Gennifer Brandon Undergoes Successful Surgery
BERKELEY – California women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb announced Thursday that senior forward Gennifer Brandon (Sylmar, Calif.) has undergone successful surgery to repair a recurrent right tibial stress fracture. Brandon is expected to return and compete in the 2013-14 season for the Golden Bears.
“When we found out that Genn had a recurrence of her stress fracture, the immediate focus was to choose the course of action that would be most beneficial for her long-term health and career,” Gottlieb said.
Brandon had an intramedullary nailing of the tibia performed Thursday at the UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus by Dr. Christina Allen and Dr. Saam Morshed.
“This procedure will allow Genn to get fully healthy, to return to the court at full strength this season and to have a lengthy professional career should she so desire,” Gottlieb said. “I am so grateful to our talented medical team at Cal and UCSF. Genn had the best surgical care and will work with our athletic trainer to get back on the court quickly and in optimal health.”
Brandon had an All-American season for the Bears, averaging 12.3 points and 11.1 rebounds en route to AP All-America honorable mention honors during Cal’s NCAA Final Four run. The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award candidate and WBCA All-Region selection solidified herself not only as one of the top post players but as one of the top players overall in the country with her dominating efforts throughout the season that included a 23-point, 26-rebound effort against USC - a mark that ranked second in the NCAA in the 2012-13 season for rebounds in a single game and broke a 19-year old Pac-12 record for rebounds in a conference game. Despite a season average of just 28 minutes played per game, Brandon ranked No. 16 in the NCAA with her 11.1 rebounds per game and was one of just 16 players in the country to average at least 12 points and 11 rebounds a game. She set a California single-season rebounding record of 389, the second consecutive year that Brandon set the program mark.
“Genn is such a talent and special presence on the court,” Gottlieb said. “This team is her family and everyone will step up, have her back and give a little bit more to our team until she can step back on the court.”