UNC's Berry hopes to practice full court Friday

By Marilyn Payne

North Carolina came to Phoenix a day earlier in the week than it went to Houston last spring for the Final Four.

Head coach Roy Williams wanted Joel Berry to rehab and work toward better health on two sprained ankles in the team's final landing spot, rather than split the preparation between time zones.

The starting point guard rolled his right ankle in the team's NCAA Tournament first-round game, then did the same thing to the left ankle 10 days later. He returned to the March (date) game against Texas Southern, but didn't play much.

^{North Carolina's Joel Berry II reacts after being injured during the second half against Texas Southern.}

Sunday, he finished UNC's game against Kentucky and stressed his injury much more than the first, he said after his team clinched the 2017 Southern Regional Championship.

Berry did not practice Wednesday, practiced half court Thursday – in half court zone defense, working against Oregon's offense – and hopes to practice full court Friday at the Final Four.

Williams added up the minutes of each drill Berry participated in at the University of Phoenix Stadium practice. The point guard was on the court with his team for just 14 minutes of work, "and he subbed out some of that, so he didn't even break a sweat," Williams said.

"I was on the sideline running up and down trying to get the feeling back of going up and down the court," Berry said.

The junior, who averages 14.6 points per game in 36 games and 35 starts for the Tar Heels (31-7, 14-4 ACC) this season, said the long Tuesday evening flight "didn't help," his injuries, but is doing and did everything from cupping to getting in the pool to work his ankles in the water to rehabilitate before Saturday's game against Oregon (33-5, 13-2 Pac-12).

"I've been doing a lot of rehab, it's feeling a lot better than it was," Berry said. "Anything you can think of when it comes to recovery, that's what I've been doing.

"It's a lot and I get a little tired of it, but I want to be able to get back on the court so I'm doing whatever it takes. It's taking a lot of time, but that's what it takes."

Berry's bruising has gone away and he can run on his left ankle, he said Thursday, much better and with less pain than "a couple days ago."

"I'm very confident, even if I'm not 100 percent, I'm still playing," he said. "There's only two games left on the season, I'm not going to sit them out. I think when we get to Saturday, I should be close to 100 percent."

His left sprained ankle is most painful, because it's most recent, but right one still has lingering soreness.

Williams said that it was his own decision, in conjunction with team doctors, that Berry did not do any more at practice this week than he did. The Hall of Fame coach does not seem as firm that Berry will play as the player himself does.

Williams said that point guard Stilman White could be in defensive positions in place of Berry, if the regular starter "can't play," that would surprise some people against Oregon given the size of players.

Williams emphasized that if he doesn't see Berry practice full court, which he hadn't done by the end of the day Thursday, he won't play Saturday.

"He wanted to do more (Thursday)," Williams said. "I went up to him and said, 'Oh you're mad, huh? That's good.'"

"(Friday)'s a big day for me," Berry said.