Texas point guard Rori Harmon suffered a season-ending knee injury Wednesday night, the school announced on Friday.
In what was described as a non-contact injury, Harmon tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during the team’s shootaround ahead of the 97-52 win over Jackson State. A 5-foot-6 junior, Harmon is regarded as one of the best players in college basketball.
‘I’m grateful for the support of my teammates and coaching staff during this difficult time,’ Harmon said in a statement. ‘I also want to thank our medical staff at Texas for taking care of me. I’m heartbroken that I won’t be able to play with my teammates this season, but I’m going to support them and be the best teammate I can be. We have big goals for this season and those are not going to change. We are going to come into the gym every day and work hard to achieve those goals. We have the best fans and will play hard for them and for each other.’
Rori Harmon was one of the nation’s top players this season
This season, Harmon distributed 7.8 assists per game. That ranks second nationally behind Colorado State senior McKenna Hofschild’s average of 8.5. Harmon’s 6.64 assists-to-turnover ratio leads all Division I basketball players by a healthy margin.
Harmon had also developed into a scoring threat for the Longhorns. At 14.1 points per game, she is UT’s second-leading scorer. She shot 52.3% from the field over the 12 games that she appeared in after entering this year with a career shooting percentage of 38.2.
Additionally, Harmon is the Big 12’s reigning defensive player of the year.
‘We are heartbroken for Rori and our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family during this difficult time,’ Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. ‘She has worked so hard to become in my opinion the best guard in the country, an All American. It is difficult to see a young person go through this. It is truly devastating. My heart is crushed for her. But this I know about Rori, she will attack this like she does every practice, every game and she will be back to her old self in no time. I know she will continue to be a great teammate and she will help her team in the coming months of the season.’
It couldn’t have come at a worse time, as Big 12 play begins
The Longhorns will need to shift around their starting lineup with Harmon out. Texas fans can now expect to see either Madison Booker or Shaylee Gonzales running the offense.
Booker is listed as a 6-foot-1 forward on the Texas roster, but the versatile freshman has been also used as Harmon’s backup this season. Against Jackson State on Wednesday, Booker distributed nine assists while only committing one turnover.
‘(Booker is) probably the second-best passer on our team behind Rori,’ Schaefer told reporters in October.
A sixth-year senior guard, Gonzales was UT’s primary point guard while Harmon missed five games last season with a toe injury. Freshman Gisella Maul is another option at the position.
Ranked No. 7 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, Texas is 13-0 with an average margin of victory of 38.6 points. The Longhorns are scheduled to host No. 11 Baylor on Saturday afternoon.
