The excitement surrounding Oklahoma’s season opener has been overshadowed by heartbreaking news. Just days before the Sooners officially begin their 2026-27 campaign, they have been dealt a setback that will keep one of their promising young guards off the court for the entire season.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Sophomore guard Keeley Parks suffered a non-contact knee injury during a team practice last week. Just hours ahead of their season-opening tip-off against North Carolina in Paris, the Sooners announced that Parks will undergo knee surgery, which will sideline her for the rest of the season.
“We’re heartbroken for Keeley,” head coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “She worked so hard this offseason to get ready for the year, and it’s devastating to see her season end before it begins. Our focus is on supporting her in every way possible throughout her recovery.”
The specific details of the incident that led to Parks’ injury have not been fully disclosed. However, as coach Baranczyk made clear, the injury is a serious one. Parks, who was already with the team in Paris for the opener, will travel back with the team and then undergo the operation.
Keeley Parks, a highly touted local star from Norman, Oklahoma, and a former five-star recruit, transferred to the Sooners this past offseason after spending her freshman year with the Kansas Jayhawks. At Kansas, she showed flashes of her potential as a valuable perimeter piece, playing a balanced role off the bench and as a spot starter. She averaged 5.1 points in 16.8 minutes per game and shot 33.9 percent from three, ranking fifth on the team in threes made.
That, along with the talent she has shown at the high school level, was enough for Baranczyk and the Sooners to pursue her aggressively in the transfer portal. In fact, bringing her home was considered a major in-state victory for the program.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Keeley back home to Norman,” Baranczyk said following the transfer. “She’s one of the top players to come out of this state and brings a special level of talent and competitiveness. She’s a perfect fit for our program on and off the court, and I know Sooner Nation is going to love everything she brings to Oklahoma.”
Now Baranczyk and the Sooners will have to wait until next season to see Keeley Parks on the floor again. She did not even get to play in the lone exhibition game Oklahoma played before the opener.
It will definitely be a devastating blow for Parks, but coach Baranczyk is confident in how she will respond.
“Keeley is a competitor, and we know she’ll approach this with the same determination and toughness she brings to the court every day. Our entire program is behind her, and we look forward to having her back on the floor,” Baranczyk said.
Oklahoma now takes on No. 12 North Carolina in the season opener, the first of many games this season they will play without Keeley Parks. Hopefully her surgery and recovery go smoothly, and she returns as if she never left, just as Leah Macy did at Notre Dame.
Notre Dame’s Leah Macy Makes Triumphant Return From Season-Long Injury With Double-Double Performance
In Leah Macy’s case, she picked up an injury even before she got the chance to officially join the Fighting Irish as a freshman. She also suffered a severe knee injury, but hers occurred during the final game of her high school career.
The multi-ligament injury required major surgery, meaning she arrived on campus in South Bend already in the middle of a lengthy rehabilitation process. Ultimately, Macy sat out and redshirted her entire initial freshman season, the 2025-26 campaign.
The good news, however, is that Macy is back this season as if she never left. In her first preseason game back, she nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 22 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, and four steals, just one assist shy of the feat.
And in her first official game back, Notre Dame’s opener against the Villanova Wildcats, she recorded another double-double, with 27 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Irish to a 99-75 victory. Hopefully Keeley Parks’ recovery turns out just like this, or even better.