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One thing that can be devastating for an athlete and its team is injuries. They come when they want it can be hard to gauge how long a player has to sit out.
Head coach Dawn Staley announced today, South Carolina will be without one its most dominant players for the NCAA Tournament: Alaina Coates. Weeks ago, Coates injured her ankle and missed some of the SEC Tournament. After trying to play on it again in the semi-finals game, she reinjured it and now her career is over with the Gamecocks.
Coates will leave South Carolina as the universities’ all-time second leading rebounder with 1,230 and second in career double-doubles with 57.
As many great players that the Gamecocks have had, Coates is the first player to be a four-time All-SEC selection – she made the first team honors her junior and senior years while she was recognized on the second team her first two seasons with the Gamecocks. Another honor she achieved was being the first South Carolina player to win the SEC 6th Player of the Year award and was the conference’s Freshman of the Year (2014).