The Spectrum

Issue date: 1/25/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: The Baltimore Sun The women's basketball team has missed Kerri Burke's hustle, leadership and talents during the time she has missed due to injury. She will try to return to the court in three weeks after an extensive rehabilitation program.

Coming into this season, the Pioneers were the odds on favorite to repeat as NEC champions. With four returning starters from the championship team, it was easy to see why. Yet the season did not start off as expected as the team suffered some tough defeats and was bitten by the injury bug.

Ironically, all four of the returning starters have experienced and injury throughout this season, forcing Pioneers' coach Ed Swanson to rely on his bench more often this season.

One of the key injuries for the Pioneers was to senior guard, Kerri Burke. In a game against Mount St. Mary's on January 3, Burke tore her ACL and lateral Meniscus, an injury that generally spells the end of a season for an athlete.

Burke was left with only a few options after the injury occurred. Since she was three games over the red shirt limit, her options were either season ending surgery or to try and rehab her knee to come back for the season.

"I am going to push surgery back until after the season which is sometime in April and try and come back at the end of the season when my rehab is done" said Burke.

During her rehabilitation, Burke has had the support of her team to help her along.

"The whole team has been so supportive, from all my teammates to the coaching staff. It has made things much easier."

Yet, Burke has not let her injury stop her from helping the team, albeit in a different way.

"I have taken on a different role, one that is completely different than my role before the injury.  But I want to try and help this team anyway I can and if it can't be me on the court, and it means I have to be their number one fan and the biggest cheerleader, then that's what I will do."

Yet what the Pioneers need most is Burke's ability to run the Pioneer's offense like she has in the past. The Pioneers have played well as of late sporting a 7-1 conference record after a victory over Robert Morris on Monday night and are among the top three teams in the conference along with Long Island University and Robert Morris.

With Burke continuing to return, it will improve a team that she already thinks has a chance to repeat last year's success.

"I definitely think this year's team has a chance in repeating the success we had from last year.  This team is very determined and would do anything to get to where we were last year.  It was an amazing experience and something we will all cherish forever.  We just need to come determined to practice everyday wiling to work out hardest and continue to get better and hopefully the hard work will pay off and we can find ourselves in the NEC championship."

As the year comes down to the final games leading to the NEC tournament and beyond, Pioneer fans will be looking forward to having number 22 back on the court guiding the Pioneers to back-to-back championship.

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