The Nebraska forward is taking some time off to allow a cracked rib to heal.
CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 6:00 pm
The Nebraska women’s basketball team’s Big 12 Conference opener against Texas, now 22 days away, has taken on even more significance. That’s when Connie Yori hopes to see all-league forward Kelsey Griffin back in action for the Huskers.
NU’s coach revealed Tuesday that the 6-foot-2 junior Griffin, who had started all 74 games in her career before sitting out at Long Beach State on Saturday, will be held out for at least the next three contests in order to allow a cracked rib to heal. Griffin suffered that injury during an exhibition against Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 5, and even though she’s worn protective padding, has been unable to completely recover.
“We can’t do this ‘play a game and get hurt again, and play again,’” Yori said. “I think it’s just mentally wearing on her, so our intention is to not play her.”
Griffin, who is the Huskers’ No. 2 scorer and rebounder, and also second in steals and blocks, suffered another setback after taking a charging foul late in Thursday’s win at Cal State Bakersfield. When the pain persisted, she didn’t suit up on Sunday.
“We’re just going to kind of see how it heals, try to get her to the point where she’s healthy,” Yori said when asked what would be a best-case scenario for the Eagle River, Alaska, product. “Each time that she has gotten reinjured, it’s just been that much longer in getting her back, so we’ve just got to get her healthy.
“The longer we can rest her, the better. I hope we can get her back by the (start of the) Big 12 season.”
Nebraska plays at 18th-ranked Ohio State on Saturday and then concludes nonconference action with home games against Denver and Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2.
Griffin won’t be the only Husker sitting out Saturday. Sophomore guard Kala Kuhlmann, who’s averaging nearly 15 minutes, will miss her third straight game with a sprained knee. Meanwhile, another sophomore guard, Nicole Neals, was in a walking boot Tuesday to protect a sprained ankle. Neals, who’s averaging nearly 14 minutes, is expected to be ready for Saturday’s game.
“It changes our style,” Yori said. “I think we have to be a lot more creative in what we’re doing. We can’t just say ‘Well, we’re just going to try to pressure, pressure, pressure,’ because we don’t have the depth right now to do that. We have to come up with some other things that we can do to bother people. And use our substitutions well, use our media timeouts to give the kids rest, and then give them a minute here (and there).”
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.