UNC's Berry continues Heels' unfortunate tradition of injured point guards
Posted March 30, 2017 3:32 p.m. EDT
Updated March 30, 2017 7:59 p.m. EDT
It's late March. The University of North Carolina is making a deep NCAA Tournament run, and its starting point guard is hurt.
In other words, it's business as usual.
Joel Berry's two injured ankles are the recent examples of a long-running theme with UNC basketball, questions all too familiar for Tar Heel teams: Will your point guard be able to play?
Kendall Marshall's wrist injury in 2012 is likely the injury most UNC fans will recall first. Creighton's Ethan Wragge may never be welcome in Chapel Hill after his hard foul led to Marshall's absence from the rest of the tournament. Stillman White became a folk hero, but a loaded UNC team exited in the Elite Eight.
Speaking of folk heroes, Ty Lawson's big toe became a celebrity all to itself in 2009 - and sales of Epsom salts took a dive. Lawson's self-remedy nearly derailed a title run, and his status game-to-game was big news for the entire tournament.
Derrick Phelps' status was in question at the start of the 1993 title run. Phelps entered the NCAA's with a bruised sacrum, a triangular bone at the base of the spine. He recovered, and helped cut down the nets in New Orleans.
Phil Ford was National Player of the Year in 1977, and led his team to the NCAA Final despite a hyper extended elbow before the Tar Heels lost to Marquette.
And then, there's Kenny Smith. His 1984 injury came earlier in the season - LSU's John Tudor was at least as unpopular as Creighton's Wragge - and Smith had rejoined the lineup by the time the NCAA's tipped off. But a juggernaut of a team suddenly faltered - after adjusting to a different style with Smith absent, now they found themselves re-adjusting to Smith's return, and they lost to Indiana in the Sweet Sixteen. Duke's 2011 team had a similar issue with Kyrie Irving's return in 2011.
Phelps' injury and Lawson's did not derail their teams' title hopes, but the Marshall, Ford and Smith injuries led to generations asking "What if's" about their teams.For what it's worth, I'll be shocked if Berry doesn't play - or play well - against Oregon this weekend. But it does bring back memories of years gone past.
