Junior center Pam O’Connor made a decision to redshirt this basketball season because of her injured knee.

“I didn’t know if I was ready to play, and this is the point where you make the decision and my knee just wasn’t ready yet,” O’Connor said.

O’Connor had knee surgery after she injured her anterior cruciate ligament last spring during a pickup game. Over the summer O’Connor needed another surgery after she fractured her patella while doing a leg press. The surgeries prevented Eastern’s leading scorer from the 2001-2002 season from playing in the four August exhibition games in Australia and have sidelined her for the team’s first 14 games.

O’Connor is working with trainer Katie Rybak to help rehabilitate her knee and resumed practicing with the team in December. Rybak said her goal for O’Connor was to have her at 100 percent by Ohio Valley Conference tournament time. O’Connor said she is having trouble just watching from the bench, but she realizes that it is best for her knee to recover fully.

“The team and coaching staff has been very supportive of my decision,” O’Connor said. “I feel I can help the team more by coming back for two years at 100 percent rather than about a fourth of this season and just another year afterwards.”

Rybak is supportive of O’ Connor’s decision and did not want to push her into a premature return.

“Pam felt this was the best decision for her, and I was not going to force her to play,” Rybak said.

Eastern’s Women’s Basketball Coach Linda Wunder had faith in O’ Connor’s decision.

“I agree with the decision she made. I think it’s best for her,” Wunder said. “I told her to be selfish and think of what would be best for you.”

O’Connor has already accomplished so much with just two years of play. She ranks 20th on Eastern’s all-time scoring list with 861 points. O’Connor was the third fastest sophomore to reach 500 points, and she earned the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week three times. The junior has scored double digits in 49 of the 55 games in which she has played.

“Redshirting gives Pam the opportunity not to rush back when she may not be fully 100 percent,” Wunder said. “Plus the fact she can obviously practice the rest of the season, get her confidence back and be ready for next season.”

O’ Connor will have two more years to play after she finishes her redshirt year.

“I thought it would be the best decision to play two years at 100 percent as opposed to remainder of at 75 percent to 80 percent,” O’ Connor said.