Sharnecce Currie-Jelks Recovering from Hamstring Injury

Coach Teri Moren spoke on Monday in Minneapolis at Big Ten Media Day, and she revealed that Sharnecce Currie-Jelks is dealing with a hamstring injury that she's been recovering from ever since the Indiana women's basketball team returned from Greece. Currie-Jelks transferred to Indiana from UT Martin this offseason.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Sharnecce Currie-Jelks transferred to Indiana this offseason to play for coach Teri Moren and the Hoosiers, who expect to compete for the national title in 2023-24.

Now, however, Currie-Jelks is dealing with an injury. 

Moren spoke on Monday at Big Ten Media Days in Minneapolis, and said the UT-Martin transfer has been in and out of practice since the team's return from Greece in August. 

"She has a ways to go in terms of getting back," Moren said. "She's been dinged up a little bit after we got back from our return from Greece. She's had a hamstring injury, a little bugaboo there that just won't seem to go away, so we've tried to hold her out."

"I haven't tried to hold her out, but we've tried to hold her out in hopes that we can get that thing to heal, because that's one of those injuries, that if you don't give it enough time, it stays. It lingers. So she's been out of practice. She actually just last week got in for the first time in about two weeks. So she's playing catch-up right now, but I do think that there's potential there for her to be able help us."

Hamstring injuries are particularly finicky. A grade 1 hamstring injury is a mild muscle pull or strain. A grade 2 hamstring injury is a partial muscle tear, and a grade 3 hamstring injury is a complete muscle tear. The difference in severity there can determine whether the recovery takes just a couple of weeks, or whether it takes months. 

A muscle-related injury is notably concerning for Currie-Jelks based on her style of play too. Currie-Jelks is 6-foot-2, and was recruited by Moren and the staff particularly for her quick-twitch ability and speed at the position. 

"She is an explosive athlete that runs the floor hard, [and] a great rebounder around the rim, has a good nose for the ball," Moren said. "She was their leading scorer at UT Martin. So she has experience."

"She shows glimpses in practice of someone we can really utilize, especially with her athleticism and her ability to be committed to running the floor."

Currie-Jelks had a successful first season of college basketball at UT-Martin, averaging 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game during her freshman year. The 6-foot-2 forward was brought in for the specific role of being backup, change-of-pace center behind first team All-American Mackenzie Holmes.

Holmes is one of the very best players in women's college basketball, but has struggled with injuries recently. Most notably, she suffered a knee injury in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament that caused her to miss the Hoosiers' first-round win over No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech. Holmes played against No. 9 seed Miami in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but she was a game-time decision leading up to tipoff, which IU ultimately lost.

The Indiana women's basketball team will host Northwood for an exhibition on Nov. 1, and on Nov. 9, they'll welcome Eastern Illinois to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for the first game of the 2023-24 regular season. 

Related Stories on Indiana Basketball:

• WHAT TERI MOREN SAID: Indiana women's basketball coach Teri Moren spoke at Big Ten media days Monday at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Here's everything Moren said during her main podium session. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA PICKED TO FINISH 2ND IN B1G: Coach Teri Moren and the Indiana women's basketball team were picked to finish second in the Big Ten during the upcoming 2023-24 college basketball season by media, and picked to finish third by Big Ten coaches. Additionally, Indiana's Mackenzie Holmes was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team by both coaches and media. CLICK HERE
• IUWBB RANKED NO. 9 IN TOP 25: The Athletic published its preseason top 25 rankings for the 2023-24 women's college basketball season on Wednesday, and they ranked coach Teri Moren and the Indiana Hoosiers as the No. 9 overall team in the country. CLICK HERE
• 2023-24 BIG TEN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE: The conference released its schedule in full for the upcoming college basketball season this Thursday. Here is every game, conference and non-conference, that a Big Ten team is playing in for 2023-24. CLICK HERE