Kentucky women?s basketball forward/center Eleia Roddy has a torn ligament in her knee and will miss the remainder of the season.

Team officials confirmed that a magnetic resonance imaging test (MRI) on Roddy’s right knee revealed Oct. 18 that she had a tear of her anterior cruciate ligament. She tore the ligament during a routine drill in practice Tuesday, Oct. 17. Roddy will have surgery in a few weeks and will return for the 2007-08 season.

“I?m just so disappointed for Eleia,” Kentucky coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?She worked extremely hard in the summer and fall to develop her game. I?m saddened for her and our team. She was a huge part of our success last year. This is an adversity that we?ll have to move through and other players will have to step up for us. Our goals are still the same and we have to keep working hard.?

Roddy, a native of Columbus, Ohio, was expected to be a major impact in the front court this season as the 6-3 junior showed drastic improvement last season. She ranked second on the team and ninth in the Southeastern Conference in rebounding (6.7 rpg) and was fifth on the team in scoring (7.8 ppg). She was DeMoss? first substitution in 22 games and was the only non-starter to average more than 20 minutes per game (20.3). Roddy played in 15 games as a freshman, but was forced to sit out the final 19 with a torn meniscus in her right knee.

Freshman Lydia Watkins is expected to move from guard to power forward to help replace the depth in the four-position. Other front court players are 6-6 junior Sarah Elliott, 6-1 sophomore Jenn?e Jackson, and 6-3 senior Jennifer Humphrey.

UK begins its season on Wednesday, Nov. 1 when it plays host to Northern Kentucky in an exhibition game in Memorial Coliseum. Game time is 7 p.m. ET and admission is free.