Wildcats' Divjak forced to spend season on bench after explosive finish last year

By DONNIE COLLINS
Collegian Staff Writer

Less than one year ago, Kristina Divjak was at her best.

It was Feb. 28, 1998, and the Penn State women's basketball team had a seemingly easy game against Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. And although the final score, a 97-76 win for the Lady Lions, would indicate a blowout, Divjak refused to let her squad go down without a fight.

The talented forward, who led her team and the Big Ten in scoring during her junior season at just more than 22 points per game, finished the season with her best performance. Divjak scored 35 points -- a plateau the scoring machine had never before attained in her illustrious career -- including five 3-pointers. She also grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists.

But for Divjak, that day seems like an eternity ago.

For the preseason All-American selection, who has averaged almost 17 points per game throughout her tenure with the Wildcats, this season was supposed to be the glorious end to an even more glorious career.

Four games into the season, however, that all changed.

Instead of going into the record books for her scoring prowess, Divjak decided to go under the knife.

Divjak underwent surgery in December for a condition in her left knee known as lateral patella compression syndrome. Basically, Divjak was born with a slightly titled kneecap, which caused the bones in her knee to grind against each other whenever the joint was flexed.

In obvious pain, Divjak had enough. She decided to sit out the remainder of this season and hoped she would be granted a redshirt to play next season.

"It was a tough decision. I could have played through the year -- playing in pain, pretty much," Divjak admitted. "When it was made, it was more of a relief, but at the same time it was really difficult."

Divjak's absence has been difficult on her. With Divjak in the lineup, the Wildcats were averaging a respectable 73 points per game.

Without its star forward, Northwestern has struggled to a 6-8 record, including a 2-6 mark in the Big Ten, and has averaged more than five points per game less than it did with Divjak.

Even though the Wildcats miss Divjak's presence on the court, she still makes every attempt to be a leader from the bench.

A fixture on the bench during Wildcat home games, Divjak drove to Purdue and traveled with the team to Wisconsin.

If she can't help the squad with her trademark 3-point shot, Divjak insists on guiding her teammates with her leadership.

"I'm at every home game," she said. "I'm still a co-captain. I still have responsibilities on this team."

Penn State coach Rene Portland, whose Lady Lions face Divjak's Wildcats at 7:30 tonight at The Bryce Jordan Center, remembers Divjak's efforts in the Big Ten tourney last year clearly.

She also knows Divjak's pain this season may turn into anguish for her opponents next season.

"I have to go up against her next year, so I would rather get it over with this year," Portland said. "We were hurt for her that she was injured. But it just prolongs the suffering for us."