Tuesday, October 16, 2001

Knee injury takes Payne off court
Results of MRI may end senior guard’s play for the remainder of the season
By Kelly Morris
Skiff Staff

It was the opening 30 minutes of the first TCU women’s basketball team practice of the season, but all the team could think about Saturday was senior guard Tricia Payne’s knee injury.

Payne, who was the Frogs second leading scorer and the team’s most valuable player last season, injured her left knee in a one-on-one match up. She will have an MRI today to determine the injury.

Senior forward Tricia Payne draws a foul as she drives to the basket in a game last season. Payne hurt her knee in the first 30 minutes of practice Saturday. She will have an MRI today to determine the injury.

“I went to a quick stop and heard a pop,” Payne said. “My knee went in, and I felt it. It was pretty painful, and I was screaming.”

When sophomore forward Tiffany Evans first saw Payne fall, she did not know how serious it was.

“I thought it was someone laughing at first,” Evans said. “But when I turned around and saw her down on the ground crying, it was just kind of a shocker. It didn’t really register until I saw the coaches helping her off the court two minutes later. Then it hit everybody.

“We knew it was probably something serious because Tricia Payne couldn’t get up off the court, and when she normally goes down, she automatically gets straight back up,” Evans said.

On Monday, Payne sat in a chair at the edge of the basketball court in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum watching her teammates practice with a bag of ice wrapped around her knee.

With tears in her eyes, Payne said she was worried about her future this season.

“It’s pretty rough being a senior and wanting to finish out on a good year,” Payne said. “It’s gotten a little better each day. I can walk on it but not very well.”

Today’s MRI will determine the extent of Payne’s injury. If the test shows it is an anterior cruciate ligament tear, associate athletics trainer Kristin Lage said Payne will be out for the season.

Head coach Jeff Mittie said because injuries do happen, the Frogs can’t dwell on Payne’s injury.

“I’ve been in this business long enough to know that injuries are a part of every sport, particularly the knee injury in our sport,” Mittie said. “It’s unfortunate, but we will wait for the MRI to see where we’re at. We move on from injuries and go from there.”

But even if Payne doesn’t play on the court this season, Mittie said she will still play a crucial role off the court.

“I don’t know how long we’ve lost her for, but if it’s a situation where it’s an extended period of time then I think Tricia will still provide leadership off the floor.”

Payne, who averaged 26.5 minutes a game last season, averaged 11.2 points and three rebounds a game. Besides being named the Frogs’ MVP, Payne was also named the Western Athletic Conference tournament MVP.

Kelly Morris
k.l.morris@student.tcu.edu