Sedona Prince to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery, Pursue Professional Career

The Oregon basketball star is "heartbroken" that her time in Eugene is done.

Friday morning brought gut-wrenching news for the Oregon Women's Basketball team, just hours before their first exhibition game of the season against Carroll College.

Oregon redshirt senior sensation Sedona Prince tore a ligament in her elbow that will require season-ending surgery, according to Oregon Head Coach Kelly Graves. Prince will forfeit her final season of college eligibility, leave the university and rehab to pursue a professional basketball career after her surgery next month.

"I'm heartbroken," Prince said in a press release."I tried to push through the injury and be there for my team, but after extensive evaluation from the best doctors in the world and looking deep inside myself at my passions and goals, I know that I have to take care of my elbow now in order to ensure long-term health and a sustained professional career."

The 2022-23 season would have been an exciting one for Prince, who is coming off her best college season yet. She set new career-bests with 18 starts and 30 total appearances, and her 54.2% field goal shooting percentage was fourth-best in the Pac-12.

Prince formed an exciting front court duo with Nyara Sabally, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft. Sabally's tough style of play opened up mid-range opportunities for Prince, and the combination was a big reason Prince finished with double-digit scoring efforts in 16 of her 30 contests. 

With Sabally gone, it was Prince's front court to lead and to teach the newer Ducks. Now with Prince gone as well, Graves' team looks even thinner at the forward and center positions. 

But Prince's impact on Oregon and college sports will not quickly be forgotten.

“We are going to miss Sedona,” Graves said. “She has done so many wonderful things and has been an incredible representative of our program and the University. Her impact on collegiate athletics, especially in the area of gender equity, has been immense and will be felt for generations to come."

The 2021 NCAA Tournament was when Prince first stepped into the spotlight. She made a viral TikTok video showing the stark differences between the men's workout room, full of new machines and equipment, compared to the women's, which had just a few hand weights.

ESPN has since made a short film around the viral video titled "The Rule of Sedona Prince."

Prince stepped into the spotlight and never stepped out. She's been one of the most active athletes of the new N.I.L. era, partnering with brands like Crocs and Uninterrupted. 

More than anything, Prince was a glowing personality in the college town of Eugene. 

It's easy to theorize about how Graves will account for the team's lack of size without Prince, or how this will affect the Ducks' ranking. But more importantly, a model student-athlete has had her college time ended too early.

Prince's leadership and strength will be an example for Ducks for years to come. And Matthew Knight Arena will miss Prince's big smile after every win.

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