By R.L. Bynum
You knew it wasn’t a good sign when Kayla McPherson used crutches to get to the bench before the Live Action With Carolina Basketball scrimmage, and that was confirmed Monday.
Coach Courtney Banghart announced that the 5–8 redshirt freshman guard from Hull, Ga., will be sidelined for the start of the season after she suffered a lower-body injury and is scheduled to have surgery this week.
This injury is unrelated to the torn right ACL she suffered in high school that led her to miss all of last season as she recovered and rehabilitated from the injury. ESPN ranked her No. 17 overall in the Class of 2021 and the No. 4 point guard.
“We’re all devastated for Kayla,” Banghart said. “She was so ready to go this season and was prepared to be a big part of our rotation. We will fill her void collectively, and we know that she will attack this rehabilitation process the same way she has in the past. We look forward to having her back on the court as soon as she’s cleared.”
McPherson is expected to miss at least the nonconference portion of UNC’s schedule. Carolina opens ACC play on Dec. 29 at home against Florida State.
While McPherson is out, UNC still has three other guards with excellent ball-handling skills in junior Deja Kelly, fifth-year player Eva Hodgson (a second-year graduate student) and freshman Paulina Paris. Redshirt senior Ariel Young can also contribute.
Photo via @uncwbb
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