The father of North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall said yesterday his son is recovering from surgery on his broken right wrist and it’s unclear if he’ll return for the NCAA Tournament regional games in St. Louis.
Dennis Marshall said the procedure done in Chapel Hill, N.C., to insert a screw into his son’s wrist lasted about 35 minutes. He said when Kendall plays again would be based on “what would be best for Kendall in the long term” and that he didn’t know whether the sophomore would be ready to play in the round of 16 against Ohio on Friday.
“I don’t know ... how he’ll feel four days from now,” Dennis Marshall said. “We just don’t know.
“Is it impossible he plays this weekend? No, it’s not. Is it likely he plays next weekend? It definitely is. It’s something we just don’t know.”
The school also said Marshall’s status was unclear for Friday’s game in an update. The Tar Heels (31-5) are the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional.
COMPLETE NCAA COVERAGE
TOURNAMENT BRACKET
VIDEO: COACH, PLAYER REACTIONS
The left-handed point guard fractured the scaphoid bone — located near the thumb — when he was fouled driving to the basket during the second half of Sunday’s win against Creighton at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Marshall popped right up, then came out of the media timeout and hit 1 of 2 free throws. He left briefly, then returned again and played about seven minutes before leaving the game late with the victory secured.
Marshall has been the Tar Heels’ most irreplaceable player, leading the fast-paced offense with his see-everything court vision and perfect pitch-ahead passes in transition.
The Tar Heels lost No. 2 ballhandler Dexter Strickland to a season-ending knee injury in January. If Marshall can’t go, the job would fall to freshman Stilman White and versatile senior Justin Watts.
Dennis Marshall, Kendall Marshall, NCAA Tournament, Tar Heels, Kendall
No comments:
Post a Comment