Notre Dame women’s basketball sophomore guard Abby Prohaska has been ruled out until at least January following recent tests revealing blood clots in her lungs.
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Prohaska announced the news last week on Twitter, saying “God’s got me.”
God’s Got me. #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/8B2l82x1K2
— Abby Prohaska (@abbyproha) November 4, 2019
“I am approaching this post a little differently today… Recently, I have been diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary embolism. In other words, I have a blood clot in each of my lungs. The amount of time I will be out is indefinite, but I will be right alongside this team for every game I cannot play. I am thankful for the endless support and love from my family, my teammates, my coaches, and my friends. This is just a bump in the road.”
Prohaska cites Romans 8:28 in her Twitter bio — “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
After Notre Dame sent five players to the WNBA following last season, Prohaska was expected to be a key player and leader this year.
“It’s a huge loss not having Abby, for so many reasons,” Coach Muffet McGraw told the Indy Star. “She is somebody that gives energy because she comes in and she takes charges and hustles for loose balls. She’s somebody you could point to for the freshmen to look up to and say, ‘This is how you’re supposed to practice, this is how you’re supposed to play.’”
During the regular season of her freshman year, Prohaska was a limited contributor to the team. However, she stepped up during Notre Dame’s NCAA Tournament-winning run, keying a 13-4 comeback run in the Elite Eight against Stanford, and posting a plus-8 rating during the Final Four game against Connecticut.
At the moment, Prohaska’s condition will keep her from either conditioning or traveling with the team. While Prohaska’s attitude and energy will be a catalyst for the team, it’s a difficult road to walk for her.
“It’s hard to see anybody who’s 19 have to go through anything this tough,” Coach McGraw said. “When you face adversity, you learn a lot through it. You learn a lot about yourself. She’s handling it great, she really is, but it’s going to get tougher as the season goes on.”
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