Mizzou’s Jordan Frericks suffers season-ending knee injury

The Missouri women’s basketball team suffered a massive blow when coach Robin Pingeton confirmed Wednesday that senior forward Jordan Frericks would miss the 2016-17 season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

Frericks, a 6-foot-1 architecture major from Quincy, Ill., has been the Tigers’ leading rebounder for three consecutive years.

She was a key member for Mizzou’s NCAA Tournament team last season.

“Jordan is an incredible leader and a fierce competitor and as she begins her rehab and recovery, our program will persevere together as a family and support her along the way,” Pingeton said in a statement. “We know she will bounce back in the face of adversity and that she’ll return from the injury stronger, on and off the court. I have no doubt she will continue to be an important leader for our team this season and beyond.”

According to the statement from Mizzou athletics, Frericks, who suffered the injury during a preseason workout and will miss the entire season after surgery, plans to return for her redshirt senior season in 2017-18.

Last season the Tigers finished 22-10, including a win against BYU in the opening round of postseason play.

Each of the last two seasons, Frericks has been chosen All-SEC second team by the conference’s coaches and All-SEC honorable mention by The Associated Press.

Frericks averaged 12.1 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds last season. Her 24 blocked shots also led the Tigers last season as did her field-goal percentage of 55.1 percent.

As a sophomore in 2014-15, Frericks led Mizzou in both scoring at 13.2 points and rebounding at 9.9 boards. Her 46 blocks that season were four times more than any other player on the team.

During her freshman season, Frericks averaged a team-best 6.9 rebounds and ranked third in scoring at 7.6 points per game.

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 10:47 AM with the headline "Mizzou’s Jordan Frericks suffers season-ending knee injury."