Nov. 18, 2003
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech senior Nina B?rlin will be sidelined indefinitely due to extensive pain in her knee, B?rlin and head women’s basketball coach MaChelle Joseph announced on Monday.
“Because of the intense pain in my knee, it has been very difficult for me to play basketball at the level that I have been accustomed to,” said B?rlin. “It has been very frustrating for me playing with the added pain, so I have decided that I needed some time off. I appreciate the team and coaches’ support during this difficult decision for me. We are leaving the door open for a possible return if my knee were to begin feeling better.”
B?rlin was the Jackets’ starting point guard in all 31 games her freshman season, and then started 25 of 26 during her sophomore year. She was selected as a team captain in 2002 and was on pace to have one of the top years by a point guard in conference history before suffering a season-ending knee injury in her 17th game. She returned to start the first game of the 2002-03 season, but re-injured the same knee in the first minute against Charlotte, and missed another full year.
“Our staff is very sad that Nina is not able to play right now,” said Joseph. “She has contributed a lot to this program the past five years and we are certainly going to miss her, but we respect her decision. We also hope that if the pain subsides, she could rejoin the team in the future.
