Injury problems continue for Southeast Missouri women's basketball player Taylor

Ty Margenthaler's second year as Southeast Missouri State women's basketball coach already has started eerily similar to his first.

Margenthaler only can hope things get better.

Southeast is once again riddled by injuries before the season even begins.

"It's frustrating," Margenthaler said.

The latest casualty is forward Brooke Taylor, who has not yet played a regular-season game for the Redhawks despite being in the program the past two years.

Margenthaler said Taylor recently suffered another knee injury during practice. She is sidelined indefinitely, and Margenthaler fears she could miss the entire season. An MRI is scheduled for later this week.

"It's the same knee she tore the ACL in [last year]. She tweaked it," Margenthaler said. "We're a little concerned it might be the same thing. We're hoping it's not. She'll be out at least a while, but we won't know for sure until we get the results of the MRI."

It's just the latest in a run of misfortune for Taylor. She missed the entire 2010-11 campaign with a blood disorder, then saw action in Southeast's only exhibition game last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury during practice.

"I feel sick for her," Margenthaler said. "It's the third year she's been in this situation. Hopefully it's not what we think it might be."

Margenthaler already knew he would be without guard Katie Norman, who was forced to end her basketball career because of lingering back problems.

Norman missed all of last season because of a back injury that required surgery. She was Southeast's co-leading scorer as a sophomore in 2010-11 with an average of 8.9 points per game.

Also hobbled is freshman guard Kara Wright, who has been having some knee issues. Margenthaler said she is questionable for Sunday's exhibition game.

Southeast plays its lone exhibition at 2 p.m., hosting Division II Southern Indiana.

Margenthaler elected to have the Redhawks face a fellow Division I squad in a closed scrimmage instead of a second exhibition against a non-Division I opponent. They squared off with Evansville on Saturday at the Show Me Center.

Southeast opens the regular season at home against Wright State on Nov. 9.

Another verbal

Southeast received its fourth verbal commitment from a high school senior recently when Germantown (Tenn.) point guard Brianna Mitchell said she would play for the Redhawks.

Mitchell, one of the top players in the Memphis area, averaged 16.6 points, 3.5 assist, 3.9 steals and 2.4 rebounds as a junior last season. She already has scored more than 1,000 career points.

Mitchell joins Blue Valley (Kan.) forward Bailey Geiman, Highland (Mo.) shooting guard Ashton Luttrull and Columbia (Mo.) Hickman shooting guard Jade Holly for Southeast's recruiting class of 2013-14.

The NCAA's weeklong early signing period begins Nov. 14.