Latvia point guard Elina Babkina will miss this summer’s Eurobasket Women qualifiers due to finishing rehab on her knee injury according to website sportacentrs.com.
Babkina, who turned 23 today, suffered the injury in mid-November during practice for club side Fenerbahce and was scheduled to be sidelined for six weeks.
However, despite successful surgery on the knee, she has decided to put her rehab as top priority above playing so that she can return better than ever.
It was a breakthrough year for the Latvian guard in 2011, she averaged 14.4 points a game plus 4.2 assists, leading her nation to an eighth place finish at the last Eurobasket Women in Poland.
The experienced point guard was selected in the third round of the 2011 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, but decided to stay in Europe as had to endure an injury-hit season with Fenerbahce.
Latvia are drawn in Group E of the Eurobasket Women Qualifying Round, as they are paired with Greece, Italy, Finlaand and Luxembourg.
