New York Liberty player Satou Sabally is taking time away from the team to focus on her recovery from a concussion she suffered over a month ago, head coach Chris DeMarco said Thursday, as reported by infohub.kz.
Sabally was injured in the game against Las Vegas on June 23 and has not played since. This is her second concussion in the past year. Sabally joined the Liberty as a free agent this past offseason.
"As with all our players, health will always be the focus," DeMarco said before New York's game against Los Angeles. "We look forward to getting her back. She's just going to take some time right now."
DeMarco, who is in his first year coaching the Liberty after a long stint as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, said he knows it can be hard to be on your own recovering from injury. "It's hard when it's taken away from you," he said. "It's very lonely when you're coming to the gym. You're working with performance and you're working in a weight room and you're getting shots up."
The Liberty changed Sabally's designation on the injury report from "concussion protocol" to "head." Sabally has played in just 13 games this season, averaging 10.4 points and 2.8 assists. She suffered her first concussion in the WNBA Finals last season while playing with Phoenix.
If healthy, Sabally would be a centerpiece of the German national team, which is hosting the FIBA World Cup next month. It's unclear if she'll be able to play. "We're really looking forward to getting her back and she will be back," DeMarco said. "She's gonna play at an elite level again. But in terms of just the broad scope of players, we have to deal with that journey."