His North Carolina squad is holding a coveted No. 1 NCAA tournament seed, but coach Roy Williams isn’t completely comfortable. At least not with his starting forward and ACC Defensive Player of the Year’s health in the balance.
Against Maryland in the ACC tournament, John Henson injured his wrist and couldn’t play for the rest of the weekend.
Williams said the swelling has since gone down, but added that he probably won’t make a decision about Henson’s status for Friday’s NCAA tournament opener until Thursday morning at the earliest.
On the way to its 85-82 win against UNC in the championship game Sunday, Florida State took advantage of his absence by scoring especially well from inside.
The Tar Heels blocked just one shot in Sunday’s game, while Henson alone averages an ACC-high 2.9 blocks per game. The 6-foot-11 forward also leads the conference in rebounding, grabbing an average of 10.1 per contest.
There’s no doubt his teammates want him back on the court.
But for now, Henson’s keeping his head held high, while the rest of the Tar Heels patiently wait.
“Whether he’s hurt, whether he’s healthy, John’s attitude never wavers,” Kendall Marshall said. “You’re always going to see him with a smile on his face.”
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