The Los Angeles Sparks have announced that point guard Sharnee Zoll will miss the remainder of the 2012 season due to an ACL injury in her left knee.
"It's unfortunate that Sharnee won't be able to play this season," Sparks Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler said in a release. "Up until her injury, she was playing really well. We look forward to seeing what she can do next season."
The first news of the injury came prior to last Friday's season-opener in Seattle, which Zoll sat out due to what was reported as a sore knee. As noted prior to that game, Zoll recorded preseason numbers that suggested she might be able to help fill the Sparks' vacancy at point guard this season.
Since ball handling is the biggest question for the team as of right now, Sharnee' Zoll's performance in the preseason is noteworthy. Maybe you can dismiss her 6 assists and 0 turnovers (21.05 PPR) in a blowout against Japan, but it's hard to dismiss an 8 assist and 2 turnover performance against the Seattle Storm (13.88 PPR). Even in preseason games with and against odd combinations, that sort of efficiency bodes well for the Sparks' point guard situation during the season.
Despite two impressive victories over the Seattle Storm to start the season, point guard - even someone who could fill a few minutes here and there - remains a need for the Sparks if they want to maximize their success this season. It will be interesting to see what they do next with Zoll now out for the season.
A few point guards with WNBA experience who were recently cut are Shannon Bobbitt, Sydney Colson, Loree Moore, and Andrea Riley. Bobbitt and Riley began their careers with the Sparks and have obviously gone elsewhere. Moore was in Sparks' camp last year but was not able to make it through training camp due to health issues. Colson's quickness and defensive pedigree from Texas A&M would seem to fit the Sparks' newfound defensive intensity, but she struggled to get minutes with the Liberty last season and was released before this season.
Click here for more on the Sparks and their need for a point guard.