AURORA | The Regis Jesuit girls basketball team will be without leading scorer and team captain TaeKenya Cleveland indefinitely after the senior forward was involved in a serious car accident Tuesday afternoon.
Raiders coach Carl Mattei said Cleveland was heading northbound on Parker Road following a team practice and dinner around 5:30 p.m. when a car traveling more than 60 miles per hour struck her Honda CRV from behind as she sat at a stoplight near the intersection of Parker and Orchard Road.
Though Cleveland’s car was mangled by the impact and subsequent impact with another car, she was able to get out of the vehicle. Cleveland suffered a concussion, but Mattei said a variety of scans thankfully revealed no broken bones or damage to her internal organs.
“She’s eating, talking and laughing and she has no broken bones, so she’s recovering,” a relieved Mattei said Wednesday. “Hopefully we can rally around this.”
Cleveland is currently recovering at Parker Adventist Hospital. She is “sore” and has some scrapes and bruises according to Mattei.
Regis Jesuit (8-4), which just returned from playing two games at the Great Rivers Shootout in St. Louis, plays host to Heritage at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Cleveland became Regis Jesuit’s 32nd Division I girls basketball signee when she inked a national athletic letter of intent with American University in November.
An All-City first team performer last season, Cleveland averaged 12.2 points per game (tops on the team) and 5.7 rebounds per game (second on the team) through the Raiders’ first 10 games.
Aside from Cleveland, Mattei said the team is at full strength after some injured players and transfers have been cleared. Sophomore Olivia Ayers, a transfer from Cherry Creek, could get more playing time in Cleveland’s absence.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
