If not for serious Injuries..

[Bajan Best]

If not for serious injuries.. These Former Huskies would have seen success at an entirely different level on the basketball court and might have taken the UCONN huskies program to even greater heights.. Limited physically throughout their careers at Storrs, one can only imagine.. Did I miss anyone off the list?

 

[Rb335]

I would definitely add Nicole Wolff to this list.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Morgan Tuck got hurt during her sophomore year and the team still won the national championship and went 40-0. How could she have possibly made it better had she not hurt her knee?

 

[Bajan Best]

http://www.ctpost.com/uconn/article/Torn-ACLs-injuries-devastate-but-UConn-s-women-2408725.php#photo-1943221

Twelve members of the UConn women's basketball team have sustained a season-ending injury or illness between 1995-2011. There have been nine instances when a player tore an anterior cruciate ligament. Below is a year-by-year breakdown of the injuries/illnesses.

Year Player Injury:

1995-96 Kim Better, Mononucleosis
1996-97 Shea Ralph, Knee
1997-98 Ralph, Knee
1997-98 Nykesha Sales, Achilles
1998-99 Sue Bird, Knee
2000-01 Ashley Battle, Elbow
2000-01 Svetlana Abrosimova, Foot
2000-01 Ralph, Knee
2001-02 Morgan Valley, Foot
2002-03 Nicole Wolff, Foot
2003-04 Wolff, Knee
2007-08 Kalana Greene, Knee
2007-08 Mel Thomas, Knee
2008-09 Heather Buck, Mononucleosis
2008-09 Caroline Doty, Knee
2010-11 Doty, Knee

 

[UcMiami]

Sveta was one that I was going to mention as well - her senior season she was still voted a first team AA though she only played 19 games - that is some serious respect from the voters.

 

[trb123]

Not sure how seriously Jayne Appel's dad was injured.
Uconn might have done better at many levels (from recruiting another big to winning another NC) without that injury.
Does anyone have a picture of the injured parent?

 

[j66kicker]

Not sure how seriously Jayne Appel's dad was injured.
Uconn might have done better at many levels (from recruiting another big to winning another NC) without that injury.
Does anyone have a picture of the injured parent?

Right behind her...

“You certainly, when you’re having shootaround the day of the game, don’t expect to see security guards and police come in and lead your recruit, telling you that we’ve got a problem,” Auriemma said. “And you realize that her father’s in the hospital going to have screws into his ankles because he broke it in your building. That’s not the winning edge, I don’t think.”

At least the Appels did gain some notice from the trip. “We made his book,” a fully recuperated Joseph said of Auriemma. “On Page 283, or something like that.”

 

[stamfordhusky]

Torn ACLs, injuries devastate, but UConn's women keep coming back

Not that it matters much, but the CT Post list of season-ending injuries/illnesses has one error. Heather Buck had mono at the start of her freshman year but was cleared to play before Christmas. However, since she really wasn't ready to contribute anyway, Geno and she agreed that she would sit out the year (a true redshirt) and preserve a year of eligibility. However, from a medical perspective she could have seen playing time for the last three months of the season.

 

[osceola48]

Another effect of injuries - Shea and Svet were both injured and freshman Diana couldn't do it all alone in the 2000-2001 NCAA tournament. UConn lost to ND in the Semis. Maybe without the injuries, they beat ND and win the finals, too. If so, UConn would already be a five-years-in-a-row NCAA champion!

 

[DaddyChoc]

Hunter

 

[cbraarj]

Hunter

Injury free and came here like she wanted could have been Uconns best post ever! ( One instance the parents were wrong ) and this happens more than people think.

 

[HuskyNan]

Keirsten Walters.

 

[Geew1992]

Not that it matters much, but the CT Post list of season-ending injuries/illnesses has one error. Heather Buck had mono at the start of her freshman year but was cleared to play before Christmas. However, since she really wasn't ready to contribute anyway, Geno and she agreed that she would sit out the year (a true redshirt) and preserve a year of eligibility. However, from a medical perspective she could have seen playing time for the last three months of the season.

Although not sick or injured, Jessica Moore redshirt her freshman year as well

 

[HuskyNan]

Although not sick or injured, Jessica Moore redshirt her freshman year as well

I'm not sure that is in line with the premise of this thread. Jess started playing basketball late and was very raw when she came to UConn. I think she might have hurt the team if she'd played her freshman year.

 

[UcMiami]

I'm not sure that is in line with the premise of this thread. Jess started playing basketball late and was very raw when she came to UConn. I think she might have hurt the team if she'd played her freshman year.

That team was strong with post players as well - Williams, Jones, Cash, Schumacher, Rigby and initially with Sveta and Shea also outside in players so she would likely have been anchored to the bench.

Another effect of injuries - Shea and Svet were both injured and freshman Diana couldn't do it all alone in the 2000-2001 NCAA tournament. UConn lost to ND in the Semis. Maybe without the injuries, they beat ND and win the finals, too. If so, UConn would already be a five-years-in-a-row NCAA champion!

Diana didn't need to do it alone, and the team probably would have done better if she didn't try - if Sue, Swin, Asjha, and Tamika had taken a few of those shots D was missing, the result might have been better - the great DT shot Uconn out of that particular game. She certainly redeemed herself, but ...

 

[BroadwayVa]

Sveta was one that I was going to mention as well - her senior season she was still voted a first team AA though she only played 19 games - that is some serious respect from the voters.

Svetie--was a loss---the loss of Shea alone wasn't a disaster but adding Svetlana Abrasamosa to this list was big.
Svet and Shea were buddies and that team had great chemistry on the court.
Remember the trips to Italy and the chemistry the teams came back with?/?
Svet--was a pleasure to watch. Shea was just plain tough!!

 

[BroadwayVa]

That team was strong with post players as well - Williams, Jones, Cash, Schumacher, Rigby and initially with Sveta and Shea also outside in players so she would likely have been anchored to the bench.

Diana didn't need to do it alone, and the team probably would have done better if she didn't try - if Sue, Swin, Asjha, and Tamika had taken a few of those shots D was missing, the result might have been better - the great DT shot Uconn out of that particular game. She certainly redeemed herself, but ...

That game stays with us---because of the 15 point half time lead. Don't fault DT for the many missed shots--Geno, to his credit, believes great shoots shall eventually start hitting --and they usually do , watch KLS, but that game was DT's first REAlly big game. I always though Maria could have hit half of DT's misses-----but we forget Muffet and Riley and a few really good to great players on ND's team.
It was a game to prove you can't win them all.

Big Rigg---when told she fouled someone she told the refs---I don't foul them---I roof em! Love that girl..

 

[BroadwayVa]

I'm not sure that is in line with the premise of this thread. Jess started playing basketball late and was very raw when she came to UConn. I think she might have hurt the team if she'd played her freshman year.

Jessica Moore was a project--the redshirting of her by Geno was a gift--Christine took charge of Moore and created a pretty fair center--who in a couple of years developed a lot of self confidence--thanks to Geno and Christine.

 

[cbraarj]

I'm not sure that is in line with the premise of this thread. Jess started playing basketball late and was very raw when she came to UConn. I think she might have hurt the team if she'd played her freshman year.

I'm not sure that is in line with the premise of this thread. Jess started playing basketball late and was very raw when she came to UConn. I think she might have hurt the team if she'd played her freshman year.

How would Jessica Moore have hurt the team if she played?

 

[HuskyNan]

How would Jessica Moore have hurt the team if she played?

Because Asjha or Tamika would have come out for her and because she was too raw and inexperienced. That 2001-02 team was a well-oiled machine.

 

[cbraarj]

Because Asjha or Tamika would have come out for her and because she was too raw and inexperienced. That 2001-02 team was a well-oiled machine.

It was the right move to redshirt Moore because they were loaded. If they didnt she would have played in a mop-up role at the end of the game. Asjha and Tamika would have still received their minutes and no she would not have hurt the team. It would have hurt only Jessica.

 

[tonehill68]

Injury free and came here like she wanted could have been Uconns best post ever! ( One instance the parents were wrong ) and this happens more than people think.

Brittany Hunter is the player I often wonder "what if she wasn't injured". She would have been something special and definitely "Wall of Fame" material.

 

[Bajan Best]

I think Shea Ralph, tops the list as a UCONN player derailed by Injuries...
She Impacted the game from day one, Pat Summit hated seeing her while in uniform..
She was fearless, Confident and gifted..

 

[trb123]

Brittany Hunter is the player I often wonder "what if she wasn't injured". She would have been something special and definitely "Wall of Fame" material.

I often wonder if Brittany Hunter were not injured, would she have stayed at Duke.

 

[meyers7]

Sveta was one that I was going to mention as well - her senior season she was still voted a first team AA though she only played 19 games - that is some serious respect from the voters.

She was as dominating as I've ever seen in WCBB in those games though.