‘We’re keeping them involved.’ UK women’s basketball details two long-term injuries.
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It’s official — Big Blue Nation won’t get to see Kentucky women’s basketball transfers Jordan Obi or Dominika Paurová any time soon.
Head coach Kenny Brooks confirmed during UK’s annual media day Tuesday that neither Obi nor Paurová will be available in the near future because of injuries suffered this offseason.
Obi, a graduate transfer from Penn who suffered a lower-leg injury over the summer, will be out “probably until January,” Brooks said. At that point, she’ll be reevaluated to determine if her injury requires additional rehabilitation before returning to action.
Paurová, a sophomore transfer from Oregon State, hurt her knee while playing in Czechia’s U20 matchup against Iceland on July 14 in the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket. Brooks confirmed Tuesday that she tore an ACL, causing her to miss the 2024-25 season.
UK Athletics announced that both transfers had sustained unspecified lower-leg injuries at the end of July, but no timeline or further detail about the nature of their injuries had been set until now. However, Brooks did note that Obi and Paurová will “be definitely a big part of our future, which is kind of (giving) us an opportunity as we go into recruiting. We have a cushion because we know that those two will have the opportunity to come back next year and strengthen our team, as well.”
The injuries to Obi and Paurová mean Brooks’ first Wildcats squad will enter the season with 11 scholarship players available — guards Georgia Amoore, Tanah Becker, Lexi Blue, Dazia Lawrence, Cassidy Rowe, Saniah Tyler and Gabby Brooks; forwards Amelia Hassett and Teonni Key; and centers Clara Silva and Clara Strack.
Obi earned 2024 academic All-Ivy League and first-team All-Ivy League honors after a senior season that not only saw her eclipse 1,000 career points, but also serve as the Quakers’ second-leading scorer; The 6-foot-1 Obi averaged 14.8 points, 1.4 blocks and a team-leading 7.7 rebounds per game.
“She was going to be a really big part of our development,” Brooks said Tuesday. “Fifth-year senior, big, strong guard. Gave us the opportunity to be versatile. We could have played her at the 3, the 4, and she would have been, you know, we could have played big, we could have played small. So she’s going to be out probably until January, and then we’re going to have a reevaluation of her.”
Obi told the Herald-Leader on Tuesday that her mentality toward rehabilitation has remained the same since her injury.
“I’m just focused on taking it day-by-day,” Obi said. “I’m not trying to rush anything, especially with an injury, you don’t want to risk re-injury. So yeah, just staying patient, taking it day-by-day, trying to stay engaged as much as I can, cheer on this group as much as I can because obviously I’m not going to be on the floor for at least the first half of the season. So yeah, the mindset’s the same.”
Paurová, who averaged 16.5 minutes per game in her freshman season at Oregon State, contributed 5.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.5 steals per contest in the Beavers’ 27-8 season, which culminated in their first Elite Eight appearance since 2018.
“She would have been a 6-foot guard that would’ve given us experience,” Brooks said. “She went to the Elite Eight last year. I think she was the sixth man on the team, very productive. She also would have given us opportunities to play big, play small, but, you know, both of them have been very active in practice. ... We’re keeping them involved, and they’re both doing extremely well in rehabbing.”
Paurová told the Herald-Leader she’s looking forward to returning next season.
“I feel like it will make me stronger,” Paurová said. “I will come back stronger. But I’m just excited for the games to start, to start watching some basketball and spend time with those people.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2024 at 6:15 PM.
