In McArthur Court, while the women’s basketball team practices, the injured Ducks sit to the side.
Those at practice Tuesday saw Corrie Mizusawa, Chelsea Wagner and Andrea Bills in folding chairs along the sideline.
One player was missing.
Off to the right, at one of the baskets set up along the side for drills and breakout work, was Cathrine Kraayeveld.
While the brace on her knee — the one visual clue to her surgery on a torn anterior cruciate ligament — remains in place, Kraayeveld can practice now. Well, she has pool workouts, she runs a little bit and she shoots around during practice. She doesn’t participate in drills with the team, but her presence is felt from the sidelines.
“Cathrine’s example is in what she does and how she works and her work ethic,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “I think our players see that and see that every day. They see it when she’s in the pool, they see the way she’s come back. I think that’s kind of where she feels she can be an example.”
Kraayeveld is the only current player to be around for four years and the only remaining Duck who was coached by the tempestuous Jody Runge.
She was supposed to be the leader on Oregon’s two-senior squad. Between Kraayeveld and Kayla Steen, who transferred from a community college for her junior season, the Ducks had two automatic leaders on the otherwise young squad.
Instead, the injury has kept Kraayeveld on the sidelines, giving her a small opportunity to lead from the bench.
“There’s certain stuff I can say and some stuff I have to be careful not to say because I’m not out there with them, sweating and doing all that stuff,” Kraayeveld said. “It’s kind of a line I have to be careful about, but I’ve done a good job, I think, of knowing when not to say stuff and when to just be an encourager.”
Instead of focusing on what she has missed this season, Kraayeveld is looking ahead to next season. Steen is the only player Oregon will lose to graduation, and four players — Bills, Brandi Davis, Kedzie Gunderson and Mizusawa — will join Kraayeveld to fill out a tough senior class.
“Having everyone being able to play as much as they have is just going to help us that much more,” Kraayeveld said. “They’re going to be so much more experienced and just understanding a lot more than if we wouldn’t have had these injuries. It’s unfortunate we did but it gave them an opportunity to play more minutes.”
Kraayeveld, who will return next season after medical redshirt rules fell in her favor, may even have to fight for a starting position next season. Oregon’s five most consistent starters, including four juniors and freshman Eleanor Haring, are all returning.
Then again, it may be no contest. If she fully recovers, Kraayeveld could pick up where she left off last season. The Bellevue, Wash., native led the Ducks in points (17.2), rebounds per game (8.6) and blocked shots (16) before the injury. Oregon was also 5-0.
In the KingCo Conference of the greater Seattle area, basketball is king. Kraayeveld transferred to Lake Washington High School after two seasons at Bellevue Christian. Jumping from a 1A school to the big 4A scene, she found herself on a larger stage immediately.
Now, Kraayeveld is on a large stage every day. In Oregon, where the
struggling Ducks still have one of the highest average attendance levels in the Pacific-10 Conference, Kraayeveld will lead a potentially dangerous Oregon squad into next season.
Until then, she will be on the sidelines. But she’s just glad she can be on the court.