Pfeifer to change her number luck for 2006-07

FAYETTEVILLE – Normally, a player changing jersey numbers would cause no excitement. The circumstances of Sarah Pfeifer’s decision are far from usual. The fifth-year post player for the University of Arkansas announced this week that she will return for the 2006-07 season wearing the number 40, not her trademark 33 worn during her first four seasons with the Lady Razorbacks. Why? “I think 33 might be bad luck,” the industrial engineering major quipped. There could be something to Pfeifer’s statement as the 6-0 native Arkansan has averaged more than one surgery for each of her seasons with the Lady’Backs. In all, Pfeifer has endured five surgeries – three shoulder, one knee and one nose – yet remains the heart of the team and a two-time team captain. She was voted by the SEC coaches as the league’s Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2005 and was a preseason all-SEC pick before the 2005-06 season. She returns to the team after suffering a Red-White Game torn anterior cruciate ligament last October. In the previous 2004-05 season, Pfeifer came on at the end of the year to become Arkansas’ leading scorer and rebounder. She was coming off a season-ending shoulder surgery in the third game of the 2003-04 season. Pfeifer played her entire sophomore year with a shoulder injury that required off-season repair between the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. Her off-season rehab to get both shoulders into playing shape enhanced the misfortune of the torn knee at the start of the 2005-06 season. Her freshman season, Pfeifer had her first shoulder injury and an in-season arthroscopic shoulder surgery. She also suffered a broken nose which required plastic surgery after the 2002-03 season. The Lady Razorbacks return two starters in addition to Pfeifer for the 2006-07 season. They join a six-player rookie class led by juco Kodak All-American Lauren Ervin and WBCA High School All-American Tanisha Smith. Arkansas opens its 31st women’s basketball season in early November with a non-conference schedule that features a Thanksgiving weekend trip to Hawai’i to face some of the top teams in the country, including NCAA runner-up North Carolina, Texas Tech and UCLA. The Lady’Backs non-conference schedule is expected to be released in early July. For more information on Lady’Back basketball or tickets for the upcoming season, contact the Lady’Back ticket office at 877-LADYBACKS or 57-LBACK, or look on-line at LADYBACKS.COM.