Hubert Davis on Wilson’s season-ending injury: ‘Tremendous sadness for him’

DURHAM — North Carolina star Caleb Wilson’s season is over — and likely his career at North Carolina — without some of the signature games that often define UNC star players’ careers. 

Playing Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Playing in the ACC Tournament. Playing in the NCAA Tournament.

“There’s tremendous sadness for him,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said after the Tar Heels’ 76-61 loss at No. 1 Duke on Saturday. “He’s a special player, but just how remarkable of a kid and a teammate he is and the passion that he has for his teammates, for North Carolina, for being on the floor, for playing in games like this. It was a dream for him to play in the ACC and NCAA tournaments, and my heart is broken that he won’t be able to do that.”

Wilson, a 6-foot-10 freshman forward who leads the Tar Heels in scoring (19.8 points per game) and rebounding (9.4 rebounds per game), broke his right thumb while dunking Thursday in practice during a non-contact drill. He finished practice, but pain in the thumb led him to get testing done Friday when the injury was discovered. He was working his way back into the lineup after suffering a fracture in his left hand during UNC’s game at Miami on Feb. 10 and there was a chance for him to suit up against the Blue Devils.

Wilson is likely to be a first-team All-ACC selection even after missing the final seven games of the regular season. It’s possible he can earn All-America honors, too. A second-team All-America selection would be enough to get his jersey into the Smith Center rafters.

Wilson is expected to be a top pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, potentially in the top five. He could, of course, return to UNC. But even in the current name, image and likeness era, where players can earn millions, such a scenario seems unrealistic, to say he least.

Wilson’s enthusiasm for the Tar Heels was never in question. And he won a devoted following in just 24 games. Wilson did giveaways in the Pit, a gathering space in the middle of campus. He went on stage during an on-campus Ludacris concert before he’d ever played a single game. He personally engineered a whiteout for UNC’s game against Kansas, upending the school’s previous plan.

“He connects with people,” Davis said earlier this year. “When he steps on the court, obviously, you can see his game. But when he steps in the room, you can feel his personality. His personality lights up a room as soon as you get in it.”