LAUREN Jackson has today gone under the surgeon’s knife after ruling herself out of the Australian team for the world championships.
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The Opals star latest setback has been a hip injury that has hampered her recovery from major knee surgery more than seven months ago.
Basketball Australia today confirmed Jackson’s withdrawal saying medical advice had indicated her knee was not yet fit and that the Border star had also elected to address a persistent hip problem.
Jackson said she was extremely disappointed to miss the Championships in Turkey.
“I’ve worked so hard on my rehab and my knee injury has progressed well — sadly, just not enough to compete at Worlds. Put simply, we just ran out of time,” Jackson said.
“Further, a problem with my hip has continued to worsen and it’s now impacting on my rehab program.
“After scans this week the medical advice was to operate today. I’ll be back with the great, supportive team at the AIS in just two weeks and preparing to play for the University of Canberra Capitals in November.
“I can’t wait to be finally back on court – I’m actually fit and strong so the hard work will not be lost.”
Opals Head Coach Brendan Joyce said Jackson was not easily replaced.
“Lauren has been a cornerstone of the Opals for more than 14 years now; she’s always taken great pride in playing for her country and played an immeasurable part in making the Opals a powerhouse on the world stage,” he said.
“I know what it means to her to represent Australia and I’ve seen how hard she’s worked through training and rehab to get herself fighting fit for the World Championships.