Texas guard Rori Harmon regains a year of eligibility after knee injury

Texas' hardship waiver for star point guard Rori Harmon has been approved by the NCAA, essentially giving her two seasons of eligibility left, UT announced Thursday.

The Texas women's basketball program said the waiver means Harmon can treat the 2023-24 season like a redshirt year, so instead of being viewed as a senior heading into her final season, she can play two seasons.

"I’m grateful to the NCAA for approving the medical hardship waiver and giving me the option to have an additional year at Texas,” Harmon said in a statement released by UT. "I want to thank The University of Texas compliance office for their assistance on my behalf. The last eight months have been difficult, but I have had the best support system with my teammates, coaches and Texas administration to get me through it. My family has been instrumental and supportive throughout the entire process and I love them so much. I’m blessed to be able to play the game I love and I don’t take that for granted. I’m excited to be back on the court with my teammates as we get ready for the upcoming season."

Harmon tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee last season just ahead of the Longhorns' game against Jackson State on Dec. 27. She ended up playing in 12 of UT's 38 games, so a waiver was needed for her to redshirt. Texas forward Aaliyah Moore, who signed alongside Harmon during the same recruiting cycle in 2021, had a similar waiver approved after a knee injury sidelined her for 27 games during UT's 2022-23 season.

In 79 career games, Harmon has averaged 11.7 points and 6.3 assists. The Houston native's 501 career assists rank fifth in the UT record books.

Thursday's news sets Texas up nicely for the future as Harmon and Moore should be surrounded by plenty of talent over the next two years.

Forward Madison Booker, an Associated Press second-team All-American last season as she filled in for Harmon at point guard, is entering her sophomore season. The Longhorns signed two top-20 recruits, Jordan Lee and Justice Carlton, in the most recent recruiting cycle, and 2025 prospect Aaliyah Crump is poised to become UT's highest-ranked signee of the Vic Schaefer era .

Texas is also among the final schools being considered by Aaliyah Chavez , the top-rated recruit in 2025.

Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer .

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas guard Rori Harmon regains a year of eligibility after knee injury