Naama Shafir Will Miss The Season With A Torn ACL: Now What?

If The Toledo WNIT Champs (Baby!) was the favorite to win the MAC, they're not anymore. The school announced that senior point guard Naama Shafir tore her ACL in a collision with a player against Indiana in the first minute and will miss the entirety of this season.

Shafir was a first-team All-MAC selection last year by virtue of scoring 15.4 points per game and doling out 5.1 assists. She rose to further prominence as the WNIT MVP once she averaged 27.6 points per game, including 40 in the championship game against USC. She also made some headlines as being the first orthodox Jew with a Division I women's basketball schorship after she received permission from her rabbi to participate in games on Saturdays.

She's a great story and an outstanding player, but without her the Rockets aren't necessarily in scramble mode, but their dynamic has certainly changed. Fellow senior Haylie Linn will most likely be Shafir's replacement in the lineup, who has done admirably with 3.2 assists per game and does have shooting ability but certainly not to the extent of Shafir. Courtney Ingersoll and Andola Dortch have provided most of the points this year, combining for 25.6 per game. Still, others will need to step up and score buckets when necessary. They looked like a very different team in their loss to Arkansas State but they have time to get ready for the MAC.

As for Shafir I hope they can petition the NCAA to grant her a medical redshirt. I don't see why she wouldn't get it.