UNC’s Joel Berry receives treatment, rest for sprained ankles

If North Carolina had a game to play on Tuesday, Roy Williams said, then he didn’t think Joel Berry, the junior point guard, would be able to play.

“But the good news,” Williams said, “is we don’t have to play today.”

The Tar Heels do have to play on Saturday, in a national semifinal against Oregon in the Final Four in Glendale, Ariz. Between now and then, Berry’s ankles are likely to be the most talked-about body parts in college basketball.

He sprained his right one twice this season, once during a victory against Radford in early December, and then again during UNC’s first-round victory against Texas Southern on March 17. Berry played through that sprain, but re-aggravated it in practice before the victory against Kentucky on Sunday.

Early in that game against Kentucky, he sprained his left ankle when he planted his foot on an unsuccessful layup attempt. Berry rose slowly, limped off the court, went back into the locker room for treatment and then returned to the game about four minutes later. He played 33 minutes against the Wildcats.

Afterward he said he was in “a lot of pain right now.” Even so, he predicted that he’d be “good to go” for the Final Four. To ensure that happens, he’s receiving treatment and rest. Williams said on Tuesday he wouldn’t have Berry “doing one thing” in practice later in the day.

The Tar Heels are traveling to Arizona on Tuesday, one day earlier than they might ordinarily go. Part of the reason, Williams said, is so that Berry would have more time to recover from the flight, and the swelling that might come with it.

Berry’s ankles, Williams said, “probably won’t feel any better when he gets there.”

UNC’s hope is that they begin to feel better by the end of the week. UNC fans might find it difficult to ignore parallels between Berry and other UNC point guards whose injuries affected the Tar Heels in the postseason.

In 2009, Ty Lawson missed the ACC tournament with a toe injury, and also missed UNC’s NCAA tournament first-round victory against Radford. He returned in the second round and helped lead UNC to a victory against LSU and, eventually, the national championship.

In 2012, the Tar Heels’ national championship hopes faded when Kendall Marshall suffered a broken wrist during a second-round victory against Creighton. Without Marshall, UNC’s season ended with a loss against Kansas in the South Regional championship game.

Asked on Tuesday if he felt a sense of deja vu, Williams said he did not.

“Can’t worry about all that junk,” Williams said.

To this point, Berry, UNC’s second-leading scorer, has managed to play through the pain and discomfort of his injuries. He scored 11 points against Kentucky, and the Tar Heels especially needed his running jump shot, off the backboard, with a little less than two minutes remaining.

“He’s obviously a little down,” Justin Jackson, the junior forward, said on Tuesday, describing Berry’s spirits while he attempts to recover. “But I think we all know that he’s going to do whatever he possibly can to give him a chance to get out there.”

This story was originally published March 28, 2017 at 6:04 PM with the headline "UNC’s Joel Berry receives treatment, rest for sprained ankles."