Prince's elbow injury ends career at Oregon

Oregon Ducks women's hoops subordinate Sedona Prince has a torn ligament successful her elbow that requires surgery, and she volition not proceed her assemblage career. The redshirt elder guardant graduated successful May and volition absorption connected betterment with the anticipation of playing professionally.

"I'm heartbroken," Prince said successful a connection released by Oregon connected Friday. "I genuinely felt that this was the twelvemonth I could showcase my enactment ethic and skills connected the court, but besides my self-growth and enactment ability."

The 6-foot-7 guardant said she tried to propulsion done the wounded to play this season, but aft extended aesculapian evaluation, she decided it was champion to hole for the future.

"I cognize that I person to instrumentality attraction my elbow present successful bid to guarantee semipermanent wellness and a sustained nonrecreational career," Prince said. "Not being capable to play with my teammates this twelvemonth is achy and tragic for me. However, I'm truthful grateful for the full assemblage of Eugene for their continued enactment and inspiration to ever propulsion guardant done adversity."

Prince began her assemblage vocation astatine Texas successful 2018 but did not play for the Longhorns that play due to the fact that of a breached limb she suffered portion competing successful the summertime for USA Basketball. Prince spoke to ESPN's Dan Murphy for a February 2021 communicative astir her concerns with the aesculapian attraction she received astatine Texas earlier she transferred to Oregon, wherever she had to beryllium retired the 2019-2020 season.

In March 2021, Prince's societal media videos from San Antonio highlighted the large disparity betwixt weight-room facilities disposable astatine the women's NCAA tourney vs. the men's tourney successful Indianapolis. It prompted nationalist discussion and changes from the NCAA, including a gender-equity study that investigated disparities successful each the NCAA championships.

Prince was constricted to 50 games successful college, starting 28. Last season, she averaged 9.3 points and 4.9 rebounds successful 30 games for the Ducks, who went 20-12 and mislaid 73-70 successful treble overtime to Belmont successful the NCAA tourney archetypal round.

"We are going to miss Sedona," Oregon manager Kelly Graves said. "She has done truthful galore fantastic things and has been an unthinkable typical of our programme and the university. Her interaction connected collegiate athletics, particularly successful the country of sex equity, has been immense and volition beryllium felt for generations to come."