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CHICAGO – Senior FahKara Malone said she was “completely shocked” when she saw Purdue was ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in the Big Ten preseason polls.
The Boilermakers lost five seniors from a team that reached the Elite Eight and already have been depleted by injuries. Sophomore forward Chantel Poston (Achilles’ tendon) is out for the season and forward Alex Guyton and guard Ashley Wilson are out with stress fractures. Guyton won’t return until mid-December. Coach Sharon Versyp expects Wilson back sooner.
Versyp suspects coaches and media members might not have known the extent of the injuries before they voted. But there could be another reason the Boilermakers were picked behind No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan State: history.
Two seasons ago, Purdue lost two starters to injuries before the season and still won the Big Ten tournament.
“I appreciate them for their confidence in us, the fact they know we can push through adversity,” Malone said Thursday at the Big Ten media day. “That’s a testament to the wonderful coaching staff we have. I know they’re going to push us through to third and fourth and probably beyond that in the Big Ten.”
Talent helps, too, and Versyp thinks point guard Malone, sharpshooter Jodi Howell and super sophomore Brittany Rayburn are as skilled as any backcourt in the league.
Shortly after having surgery on her right knee this week, Lindsay Enterline’s mind turned to basketball.
“When she finally got out of anesthesia, she asked, ‘How was practice, coach? Who worked hard?’ ” Indiana coach Felisha Legette-Jack said.
Enterline, a Heritage graduate, will miss the season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in preseason conditioning. Enterline, who played 26 games as a freshman, had 22 rebounds, six steals and shot 40 percent from the three-point line.
“She’s so into it. She is staying present in her progression,” Legette-Jack said. “We’re going to miss her on the court, but I think she’s going to really wrap herself around being a coach for us on the sidelines and inside the locker room. You can’t replace those minutes on the court, but I’m glad she has such a great personality that she’s going to be good to be around our team.”
Not only were the Buckeyes picked to win their sixth consecutive league title, they also placed two players on the preseason first team. Reigning player of the year Jantel Lavender was the pick again for that award, and point guard Samantha Prahalis also was on the first team.
Michigan State’s Allyssa DeHaan, Illinois’ Jenna Smith and Penn State’s Tyra Grant rounded out the first team.
