Nyah Leveretter suffers torn ACL, shut down for remainder of 2022-23 season

Kentucky+Wildcats+forward+Nyah+Leveretter+%2821%29+dribbles+the+ball+up+the+court+during+the+Kentucky+vs.+Auburn+womens+basketball+game+on+Thursday%2C+Jan.+26%2C+2023%2C+at+Memorial+Coliseum+in+Lexington%2C+Kentucky.+Photo+by+Jack+Weaver+%7C+Staff

Jack Weaver

Kentucky Wildcats forward Nyah Leveretter (21) dribbles the ball up the court during the Kentucky vs. Auburn womens basketball game on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Jack Weaver | Staff

Isaiah Pinto, Reporter

Kentucky womens basketball forward Nyah Leveretter suffered a torn ACL in her right knee in Sunday’s loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, Tennessee.

The injury will ultimately sideline Leveretter for the remainder of the season.

Leveretter made 21 starts and played in all 26 games for Kentucky in her junior season prior to the injury, averaging 20 minutes per game while averaging 2.5 points and 3.9 rebounds.

“Our program is saddened by this update,” Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy said to UK Athletics. “Nyah’s positive energy, defensive intensity and will to win will be missed when we take the court the rest of the season. She has displayed a tremendous amount of courage and positivity over the last 24 hours, which is a testament to her character. The leadership she brings to our team is impacting and I have no doubt that she will continue to inspire us through her healing process. Myself, our staff, and the team are wrapping our arms extra tight around Nyah right now and I hope fans will share their love and support with her, too, during this difficult time.”

Leveretter, despite struggling initially to find a place on the court during her sophomore season, became an integral part of the womens basketball team during Kentucky’s injury-ridden stretch last season, with the team having just six healthy players, Leveretter included, at its lowest point.

With the loss marking a tough blow for an already struggling Wildcats squad, Kentucky will look to rebound despite Leveretter’s absence in the final two games of the regular season.

Kentucky will travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M on Thursday, Feb. 23, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. EST. The game will be aired live on the SEC Network.