Veteran Peterson Ruled Out For Season After Suffering Knee Injury
SEATTLE – Washington senior Missy Peterson will miss the 2020-21 women's basketball season after tearing her ACL during practice, head coach Jody Wynn announced on Wednesday. The guard from Edmonds, Wash., is the Huskies second-leading returning scorer at 7.0 points per game and minutes played at 23.6 per contest.
"It's very unfortunate because she was really ready for her senior year and had prepared to have a great one," Wynn said. "She will miss this season but then return for us in 2021."
Peterson is one of three seniors on the Huskies' roster. She saw action in all 30 games as a junior in 2019-20, making 24 starts. She scored in double figures 11 times and ranked second on the team with 78 assists.
Wynn says despite the setback, the plan is for Peterson to remain heavily involved in team activities while recovering.
"She won't be able to directly produce on the basketball court, but she will be able to lead the young kids and be able to still engage with them and be a leader," Wynn, who is entering her fourth season at Washington, said. "She's someone that has a powerful voice in our program and we're certainly going to continue to count on that, whether it is in the locker room, in the film room or at practice.
"She's become a really good student of the game over her three years that she has been here, and she is going to continue to provide us what we need for our young kids to grow."
The Huskies return five players that participated in 20 or more games, led by junior guard Haley Van Dyke, who is the team's leading returning scorer at 8.2 points per game. Washington also welcomes three talented freshman into the fold and will have the services of athletic redshirt freshman Nia Lowery.
"We've got a great group of girls," Wynn said. "Their bond is really good. Some of the returners say we are so much closer this year than we were last year as a unit. That to me is exciting. The times that we are together we are trying to make them special times, one in which we value our relationships with each other."