Oregon star forward Sedona Prince dealing with injury ahead of Ducks' season-opener

The Oregon women’s basketball program will begin its season this Friday when it hosts Carroll College for an exhibition game at Matthew Knight Arena at 6 p.m. PT.

The season-opener will give Oregon fans their first glimpse at Kelly Graves’ new-look Ducks, which have been bolstered by the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation, as well as a key transfer portal addition in former Arizona State guard Taya Hanson.

But one player who likely will not be available for the Ducks is star forward Sedona Prince.

Prince, a 6-foot-7 redshirt senior who was selected to the preseason all-conference team earlier this week, is currently practicing with a brace on her left arm. When asked about Prince’s status during his Wednesday media availability, Graves wasn’t necessarily able to provide a timeline for the injury, and what it could mean for Prince moving forward.

“That’s between her, the trainer, and the doctor,” Graves said. “They let me know on practice days whether she can go or not. She can do a lot of things — you see her out there — and can shoot. … I’ve been gone for a couple of days because of (Pac-12 media day in San Francisco). Things like that are day-to-day.

“One of the things I’ve learned over the years is I stay out of that training room. Other than that, just put my arm around them and say, ‘Hey you’re doing great.'”

Prince, one of the brightest stars in all of college basketball, was Oregon’s fourth-leading scorer at 9.3 points per game last season while shooting 54% from the field. She was also the Ducks’ second-leading rebounder (4.9 boards per game) and led the team with 39 blocks.

With the departure of all-conference forward Nyara Sabally, who was selected fifth overall by the New York Liberty in the 2022 WNBA Draft, Prince is expected to take on a greater role this season for the Ducks, who also lost reserve forward Kylee Watson to the transfer portal during the offseason.

In Prince’s absence, 6-foot-8 sophomore center Phillipina Kyei and 6-foot-7 freshman forward Kennedy Basham could see plenty of playing time early in the year.

“Kennedy has actually been one of the most pleasant surprises of the fall,” Graves said. “She didn’t play her last year of high school — she had surgery so that she would be ready to play in college. So she hasn’t really played in any games since a couple of summers ago. So it’s been a while; you can tell she’s a little rusty. But I’ve been really impressed with what I’ve seen from her.”

Graves was also complimentary of the strides Kyei made during the offseason.

“I think a lot of it is just confidence with her,” Graves said. “She had a chance to play with the (Canadien) senior national team in the FIBA World Cup. So she was going against pros every day. She’s learned some things and come back with a lot of confidence.

“She’s super athletic; if we can just get her to consistently run the floor and do those kinds of things, you guys, she’s gonna have an amazing future.”