Thumbs up for Parker's shoulder

Tennessee's Candace Parker literally is bracing herself for the Women's Final Four.

The women's basketball All-American, who twice suffered a dislocated left shoulder Tuesday against Texas A&M, has been cleared to play in Sunday's national semifinal game against LSU.

The Lady Vols (34-2) and Lady Tigers (31-5) meet at 9:30 p.m. (TV: ESPN) at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. The game follows Connecticut versus Stanford at 7. The winners play Tuesday for the national championship.

Parker, who was named national player of the year Thursday by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, participated in the Lady Vols' practice at Pratt Pavilion, the team's final workout before leaving for Tampa. She was wearing the shoulder sleeve that enabled her to rejoin Tuesday's 53-45 victory in the second half. She finished with 26 points, eight after her return, and was voted the regional's most outstanding player.

"It feels good,'' she said. "The brace is a little getting used to, but it's fine."

After further evaluation and consultation with Dr. Greg Mathien and Dr. Matt Rappe, Lady Vols athletic trainer Jenny Moshak said Parker has a "non-traumatic shoulder dislocation."

"She has very good range of motion and very good strength,'' Moshak said.

Parker's shooting form looked better, nothing resembling the air ball she fired up on her first attempt after returning against the Aggies. She will continue her rehabilitation and make use of the recovery time available until Sunday night.

"I think I'll be fine," Parker said. "I think the brace just serves as a reminder to me, you know, that my shoulder's injured and it won't let it get out of place."

Parker was philosophical about her circumstances. She has a lengthy medical history that includes an injury to her right shoulder in the preseason.

"I feel blessed it wasn't my right shoulder,'' she said. "That's the way I look at it."

Regarding Sunday, Parker said: "I'm going to go out there and play as hard as I can with the brace."

Taking Shots: Lady Vols guard Alexis Hornbuckle has been hearing from friends and family about her long 3-pointer against Texas A&M with 50 seconds left, which was crucial to the outcome.

"They say it's luck, you know you couldn't shoot that again,'' said Hornbuckle, regarding her friends' reaction. "My dad actually said he was a little nervous because I missed two layups. I told him, 'Thanks for the confidence.'"

Stay Fresh: The Lady Vols' practiced for 1 1/2 hours Thursday and will have a scouting-type workout today in Florida.

"I think rest is what we need,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said. "I think the mental fatigue can also set in, if they feel they've got to watch more tape or go through more scouting sessions. So at this point, we will definitely keep in mind that we need our legs and we need to be mentally sharp as well. So I think less is more in this situation."

Up For Scholarship: Lady Vols center Nicky Anosike has been nominated by UT for the H. Boyd McWhorter scholar-athlete post-graduate scholarship. Anosike has a 3.77 grade-point average while carrying a triple major in Political Science, Legal Studies and Sociology.

UT swimmer Michael Wolfe also has been nominated.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!