Indiana women’s basketball Sydney Parrish starter, returns from knee injury

After being forced to watch from the sidelines, she is back.

Wearing Indiana women’s basketball home uniforms with red numbers and trim, student guard Sydney Parrish returned to the court Sunday with a white DonJoy brace on her left knee.

When announcer Jeremy Gray announced Parrish as one of five starters, the Hoosier faithful inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall cheered even louder than they already do for the fan favorite.

Parrish missed the Hoosiers’ final five games as they went 4-1. She warmed up beforehand Indiana’s win over Bellarmine University on Dec. 15 but did not go to court. After the game, Indiana head coach Teri Moren said there was talk Parrish would play, but the medical staff believed giving her another week would allow her to feel more comfortable.

Through the Hoosiers’ first five games of the season, Parrish averaged 32.8 minutes and 10.2 points per game. Before going out against Baylor, Parrish played 12 minutes and scored 5 points.

In Parrish’s absence, sophomore guard Julianna LaMendola was inserted into the starting lineup. But on Sunday, Parrish returned to the starting lineup.

With Parrish playing against Oakland — the Hoosiers’ last regular season out of conference competition — it allows her to get back into the groove of playing in a live game just a week before Indiana dives into its Big Ten slate on Dec. 28 vs. Wisconsin.