December 30, 2023
Texas’ Rori Harmon to miss remainder of season with torn ACL
By Aya Abdeen
The Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year was averaging 14.1 points, 7.8 assists per game this season
On Friday, the Texas Longhorns announced that junior guard Rori Harmon will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee. Through a statement released by the Longhorns, Harmon revealed that she sustained a non-contact injury in practice on Wednesday.
Continue reading with a subscription to The Next
Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today.
Already a member?
Login
Get 24/7 soccer coverage with The Equalizer
The Next is partnering with The Equalizer to bring more women’s sports stories to your inbox. Subscribers to The Next receive 50% off their subscription to The Equalizer for 24/7 coverage of women’s soccer.
“Wednesday during practice, I tore my ACL in a non-contact injury,” Harmon said. “I’m grateful for the support of my teammates and coaching staff during this difficult time. I also want to thank our medical staff at Texas for taking care of me. I’m heartbroken that I won’t be able to play with my teammates this season, but I’m going to support them and be the best teammate I can be. We have big goals for this season and those are not going to change. We are going to come into the gym every day and work hard to achieve those goals. We have the best fans and will play hard for them and for each other. I’ll be back.”
Losing their standout point guard will be a massive blow for the Longhorns. This season, Harmon averaged 14.1 points, 7.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. She had also been tabbed as the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year. Texas is currently ranked No. 5 and is set to host No. 10 Baylor on Saturday afternoon
“We are heartbroken for Rori and our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family during this difficult time,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said in the team’s announcement. “She has worked so hard to become in my opinion the best guard in the country, an All American. It is difficult to see a young person go through this. … But this I know about Rori, she will attack this like she does every practice, every game and she will be back to her old self in no time.”
The Next, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom
The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.
Harmon has been an exceptional player for Texas since her debut season in 2021-22. That season, she led the team to its first Big 12 Tournament title since 2003. She received several accolades, including AP All-American Honorable Mention and Big 12 Freshman of the Year, after averaging 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
Last season as a sophomore, Harmon averaged 11.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in 35.9 minutes per game. She was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team. She also won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Add Locked On Women’s Basketball to your daily routine
Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.
Written by Aya Abdeen
Aya Abdeen is a student in sports journalism at Arizona State University and has been a contributing writer for The Next since December 2022. She is also a sports reporter for the Sun Devils’ women’s basketball team for The State Press. Her work has also appeared on AZPreps365.