STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State guard Chrissy Falcone has suffered a career-ending knee injury, Lady Lion basketball head coach Rene Portland announced on Monday.
"We are extremely disappointed for Chrissy, first and foremost, and for the team secondly," Portland said. "This is the ultimate disappointment for her."
The fifth-year senior from Independence, Ohio, will join the Lady Lion coaching staff as a student assistant coach for the 2000-01 season.
"We're glad Chrissy's chosen to stay a part of the team," Portland added. "She will be a great asset to the coaching staff on the bench. Her enthusiasm, leadership, and knowledge will help this team reach its goals."
"I'll still be a part of the team and help where I can," Falcone said. "I want to contribute to the team in some way. I need my teammates as much as they need me."
During Thursday evening's practice session, Falcone ruptured the reconstructed ACL in her right knee. An MRI on Friday morning revealed the severity of the injury. Falcone will have surgery in five to six weeks, following the Paradise Jam trip to St. Thomas.
Knee injuries are not new for the 5-6 shooting guard. After helping her Trinity High School team to two consecutive state championship appearances (1994, 1995), Falcone sat out her senior season with the Lady Trojans with a torn ACL in her right knee. On the very first day of practice as a true freshman at Penn State (Oct. 15, 1996), the Street & Smith's All-American tore the ACL in her left knee and was sidelined for the season.
"I knew right away, this being the third time," Falcone acknowledged. "My attitude is 'everything happens for a reason,' and 'someone closed the door, but there's a window open somewhere.' I have a positive attitude, and I'm trying to stay strong for me and for my parents."
Last week, Falcone was elected by her teammates as one of three team captains. After joining the starting line-up last season, the 5-6 guard set the school records for three-point buckets made (70) and attempted (190) while firing a team-best .425 from three-point range. Falcone set the Bryce Jordan Center record for three-point field goals with six in the win over St. Francis en route to a career-best 22 points. She tied the BJC record with 11 trey attempts in the upset win over No. 6 Auburn while making five buckets from long range. Falcone was a pivotal part of the Lady Lions' 2000 Big Ten championship and Final Four run. She averaged 8.7 points-per-game and moved up to No. 5 on the PSU career treys list with 115.
"I came back from two ACL surgeries," Falcone said. "And if my last game is playing before 21,000 people at the Final Four, I can look back at that incredible year with a smile."
As a sophomore, the shooting guard moved to back-up point guard. She set the school record for three-point field goal percentage with her perfect 4-4 from behind the arc. As a freshman, the guard saw action in 28 games off the bench, helping the Lady Lions to the 1998 Women's NIT championship title.
A recreation and parks management major, Falcone will graduate in May 2001.
"Now the team needs to adjust and move on to face the season," Portland concluded.
Last season, the Lady Lions (30-5) advanced to their first-ever NCAA Women's Final Four. The squad captured its third Big Ten title with a 15-1 mark. Ranked as high as No. 9 in the preseason polls, Penn State opens the 2000-01 season at the State Farm Tip-off Classic with Old Dominion on Sunday, Nov. 12 in Hartford, Conn. The Lady Lions' home opener is Monday, Nov. 20 with Duke at 7 p.m.
CHRISSY FALCONE'S CAREER STATISTICS
| Season | G-GS | MIN | FG-FGA | PCT. | 3FG | PCT. | FT-FTA | PCT. | REB | AVG | PF-D | A | TO | B | S | PTS | AVG |
| 1997-98 | 28-0 | 175 | 20-65 | .308 | 16-48 | .333 | 6-7 | .857 | 18 | 0.6 | 18-0 | 18 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 62 | 2.2 |
| 1998-99 | 30-0 | 302 | 38-90 | .422 | 29-69 | .420 | 7-8 | .875 | 26 | 0.9 | 24-0 | 35 | 34 | 0 | 13 | 112 | 3.7 |
| 99-2000 | 35-29 | 757 | 91-245 | .376 | 70-190 | .368 | 4-7 | .571 | 70 | 2.0 | 43-0 | 54 | 30 | 1 | 20 | 258 | 7.4 |
| Career | 93-29 | 1234 | 150-400 | .375 | 115-307 | .375 | 17-22 | .773 | 114 | 1.2 | 85-0 | 107 | 81 | 1 | 43 | 432 | 4.6 |