Texas to gain transfer?

[Moooooo]

There are rumors out there that former Stanford point guard, Jamie Carey is transferring Texas. Anyone hear anything?
http://citadel4.ezboard.com/fstanfordfansfrm4.showMessage?topicID=442.topic

[metromaniac]

Just wondering why they would need or a point would want to transfer there after Texas's two point guard signings this year.

Nina Norman and the guard from I think Kansas.

[swok34]

Is Jamie Carey the player who's had "X" numbers of concussions and decided not to play?

[carolann]

I read all the rumors (I usually do) but I've been waiting for a published media account or an announcement from Stanford. Jamie Carey played shooting guard at Stanford, I believe. She was the PAC 10 freshman of the year in 1999/2000. Losing Carey the following year due to concussions was a hard blow to Stanford. Carey must have a strong and deep passion for basketball.

[Press]

Isn't she the one that tore her ACL at the OU game and it was a big hoo-ha between he two teams?

[swok34]

nope......that was Susan King.

[kate dawg]

Texas is crazy to take her. I think the health risks are far too great. I mean we're talking about STANFORD doctors not clearing her. It's not like they don't know what they're doing. In order for her to play, the Texas doctors would have to clear her. I'm guessing she'll go wherever she can find someone to clear her.

This reeks of "Any Given Sunday" type stuff. I think it's a bad idea for her to play, unless she plans on wearing a helmet. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/wink.gif Her brain is going to be jello if she's not careful.

[carolann]

Bulletin boards say that the Stanford doctors did not clear her but the Texas doctors did. That's just it - bulletin boards. Even so, since the subject has come up, I'll comment. (1) I have complete respect for the Texas medical staff. It is one of the best in the country. (2) This is Carey's decision to make. She and her family have had 2 years to consult medical experts - not necessarily only those at the school. Carey has had 2 years to think about what she wants. Carey has just as much right to risk her brain as a boxer or a football player practicing in the middle of a hot summer day.

[wbballfan1]

As a Stanford fan who was able to watch Jamie play for 1 year, I'm thrilled for her that she is able to continue pursuing her dream to play. And she has every right to pursue an opportunity where the medical team can clear her. I only hope she can stay concussion-free since the impact of her last incident in fall 2000 still causes her some trouble.

Texas is very lucky to gain a great leader, great player and great young woman.

[wbballfan1]

As a Stanford fan who was able to watch Jamie play for 1 year, I'm thrilled for her that she is able to continue pursuing her dream to play. And she has every right to pursue an opportunity where the medical team can clear her. I only hope she can stay concussion-free since the impact of her last incident in fall 2000 still causes her some trouble.

Texas is very lucky to gain a great leader, great player and great young woman.

[OhMandy]

I hope Jamie is making the right decision. I don't want to see another "Hank Gathers" situation. For those of you who don't know or remember, Hank Gathers played for LMU. He had a heart condition but was allowed to play. Everything was fine until his senior year. He died during a game.

With that said, I realize that Jamie doesn't have a heart condition. But I still don't want her to suffer another concussion which for her date back to high school and maybe even middle school. I wouldn't want her to be crippled for life. I wouldn't want her to have memory lost.

Forget the doctors and talk to former football players who are now suffering from the effects of concussions now that they are 40-50. I would hope Jamie doesn't come back. But somebody who is 21 doesn't really look at the future.

[kate dawg]

Yeah it's her decision, but I simply must question the ethics of the situation. I'm not questioning anyone in particular or accusing anyone of anything, but why would the Stanford docs not clear her and the Texas MD's clear her?

According to reports from her retirement press conference, she's had too many concussions to count. TOO MANY TO COUNT. Hockey players don't play with that many...football players....soccer players. I've seen the way this kid plays, and she gets after it and would be just as likely to do it again as any of those types of athletes.

I wonder if anyone is really looking after her best interests, or just looking at what she can offer them on the court for a year.

From CNN/SI:
Stanford sophomore Jamie Carey suffered her first concussion when she was in seventh grade. Since then, she's had too many to count. Her unusually high number of head injuries is the reason her school announced earlier this week that she'd be hanging up her hightops for good.

Since Carey arrived in Palo Alto last season Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer, in an attempt to shield Carey from hard hits in practice, has made her floor general wear a yellow jersey and instructed the team not to touch her. The most recent concussion wasn't the result of a hard hit, though. During an Oct. 19 practice Carey fell and hit her head on a teammate's shin. She did not lose consciousness, but concussive symptoms like dizziness and memory loss persisted long enough to convince her to seek an evaluation from neurologists. They determined that the repeated concussions had damaged Carey's memory and cognitive abilities and that she would be risking her health if she continued to play.

In a press conference, VanDerveer called Carey the kind of player who "inspires coaches" and added, "She's someone that...you go to the gym and you're excited. As a coach it doesn't get any better." VanDerveer also announced that she had decided to retire Carey's No. 11. "I know this is not Stanford's policy," she said. "I'm not going to be here forever, but I will not issue that uniform to anyone else."

You're telling me that Stanford hasn't tried everyway possible to get this kid back playing while looking out for not just her interests but her life and well-being? Come on. I think that's crap. I hope she doesn't play. I don't want to see a Colorado kid become a cautionary tale.

[grojc]

Are we sure that this is even a real story?

[carolann]

Are we sure that this is even a real story?

Good question. NO, WE ARE NOT. There has been no official announcement from either school and no media report that I am aware of.

[TRH]

Based on the assumption that she really still wants to play college basketball........

We all do things that we know are not in our best interest. Some of us smoke, some don't eat right, some drive too fast, and many of us have failed to follow our doctors advice. Young people do these things and we tend to think that it is because they are young. When older people do them we rationalize that they are old enough to make their own decisions. The truth is that it is all the same, and many of us make poor decisions for reasons much more difficult to justify than wanting to follow a dream, or compete at a level they have spent their life preparing for.

If Jamie is determined to play even after what she has been through, and after recommendations from doctors that she stop, there is little we can do but respect her decision, cheer her on, and hold our breath.

Don't misunderstand. If this were my daughter, no way would I want her to play. If this were me I would give up the sport. However, I don't think we can say that this decision would be wrong for Jamie. It is a personal decision and I would guess that the same thing that drove her to be a great basketball player is what drives her to continue. It is part of who she is.

On the other hand, you also have to look at the responsibility of the team that allows her to play knowing of her medical history. I certainly believe that no team, not even my favorite team, should allow her to play at the risk of permanent injury or disability. This is how players with the drive of a Jamie Carey are protected from themselves.

I have watched the UT program for years and have seen players who wanted desperately to play held out for medical reasons. I know this is a quality program and that the student athletes are never intentionally put at risk. Of this I have no doubt. And, I know that coach Conradt does not make any decisions about player availability. The medical staff tells her who is available and who is not. So, if coach Conradt has a medical report from a medical staff that she trusts that says Jamie can safely play - well, that is a no brainer.

The truth, as we all know, is that if you go to 10 doctors you may very well get 7 different opinions. If you look long enough you will find one that will tell you what you want to hear. I have confidence in the integrity of the UT medical staff. If this story is true I only hope they are right. If not, and Jamie plays and gets seriously hurt, the integrity of the program will certainly be questioned.

You have to believe that UT would take this risk into account before clearing Jamie to play. You would have to believe that they would be very sure of their recommendations.

I am not a doctor. But, it would seem to me that if nothing else this is a young woman who is likely to have a head injury again. If she plays, at Texas or anywhere else, I wish her the best, I will cheer for her, I hope she never has another injury, and I will hold my breath every time she is on the floor.

[OhMandy]

If Jamie is allowed to play I would bet she would have to sign a waiver so UT can't be sued if something does happen to Jamie.

One other thing you never know when it's going to be your time to go. I mean the the tragic plane crash of the OSU men's basketball team and of course the gutless cowardly attacks of Sept 11th. I know that Jamie is still young and may not think about her future and is willing to accept the risks of playing again.

[TXSNOS]

Did anybody ever get to the bottom of this story? What's the latest? Anybody know?

TXSNOS

[Moooooo]

Here's what I heard from a reliable source.

Jamie Carey has received her release from Stanford, and made a visit to Texas earlier this month. Not sure if it was an official or unofficial visit.

[fan26]

She has signed on to play for the Longhorns. She must sit out a year per NCAA transfer rules. Her visit was just to tie up loose ends. It is a done deal.

[Press]

I really don't remember much about her. Where was she from (hometown? Is she a PG and she has 1 year of eligibility?

[kate dawg]

She's from Horizon High School outside Denver (Northglenn area). I have no idea how much eligibility she'll have left, but she hasn't played in awhile so I imagine either one or two years.

[YCN]

I'm late to the fray, but here is Jamie Carey's very glossy bio from the Stanford site:
http://gostanford.fansonly.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/carey_jamie00.html

She was quite a player in HS in Colo.

[YCN]

And here is the official Stanford release regarding the "permanent" end of Jamie Carey's basketball career:
http://gostanford.fansonly.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/110700aaa.html

[YCN]

And a telling article from the local Boulder Daily Camera, including this snippet:

Stanford basketball star Jamie Carey, a Horizon High School alum, had to make that tough decision last month. After a lifetime of dreaming of a national championship from Stanford, Carey, 19, told her teammates she had to retire due to recurring concussions dating back to seventh grade. She said she couldn't begin to count the number received since, but she knew that just like in a video game, her "lives" were running out.

I don't have any hits left," she told reporters.
http://www.bouldernews.com/healthfitness/stories/a399814a.html

[YCN]

She won't be playing soccer anymore, due to concussions.

http://www.denverpost.com/media/paper36/May2002/concuss0522s.jpg

[TXSNOS]

It's true, Jamie Carey is transferring from Stanford to Texas to play basketball:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/06/10/SP106975.DTL

TXSNOS

[carolann]

Thanks for the link, TX NOS. Wow, 2 years of eligibility starting this season. This could shake up the Texas line-up. I wonder if Carey will primarily play point guard or shooting guard.

[Jennifer]

I'm not a doctor, so my opinion doesn't really matter, but I still think it's risky for her to continue playing. I hope she has 2 healthy years at Texas, but wonder what the repurcussions will be if she suffers another concussion, both for her and the Drs who cleared her to play.

[Moooooo]

Official Texas release . . .

http://www.texassports.com/mainpages/wbb_pages/006/wbb_061002_10.html

[TRH]

I spoke with a UT coach this evening that confirmed that Jamie is eligible to play this season. They also consider the UT doctor, (I don't have a name), one of the foremost authorities in the nation on head injuries and have complete confidence in her health. It still makes me nervous, and it would be tragic if she had a serious head injury, but I am happy for Jamie and the UT program.