After getting swept at home and heading into the meat of its
Pac-10 schedule, the UCLA women’s basketball team received
more disconcerting news Monday when it learned that it would be
without the services of standout Noelle Quinn for three to six
weeks.
Quinn, who is in her sophomore season, injured her left knee
Sunday when she was undercut by 5-foot-4 Wildcat guard Jessica
Arnold while going for a layup in the first half of the
Bruins’ game against Arizona at Pauley Pavilion.
The guard is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery today to
repair torn meniscus cartilage in her knee. The injury comes at a
tenuous time for the Bruins, whose next game is against No. 5
Stanford and whose next four games are all away from Westwood.
“I am really sad because I know that I’m
hurt,” Quinn said. “I’ve never been injured like
this before, never required surgery before. The real frustrating
part about this is the timing. It’s real bad
timing.”
At practice on Tuesday, Quinn, adorned in a hooded sweatshirt,
was slumped in her chair at midcourt with crutches by her side as
she reluctantly watched her teammates prepare to go to battle
without her.
Though she was still wearing her trademark smile, Quinn
couldn’t recall having to face the daunting reality of not
being on the court for a prolonged period of time. It’s a
reality equally as troubling to her teammates.
“It sucks, it’s definitely a big part of the team
missing,” junior guard Lisa Willis said. “We need
Noelle, we need her presence on the floor.”
Though she is disappointed to have to miss such a crucial
juncture of the season, Quinn feels her teammates will be able to
pick up the slack.
“It’s really hard because I want to be out there,
but at the same time I know people are going to step up,”
Quinn said. “I want to be out there, but I have a future, and
I need to protect myself right now.”
For Quinn, her sophomore campaign has seen her become one of the
premiere players in the conference and in the country. So far this
season, Quinn has been UCLA’s most consistent offensive
weapon, leading the Bruins in minutes per game (35.6 mpg), scoring
(16.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg).
But with Quinn relegated to the sideline for the immediate
future, the Bruins will need to look elsewhere to replace those
numbers, though they admit it will not come from any one
player.
“It’s definitely going to have to be a group
effort,” Willis said. “We definitely don’t need
anyone to come in and take Noelle’s place and think this is
their big break, because it’s not. Noelle does way too much
for anyone to fill her shoes.”
According to UCLA coach Kathy Olivier, the most likely
candidates to replace Quinn in the starting lineup are junior Ortal
Oren or freshman Lauren Pedersen. Though Olivier has relied heavily
on the starting five to get the Bruins off to their fast start
(11-5, 5-2 Pac-10), she realizes that for UCLA to survive its
stretch without Quinn on the floor, it will be the bench players
that will keep the team afloat.
“It’s going to be a huge void, but hopefully this is
an opportunity for other people to step up and carry the group
until she gets healthy,” Olivier said.
The team is optimistic that Quinn will return for the
Bruins’ road trip to Arizona starting on Feb. 10.