Oct. 16, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame sophomore guard Lindsay Schrader (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) will miss the 2006-07 women’s basketball season after injuring her right knee during an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday afternoon at the Joyce Center. Initial testing revealed that Schrader suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), with the diagnosis later confirmed by team orthopedist Dr. Fred Ferlic after Schrader underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exam Monday morning. Schrader will undergo surgery to repair the injury at a later date, and her rehabilitation timetable has not yet been established.
“Obviously, this is a disappointing turn of events for Lindsay and our program,” Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. “Lindsay worked extremely hard during the summer to prepare for this season, and I believe she will now use that same work ethic to rehab her knee and get ready for the `07-08 season. She remains a valuable contributor to our team, whether she’s in uniform or not, and I have no doubt that the best is still yet to come for Lindsay.
“Even without Lindsay in the lineup, our goals and expectations for this season absolutely do not change,” McGraw continued. “Naturally, any time a player is injured, it presents a challenge to the team. But, it’s also an opportunity for us to learn and grow together into an even stronger program. I’m very confident all of us — players, coaches and staff — will embrace this opportunity and take advantage of it, and I believe the future remains exceptionally bright for Notre Dame women’s basketball.”
Schrader ranked second on the team in scoring as a freshmen in 2005-06, averaging 10.5 points per game to go along with a team-high 5.4 rebounds per contest. She scored in double figures 14 times last season, including three 20-point outings, and capped off her initial season by tossing in a career-best 29 points in Notre Dame’s NCAA Tournament opener vs. Boston College. What’s more, she collected two double-doubles as a freshman, and became only the second rookie in school history (first in 26 years) to register a double-double in her college debut, finishing with 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Michigan. During the summer of 2006, Schrader took part in the USA Basketball Under-20 National Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Notre Dame will continue preseason workouts leading up to its Oct. 31 exhibition opener against Lake Superior State at the Joyce Center (7 p.m. ET start). The Irish will tip off the 2006-07 regular season Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. (ET) against Central Michigan, also at the Joyce Center. Season ticket packages currently are on sale through the Notre Dame Athletics Ticket Office (574-631-7356; at the Gate 1 ticket windows inside the Joyce Center; or by clicking here), and single-game tickets for the 18-game home schedule will be available beginning Oct. 23.
— ND —