Texas women’s basketball star Rori Harmon will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, the team announced Saturday. Harmon suffered the injury during practice on Dec. 27, bringing an abrupt end to another productive season with the Longhorns.
Harmon, a junior and the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, was off to a hot start in 2023-24. Through her first 12 games, Harmon was averaging 14.1 points, 7.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game.
In spite of her injury, Harmon released a statement expressing her gratitude for all the support she has received from her fellow Longhorns, the coaching staff and the medical personnel who have supported her.
“I’m grateful for the support of my teammates and coaching staff during this difficult time,” Harmon said. “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.”
Harmon was a big reason why Texas was off to its best start since the 2015-16 season. The Longhorns were 13-0 and ranked No. 5 in the nation, but that perfect record was spoiled on Saturday when the No. 10 Baylor Bears came to town.
Texas was able to hold its own against Baylor without Harmon in the lineup, but the team missed her impact at both ends of the court. The Horns lost a hard-fought battle, 85-79, but there were some positives in Harmon’s absence. Madison Booker stepped up with 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to lead Texas in all of those categories.
However, Booker had just one shot attempt in the final six minutes. Perhaps Harmon could have facilitated more opportunities for her down the stretch in a tight game.
Texas will try to get back in the win column in 2024 when it goes on the road to face Texas Tech on Jan. 3.