June 24, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State women's basketball player Kenyatta Shelton will redshirt the 2009-10 season after suffering her second knee injury in three years. Shelton is schedule to have surgery July 29 and will retain her final year of eligibility for the 2010-11 season.
Shelton tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee during a pick-up game in Redbird Arena June 9. An MRI was conducted soon after that revealed the tear. Due to the surgery, the decision was made to redshirt her for the upcoming season.
"This is obviously a very disappointing and tough situation both for Kenyatta and our program," said head coach Robin Pingeton. "Kenyatta will be a huge loss for us, but I am encouraged by her recovery from her first ACL surgery. Kenyatta is a very driven and determined young lady and I am confident she will come back stronger than ever. Our plan is to redshirt her next season, which will allow for a full year-and-a-half recovery."
This is the second knee injury Shelton has suffered during her career at Illinois State. She tore the ACL in her left knee May 22, 2007, the summer between her freshman and sophomore years. Shelton had surgery in June and recovered far quicker than anticipated, missing only the first four games of the 2007-08 season. During her freshman season, she missed seven-straight games with two stress fractures in her left foot.
Shelton played in 35 games last season with seven starts, averaging 3.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. She was second on the team with 27 blocks. She started all four games during ISU's run to the semifinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). She averaged 4.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in the WNIT, tying her career-high with 12 rebounds in two of the games.
