Texas women’s basketball will have to open the season without one of its veteran frontcourt additions.
Transfer senior forward Jada Bediako suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury, according to a Texas Athletics spokesperson. She is scheduled to have surgery on Thursday, the statement said.
The timing is rough for the Longhorns, who are less than a week away from their first exhibition game against UConn on Oct. 19 and about three weeks from their regular-season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 4.
Bediako arrived in Austin in the offseason after two years at Marquette, following her freshman season at Georgia Tech. Last season, she averaged 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 26 games.
The injury doesn’t necessarily close the door on her Texas career for good. Because of the NCAA’s new 5-for-5 rule, Bediako could return for a fifth season next year.
Head coach Vic Schaefer had viewed Bediako as a stabilizing veteran voice for freshmen Isi Etute and Brihanna Crittendon, even if she wasn’t projected to jump in as a starter right away. Now, that guidance will have to come from the sideline.
Her absence leaves more on the shoulders of senior forward Breya Cunningham and junior center Lovisa Asbrink Hose, two players who will now be asked to anchor the frontcourt.
For a Texas roster already loaded with new and young pieces, losing an experienced upperclassman for the full season adds another obstacle for Schaefer to manage. And with UConn up next on Oct. 19, the Longhorns will already need to rethink preseason lineups and plans without Bediako in the mix.
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