Thu Apr 3 18:18:36 2008

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Tennessee's Parker cleared to play in Final Four

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Knoxville, TN (Sports Network) - Tennessee star Candace Parker has been cleared to play in the Final Four, despite suffering a shoulder dislocation in the Lady Volunteers' win over Texas A&M in the Oklahoma City Regional final on Tuesday.

"Following further evaluation and consultation with Dr. Greg Mathien and Dr. Matt Rappe, Candace was found to have a non-traumatic shoulder dislocation," said Jenny Moshak, Tennessee's assistant athletics director for sports medicine. "She has very good range of motion and very good strength. She has been cleared to play and will wear a shoulder brace. Rehabilitation will continue."

Parker, a junior, has already said she will leave school after this season and head to the WNBA. The 6-foot-4 star dislocated her left shoulder early in the first half on Tuesday.

Parker has won a number of awards in her career at Tennessee. Just last season she was named to four separate All-American teams, named the NCAA Final Four MVP, and named the John R. Wooden Player of the Year. The Lady Vols (34-2) face SEC rival LSU (31-5) in a national semifinal on Sunday night.