Oregon women’s basketball center Sedona Prince will miss her senior season due to a torn ligament in her elbow. Prince will also forgo her final season of eligibility with the Ducks to focus on her professional career.
Late last week, the announcement was made by the University of Oregon. Prince said she was heartbroken over the decision, “I truly felt that this was the year I could showcase my work ethic and skills on the court, but also my self-growth and leadership ability.” Prince would have been one of the most experienced players on the court for Kelly Graves and the Ducks this season.
Early last week it appeared that Prince was going to work through the injury and find a way to have success for the Ducks this season, but after consulting with doctors, the decision was made to have the surgery and focus on rehab and the next step in her career. She had quite a few preseason accolades entering this season including being named to the Lisa Leslie Award watch list and the Pac-12 preseason watch list.
Last year, Prince found success on the floor hitting 54 percent of her shots and averaging close to five rebounds a game. While her numbers on the floor will certainly be missed, Graves always finds a way to get the most out of his players and has some key returning pieces as well as some key incoming recruits to help fill the void.
Prince will not only be missed for her leadership on the court but also for her role off the court. In 2021 she posted a video showing the difference between practice facilities for the NCAA Tournament for men’s teams vs women’s sparking changes following some gender equality backlash.
In their exhibition games last week, Kyei Phillipina stepped into the center starting role. She finished shooting 3 for 6 from the floor with 7 rebounds in just under 20 minutes of gameplay.
Oregon opens the 2022-23 regular season by hosting Northwestern out of the Big Ten on Monday, November 7th. Tipoff is set for 3 pm Pacific Time from Matthew Knight Arena.
Quote obtained via press release from the University of Oregon
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