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Oregon women's basketball center Kennedy Basham sidelined with knee injury

Jarrid Denneyby:Jarrid Denney•11/09/22•

jarrid_denney

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(Photo by Brian Murphy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Oregon’s frontcourt depth took another major hit on Wednesday.

While meeting with reporters, Ducks’ head coach Kelly Graves said freshman center Kennedy Basham could be out for “several weeks” due to a knee injury that she suffered during Friday’s season-opening win over Northwestern in Eugene.

“I think everybody saw it — it happened during the game — it’s her knee,” Graves said. “It’s gonna be a few weeks. Several weeks, actually. But we’re hopeful that she is back by the time we get going in Pac-12 play.”

Baseham, a 6-foot-7 center who was the No. 59 player in the class of 2022 according to ESPN, scored two points in six minutes in her collegiate debut before suffering the injury. She had an ice pack on her knee for the remainder of the evening.

Oregon’s roster depth was thin when the season began, particularly in the frontcourt. Sedona Prince, a fifth-year senior who was a preseason all-conference pick, underwent season-ending surgery last month to repair a torn ligament in her elbow. She has exhausted her college eligibility and will now set her sights on a pro career.

The sudden loss of Prince left the Ducks with just four true post players. With Basham sidelined, they are down to three: Sophomore center Phillipina Kyei, senior forward Taylor Hosendove, and freshman forward Grace VanSlooten.

“We don’t need injuries right now,” Graves said. “One injury, when you have 10 players, is magnified. I think everybody else is healthy, but I feel for Kennedy. She had been making great strides; I just really feel for her.”

With Basham out, Graves will be forced to get creative with his lineups.

Kyei is 6-foot-8 and flashed plenty of talent in 27 appearances off the bench as a true freshman last season. She made her first career start last Friday and finished with eight points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes.

But she is the only traditional post that Oregon has available at this point. VanSlooten, who stands 6-foot-3, had a sensational collegiate debut against Northwestern and finished with 20 points in 23 minutes.

The 6-foot-2 Hosendove has four points and three boards in 17 minutes, which is the most she has played as a Duck.

Senior Taya Hanson, a 5-foot-11 guard who transferred in from Arizona State during the offseason, got some reps at the four during Wednesday’s practice. Graves said the Ducks “will just have to go small from time to time” in the coming weeks.

“People have got to step up. It makes us a lot smaller when (Kyei) is not in the lineup,” Graves said.

The No. 20 Ducks are slated to host Seattle University this Saturday at 11 a.m. PT at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene. They will then travel to Baton Rogue, La., to face Southern University on Nov. 14 and return home to host Southern Utah on Nov. 21.

Oregon’s depth will be truly tested for the first time during the PK85 Invitational when they face off with No. 12 North Carolina on Nov. 24.

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