Candace Parks suffers ACL injury

From 7/13/2003 Chicago Tribune:

An orthopedic surgeon determined Sunday that Naperville Central's Candace Parker,
considered the top high school girls basketball player in the nation, has a torn
anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee and will require surgery.

Parker was hurt while coming down with a rebound during a summer shootout Friday at
Maine West. The injury is likely to shelve her for a good part of the 2003-2004
season.

"She was pretty sad about the whole thing," said Sara Parker, the mother of the
6-foot-3-inch senior who last season led the Redhawks to a 35-0 record and Class AA
state title. "Candace was holding out hope that it was just a sprain. We're just
trying to digest this right now."

An MRI exam has not yet been scheduled, but the Parkers are satisfied the diagnosis
is correct and all that's left to be determined is the severity of the tear.

Medical studies have shown that it takes approximately six months to completely
recover from ACL surgery. If that's the case, Parker would miss most of her senior
season. Still, it's probable that the two-time Illinois Ms. Basketball award-winner
would be available for an end-of-the-season playoff push.

Effective at any position as a junior, Parker averaged 24.3 points and 14.5 rebounds
a game and also came up with the same national awards won by No. 1 NBA draft pick
LeBron James.

The Parkers, meanwhile, are trying to remain optimistic.

"This is just a little speed bump," Sara Parker said.