OKLAHOMA CITY - The arena went quiet and all you could hear was a Candace Parker scream.
Her left arm hung loose by her side as she slumped over and her face torqued into a grimace.
A thought of "why now?" was the first thing to cross the mind of Tennessee Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt.
She knew exactly what had happened after getting a good look at her All-American.
"I just dislocated my shoulder (chasing a raccoon off her deck at home)," Summitt said, "so as soon as I saw it, I knew it was out."
Parker suffered the shoulder dislocation after scoring 18 first-half points and willing UT to a six-point lead in their Midwest Regional final against Texas A&M.
It was a game the Lady Vols eventually won 53-45, securing their 18th Final Four berth, but not many Elite Eight victories had the drama of this one.
During one stretch, Parker reeled off 16 consecutive points as UT took a 27-21 lead with five minutes left in the first half.
At the 3:50 mark, she reached with her left arm to strip A&M's Patrice Reado of the ball and knew quickly she had done some damage.
She has experience with this kind of thing.
Parker has a history of problems with her right shoulder, injuring it in preseason and aggravating it against Purdue in the NCAA tournament last week.
But this was new. It was a different arm and a totally different feel.
"I've never gone through it coming out and me not being able to get it back in," Parker said after being named the region's Most Outstanding Player.
This one wasn't going back in without some help.
Lady Vols athletic trainer Jenny Moshak sprang off her seat, tried to pop the shoulder back in while on the court and then escorted Parker back to the locker room.
She returned to the court just minutes later, but the shoulder popped out again with 15.9 remaining in the half.
"You just have to try and put yourself in a different place," Parker said of the pain.
Then she had to put herself in the hands of Moshak and another unlikely hero.
The Lady Vols decided a protective sleeve for the shoulder was the best course of action.
But finding one was a chore.
Jimmy Delaney, director of promotions and marketing for the Lady Vols, went on the most important scavenger hunt of his life and eventually found one on the VIP bus buried under some dirty clothes.
He raced back into the arena and gave Moshak the prize just in time for Parker to return to the bench and receive a standing ovation with 14:20 remaining.
She re-entered the game at the 10:39 mark, but her first two shots didn't give anybody a burst of confidence. UT eventually trailed 42-37.
"It was weird because I was thinking I was all right, and I drove left and put up a hook jump shot short," Parker said. "Then I shot a layup short."
Then instincts took over for Parker.
She scored eight points down the stretch, finished with a game-high 26 and got a chance to think about defending last season's national championship.
"Oh, she's gutsy," Summitt said. "She's a great competitor and a winner through and through. She wanted to go to Tampa."
No other ending would have been suitable.
"I kept believing and the Lord gave me strength to come back and play to the best of my ability," Parker said. "It never really crossed my mind this was going to be our last game."
So, will she play Sunday against LSU?
"Heck yes," Parker said.
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Comments » 23
andefromtn#212139 writes:
I bolted out of my seat when I saw the steal then her shoulder hanging loosely by her side. It was so strange to see it at the awkward angle. I've had three joints out place playing sports and know it is a very intense pain. This young lady has guts to go back on the court and play. She is so special as a player and person.
vollady writes:
National Player of the year has to be our own Candace Parker. No one could possibly be more deserving and in my book, Lex should be runner up.
MrBamSeydu writes:
vollady: The first part of that makes sense, but the second is obviously ridiculous.
wjtenn writes:
What a remarkable young lady! Plus, don't forget the pick up of intensity in the game by Alexis Hornbuckle(what a terrific 3 point shot with an assist from Candace Parker), Nikki Anosike and the rest of the young ladies. (And their teacher and mentor Pat Head Summitt)
hdhurst writes:
Candace...you are amazing. Popping it out once would have most sitting out the rest of the way, but twice???
I know about this pain..all to common, somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-25 times I have knocked my shoulder out. I know there's damage there, but haven't been able to afford to get it repaired. I have done my best to rehab on my own, but I am sure Candance's non-shooting hand will get first-class, comprehensive rehab before the semi final game with LSU.
Wow..she brings so much poise and fire to this team...gonna miss her next year. (I said the same thing about B.Gordon and C.Holdsclaw, but Summitt has a way of finding the special ones huh?)
MissUT writes:
What a gutsy performance by a special Lady Vol...I wish the supporting cast had been a little more "supporting" and taken up the slack while Candace was out of the game. If so, Candace could have stayed out and started resting her shoulder for Sunday.
Candace, you are quite a remarkable young lady and we are sure going to miss you next year. The best of luck in the Olympics...bring home the gold!
Go Lady Vols!
dopedawg writes:
Somebody rub CP's shoulder!!! Get better girl!!
Go Big Orange!!
Goodvol writes:
Candace uses both hands when she shoots so I don't think you can really say it was her "non-shooting" hand (or shoulder). It does take away some of her shooting options.
I think it took the team a little time to get over the shock of the injury. They now have a few days to prepare to play in case Candace is limited. Angie really needs to get her shooting eye back for this next game.
Pat will do what she does best and that is get this team ready for battle.
bmaples writes:
What a great win! Against a very fine and inspired A&M team, to boot. I was watching by myself in the break room at work, and when Hornbuckle hit that three I yelled as loud as if I'd been in a bar full of Tennessee fans!
Candace -- what a gutsy performance. No doubt in my mind she is the player of the year. Here's hoping she gets lots of rest and PT, and we make it two in a row against the Kittens. Go Lady Vols!
LadyVolFanForever writes:
Candace, you are the greatest ! The best all-round player, the most determined, the most talented, the hardest worker, the best "team"mate, the best role model, the toughest.....simply THE BEST !
THANK YOU !!!
GO LADY VOLS, I will be in Tampa yelling for you !
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
okay, I know the posters here are different than the men's, but...some hard truths:
-Bobbitt, Hornbucke, and Anosike have to show up for the shots they can make. Quit short-arming layups, all that stuff.
-Bjorklund: drive and shoot, that is working for you. The 3-ball isn't.
-I posted this earlier in the year, but a repeat: going 2 years in a row with basically NO recrtuits is shwoing up. Think how nice it would be to have a solid couple of juniors and a solid couple of sophs coming into the game.
To win the next 2 games, the LV's have to play smart and we can only hope Candace can stay in one piece.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Nothing more needs to be said about Candace's talent, courage, and determination. She has as much of all of those as anyone who has ever played the game. The same cannot be said about most of the rest of the team, most of the time. Nearly ALL of these ladies were HS All-Americans coming in, yet they have repeatedly failed to step up to that level when we have really needed them. With all her great qualities, we really can't count on Candace being as effective in the Final Four as she has been to this point. There was just way too much standing around while A&M was beating us to rebounds and loose balls all night. That is JUST NOT GOING TO GET IT going forward. It is truly a testament to Pat's own courage and maturity that her head hasn't exploded in frustration over the lack of consistent production from everyone BUT Candace. If this team doesn't learn how to compete better, LSU will hand us our heads in the national semi-finals.
LUVLADYVOLS writes:
I just want to say a job well done girls. There is only one Candace Parker and I am glad that she came to Tennessee. Sure will miss you next year. But I will miss all the seniors we could not have won all the games without them. Keep up the good work and bring home the GOLD.
vscebail#247785 writes:
Sylvia Fowles will pound on Candace all night long. And as good as our defense is, we will not be able to shut down LSU's scoring for a full nine minutes like we did against Texas A&M. We all know that our team has ridden on Candace's back all season long. It is long past time for the other ladies to step up their game. It is tournament time! Win or go home! GO LADY VOLS!!!
richvol writes:
Candace is a tremendous player and I wish for her rapid recovery. She deserves every award she gets.
Her teammates went over nine minutes without scoring while she was hurting. Nine minutes!
If she had not returned they would have lost going away. Frankly,I have never seen more unproductive teammates. To think that three of them are seniors is incredulous.
Why Pat can't seem to get 2 or 3 solid contributors to the lineup every year is mystifying. Unfortunately, it's why these non-producing people have to play.
westkyvolfan writes:
Amazing, remarkable, tremendous, awesome - Candace is all that and more.
98reax writes:
There's a great article, Summitt Shapes Top Talent Into Top Team, on timesfreepress.com by Darren Epps. He's paid tribute to our seniors with an entertaining column.
vollady writes:
yemmusdarb: you are so right, the 2nd part is ridiculous. Just wish Lex could get more credit for being such a great team player. But of course, this could be said about several of the others as well. Anyway, it has been a great year for all of us Lady Vol fans.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
guys, I don't think Sylvia Fowles will beat up on Candace. Sylvia is a class player, and if anything tends to be TOO mild. There are others on LSU who are much more physical.
Here is my read on LV's.
-Auguste: ah, what? Never notice much about her.
-Bjorklund: tired, but good defense, and hustle, stay with the 2's
-Bobbitt: good spot-up shooter, terrible penetrator, can't drive and dish. Weak defense
-Hornbuckle: good d, good driver, bad decisions can harm her game
-Anoske: has GOT to be in the game mentally on offense. She is still the key to the last 2 games.
-Parker: besides her offense, her D and ball-skills are all tops. The D goes to a higher level when she wants it to.
-Baugh: going to be very good. Hope she is learning from Candace.
-Fuller: a little disappointing at times. She can shoot. Maybe things too much.
I would almost like our chance more against UConn. Do you think Candace would take on Moore??? That might be personal, in terms of Candace' pride. Old hamster at UConn is already prattling about how Moore does more for her team than any other player in America.
davidray31#232814 writes:
She was Jordan playing with the flu and Willis Reed limping onto the court,only alot better looking!
rabidvol1998 writes:
I agree with all kudos for Candice. How about kudos to the rest of the team for picking up the defense. Sure we didn't score much after Candice was injured, but neither did A&M. We 'hunkered' down and played D, the only part of the game you can really control the outcome, since sometimes shots don't fall.
surlyguy writes:
rabidvol, I agree, and, if you saw Parker's post game interview on TV she agrees, too. Parker exhibited the class of a truly outstanding player and teammate when she deflected all praise to her teammates, Moshak, and seemingly anyone other than herself. Most impressively she stated that it was "an honor" to have the opportunity to come back in and compete alongside her teammates. Her statements were genuine and help illustrate why she should be considered one of the greatest to ever wear Orange, any gender, any sport. A fine student, great athlete, and outstanding ambassador for the University.
LadyVolFanForever writes:
You are sooo right, surlyguy ! She may have only thrilled us for 3 years but she has packed in the true Lady Vol spirit for those years.
She certainly deserves a street named for her and to have her #3 retired after she has owned the WNBA for a few years.
Once again, thank you Candace and best of luck in the rest of your life. You are a true role model for all !!!
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