Saturday, March 24, 2012

UNC point guard Kendall Marshall speaks on his injury, playing status

ST. LOUIS - Kendall Marshall doesn't know if he might play on Sunday (5:05 p.m., CBS) when North Carolina plays Kansas in the NCAA tournament Midwest regional semifinals. Marshall is hopeful, of course, but he said earlier Saturday that he wouldn't play if UNC had a game Saturday.

Marshall suffered a broken bone in his right wrist six days ago during the Tar Heels' victory against Creighton. Here's what Marshall had to say, in his own words, on a variety of topics:

-on if he did anything basketball-related in practice on Saturday:
"Yes, I did. I didn't go through any contact things. I went through a lot of the walk-through stuff. And shooting drills, things like that. And thankfully, because of my off hand, my jump shot's almost better - because I have to really focus on my form and stuff. But it didn't feel too bad. Obviously there's going to be pain. But we'll see [Sunday]."

-on how much range of motion he has:
"Well the brace that we have - it does a great job of not letting me go too far. So that's helped out a lot. The range of motion is getting gradually better every day. And that's a positive sign, not just for the game, but just getting healthy in general that I feel like there's been a tremendous improvement every 24 hours."

-on if he thinks he'll play Sunday:
"I don't know. We'll see [Sunday]. See how I feel after shoot-around."

-on how difficult it'd be for him to sit and watch again:
"I don't know if I can go through that again. You know last night after the game I couldn't sleep. I'm sitting here thinking about game plans. I'm like, what's wrong with me? I still play on the team. If it comes down that I feel like I'm not able to help my team and the best thing for me is to be in a suit,  then that's what it will be and I'll still try to contribute the best way that I can."

-on if he could play right now:
"As of right now, it's still the same thing as yesterday. You know, I'm not playing. But if I do to continue to feel better, you know, there's no telling. I could be out there playing."

-on if he has been fitted for another wrist brace:
"I did. This morning I got put in the brace that I would be playing in and it's a little more sturdy. Like I said, it really holds my wrist into place and doesn't bend it. So that's definitely a positive."

-on what basketball-related skill causes him the most difficulty with his wrist injury:
"The toughest thing is actually passing the ball, which sucks. But the passing and the catching is a little tough. But I feel like I did a good job today [Saturday]. You know, I really told the managers and my teammates, 'Don't hold back. You know, throw it the way you would do in a game.' And I felt like I responded well. But it still hurts. It's still painful. So we'll see."

-on if he could play in the Final Four if UNC advanced:
"I'm sure with a week's rest, if we have a win [Sunday], a week's rest would be great. And I feel like I'm almost positive that I'd be able to play in a week. But we're just focused on [Sunday] right now."

-on what his parents have told  him:
"My parents told me, you know, nobody knows how my wrist feels but me. And they want me to do what's best for me. And not just what's best for the team or what's best for my hand, but what's best for my health. And the last thing they want me to do is injure it."

-on how the UNC offense looked without him:
"It was a little tough. You know, it's obviously a different look. My team is accustomed to me being out there, you know, 35 minutes a game. So it's hard to make that adjustment. The biggest positive you  can take out of that is that they did find a way to win. They did find a way to hit big shots. And I think that was great for us, that no matter what's been thrown at us to still find a way to win that game, I'm proud of them."

-on watching the struggles and how it affects his decision to want to come back:
"No. I really try to separate the two. Because I want to do what's best for my health. But at the same time, I do have a competitive edge. I want to be able to be out there and play, you know. And any of these games could be the last game of our season. And it was tough to watch, because that is my team. That is who I want to fight with every night. But I'm extremely proud that they still found a way to win."
'
-on how Kansas players want him to play:
"That's all competitors, you know. You don't want to - that's like kicking a wounded soldier. You know, you don't want to do that. You want to see them when they're at full strength. And I'm looking forward to competing. I see a player like Tyshawn in front of me and you want to compete against him. You know, you want to compete against the best ... but at the end of the day, I still have to do what's best for me."

- Andrew Carter

1 comments:

price per head said...

well according to some sports blogs I have read, Kendall Marshall is going to be transferred to a big club for a considerable amount of money and a couple of players