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Tennessee's Parker 'confident' in dislocated shoulder at Final Four

By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
In print: Sunday, April 6, 2008

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TAMPA — Ever since Tennessee center/forward Candace Parker dislocated her left shoulder twice in Tuesday night's Oklahoma City Region final, her availability for tonight's national semifinal game against LSU has been a subject of conversation.

Parker has promised to be on the floor with her teammates, but how well she'll be able to play remains to be seen. She has been undergoing rehabilitation "around the clock" trying to get ready.

"I feel confident in my shoulder," she said. "I feel confident that I'm going to go … and just play as hard as I can."

It's not the first time the shoulder has popped out of place, but Parker said after last week's win over Texas A&M that she normally can put it back in place herself. Even with constant treatment, Parker may still have trouble using the arm, which will be in a protective sleeve, as it was in the second half against A&M.

"The bottom line is that it is a vulnerable position," said Jenny Moshak Tennessee's assistant athletic director for sports medicine. "In layman's terms, it's the throwing motion. So the closer to the body it is, the safer."

Parker's tendency to keep the arm nearer to her body was evident in the second half against A&M and could be a concern tonight.

"(The injury) is in your subconscious awareness, and eventually it turns into your conscious awareness," Moshak said.

"But she's a competitor. She's here for her teammates, and her goal is to win a national championship. It's going to take a lot to not have that happen."