Feb. 16, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley announced today that senior Brionna Dickerson will not return to the court this season after suffering a right knee injury on Sun., Jan. 25, against Vanderbilt. Dickerson had been undergoing rigorous rehab in an effort to play again this season but further evaluation and consultation with team physician Dr. Jeffrey Guy, Dickerson and her family determined that it was in her best interest to not continue playing this season.
“This has been a difficult process for Brionna and her family with her playing future up in the air these last few weeks,” Staley said. “We have missed her on the court, but she has been up-beat and supportive of her teammates throughout her rehab, and I know she will continue to bring her positive energy to the program for the rest of the season.”
“I am proud of my teammates and how they responded to both Demetress [Adams] and me getting hurt this season,” Dickerson said. “It has been an important time for them to learn about themselves and about Coach Staley. It will help them even more next year.”
Dickerson was enjoying her best season in a Gamecock uniform, leading the team and ranking eighth in the SEC with 13.4 points per game, including an 18.2 average in SEC games. She netted a career-high 31 points at Ole Miss on Jan. 22, the last full game she played this season. Dickerson scored in double figures in all but four of the 19 games she played this season and reached the 15-point plateau 10 times, including five SEC contests. She shot a career-best 36.5 percent from 3-point range and ranks 10th in the SEC with 1.6 3-point field goals made per game.
Dickerson wraps up her Gamecock career having scored 7.8 points per game, including an 11.6 scoring average over the last two seasons during which she was a staple in the starting lineup. Her career 3-point percentage of .328 (60-183) is tied for seventh in school history. Dickerson shares the spot with her cousin Shaunzinski Gortman, who played 1998-2002.
