It's not rocket science (although parts may be!) Incoming women's college freshmen everywhere have played so much more basketball from Grades 5-12 than in previous decades that the amount of injuries should come as absolutely no surprise. It will continue to happen as long as many higher level girls in, for example, Grade 8 now play:
Fall: 20 AAU games, 10 Fall League games
Winter: 15 middle school games, 25 town travel team games
Spring/Summer: 40 AAU games, 10 Summer League games
That's 120 games as a 8th grader and doesn't include any individual showcases or camps!!! If I drive my car 60,000 miles a year and you drive yours 12,000, guess which one will have more wear and tear and break down more often???
And when these girls get to college, the work never ends. Add in the physical wear and tear of scrimmaging in-season against men, non stop conditioning/weight lifting, time dedicated to long distance travel mid week for games while classes are in session and the notorious lack of sleep that has been a hallmark of college students forever and injuries are all but guaranteed.
Lastly...ACL injuries among high school athletes have grown 26% over the past 15 years, according to new research developed by leading organizations in the
National ACL Injury Coalition.
So while we can all certainly be upset at the amount of recent injuries for our Huskies, please don't be surprised. Societal change in youth AND college sports is needed. Will it happen???