the Air Force Academy.
The transfers are accustomed to a demanding Division I routine, from on-court practices to film study, weight training, icing and taping in the training room, study table sessions and travel.
“The transfers from Division I, we somewhat raised the bar a little bit for how much we can be pushed,” Torp said. “We put a lot of emphasis on the team; we brought a lot with us.”
At 5-feet-11, Torp is versatile. She can shoot from the perimeter and has the footwork and power game to occasionally post up a defender.
Instead of keeping doctor’s appointments and awaiting test results, she’s living the typical student-athlete life.
“My strength is back to normal,” she said. “I haven’t had any problems whatsoever this year. I feel very blessed that I’m still able to play.”
Footnotes
Patrick Hannaway of CU-Colorado Springs continues to lead the RMAC in scoring average (25.3) and field-goal shooting percentage (71.7). Regis’ Brandon Butler is at 67.4 percent, while averaging 16.8 points. … Regis’ Diana Lopez leads the women’s side in 3-point shooting at 50 percent. (28-for-56).
