Kendall Marshall in 'Good Spirits' After Wrist Surgery
On Monday, North Carolina sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall underwent surgery to insert screws into his broken right wrist, but his playing status remains unknown, according to a statement released by the university.
Marshall suffered a fractured scaphoid bone in his non-shooting right wrist during the Tar Heels' 87-73 win over Creighton on Sunday in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
North Carolina advanced to the Midwest regional semifinals in St. Louis, where the top-seeded Tar Heels will play Ohio on Friday night.
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The looming question is whether or not one of the best players in the country will play anymore in this year's tournament.
The university described Marshall's surgery as "successful." Dennis Marshall, Kendall's father, wrote in a text message to The News & Observer that his son was staying positive.
"Surgery went well," Dennis Marshall texted. "KM in good spirits. Expect full recovery."
Marshall underwent surgery on Monday morning at a UNC Hospital, where Dr. Don Bynum inserted a screw to stabilize the fracture, according to ESPN.
Marshall was injured in the second half when a he drove to the hoop and was fouled hard by Ethan Wragge. Marshall knew immediately that something was wrong.
"I felt the pain, but I didn't want to make a big deal of it,'' he said. "I just wanted us to get the win," he told ESPN.
Marshall is widely considered to be one of the best players on the Tar Heels' roster as well as one of the best in the nation. During Sunday's game he scored 18 points and had 11 assists in 36 minutes of playing time.
On a radio program, Coach Roy Williams was less than optimistic regarding the likelihood that Marshall will play on Friday. "My guess is - purely a guess - that he will not play. But as I said, we're uncertain."
