Notre Dame guard KK Bransford to sit out 2024-25 season to rehab leg injury
Notre Dame women’s basketball has been far from immune to the injury bug in recent seasons. It’s biting earlier than usual ahead of the 2024-25 slate.
Junior guard KK Bransford announced Monday she will sit out the upcoming season to rehab an injury that’s affected her performance for most of her time in South Bend.
“Over the last couple of years, I have been dealing with a lower leg injury that has hindered my play at Notre Dame,” Bransford wrote in a social media post. “I want to thank the coaches, the medical staff and the fans who have stick with me while I’ve tried to play through it, but I have decided it is in my best interest to red shirt this season to get back to full strength.
“While I will be watching from the bench this year, I know that it is best that I take the time to fully heal so I can reach my full potential and help my team in the long run. I can’t wait to continue to grow as a player and teammate in the program. Even though I won’t be on the floor physically, I will be with my teammates every step of the way!”
Bransford briefly entered the NCAA transfer portal this offseason with the intent to find a new place to continue her college career. She ended up deciding Notre Dame was actually still the place to do so, though, a decision that was made only a couple of weeks after her portal entrance.
A 5-11 guard from Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame, Bransford won multiple Ohio state championships and was named the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year. She was the No. 29 overall player in the class of 2022 according to ESPN.
Bransford has primarily been a role player at Notre Dame. She’s appeared in 66 games with 19 starts, averaging 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 24.9 minutes of action per game. It’s her effort and willingness to do the little things on defense the Irish will miss the most without her in the lineup.
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Notre Dame will also be without graduate senior forward Maddy Westbeld early in the year. She recently announced she’s rehabbing a foot injury that required surgery. That makes two of 12 scholarship players on the shelf, which is an unfortunately familiar position to be in for the Irish. There is not a timetable for Westbeld’s return.
Notre Dame started the 2023-24 season with All-American guard Olivia Miles inactive recovering from knee surgery. She ended up sitting out the entire season. Sophomore forward Cassandre Prosper only played in five games before a season-ending injury. Freshman guard Emma Risch played in seven before she needed season-ending hip surgery.
Prosper and Risch should be back in the fold from the start, but Notre Dame is essentially trading them for Bransford and Westbeld — two much more experienced players.
Notre Dame has an exhibition against Davenport on Oct. 30 before beginning the season at home vs. Mercyhurst on Nov. 4.
