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Nebraska Forward Natalie Potts Shares Positive Message After Surgery

The Husker sophomore says she's "one day closer to being back on the court" after surgery for a season-ending ACL injury.

Austin Jacobsen

Nebraska forward Natalie Potts fights to score against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 9, 2024.
Nebraska forward Natalie Potts fights to score against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 9, 2024. / Nebraska Athletics
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Nebraska basketball fans shared a positive message from a fan-favorite player on Wednesday through social media.

Natalie Potts, a sophomore forward for the Husker women's basketball program, posted on her social media channels that her knee surgery has put her "one day closer to being back on the court with my best friends." The Missouri native went under the knife to repair a torn ACL suffered against North Alabama.

The Nov. 19 injury will keep Potts off the floor for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. The loss was devasting for No. 25 Nebraska, as Potts was averaging 14.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in the opening stretch of the season.

Potts added on her social media post that she is "ready to write a new story and can't wait to share this journey with everyone."

"Nothing has stopped me before and I surely won't let this stop me now," Potts said in a post on Nov. 20, the day after the injury occurred. "This journey will certainly have its challenges but these are challenges that I'm ready to face."

Husker fans and coach Amy Williams will yearn for Potts to return to form, as Potts was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2024 and a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Potts was also an honorable mention on the All-Big Ten team and claimed eight Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors during her inaugural season in Lincoln.

Nebraska forward Natalie Potts drives toward the basket during a second-round 2024 NCAA Tournament game against Oregon State
Nebraska forward Natalie Potts drives toward the basket during a second-round 2024 NCAA Tournament game against Oregon State. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

"Just devastated for her, but I’m so proud of the way this team has just leaned into her to support her," Williams said during a Nov. 21 press conference, adding that it was "tough because of how much progress Potts has shown this season."

Potts was among the top freshman scorers in the Big Ten last season, scoring 10.2 points per game and adding 5.5 rebounds per contest. She started all 35 games for the Big Red, a school record for most consecutive starts by a freshman. She had five double-doubles, helping Nebraska to the Big Ten Tournament championship game in March.

Since Nebraska's win over North Alabama, the Huskers have fallen to Creighton 80-74 on the road and rebounded with home wins over Kansas City and Lindenwood. The Huskers welcome Minnesota to Lincoln to open Big Ten play at 1 p.m. CST Sunday.

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Austin Jacobsen
AUSTIN JACOBSEN

Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.

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