Earlier this week North Carolina announced point guard Joel Berry II, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 Final Four and veteran leader of the reigning national champion Tar Heels, broke his right hand. Now we know how the injury happened.
North Carolina coach Roy Williams said on Wednesday at ACC Media Day that Berry hurt himself by punching a door following a loss in a video game to teammate Theo Pinson and a manager last week.
"He did a silly thing," Williams told ESPN. "That's what it was. One of his greatest characteristics is his competitiveness."
Earlier this week, UNC announced Berry had suffered a broken hand, although details at the time regarding how he sustained the injury were unclear. Williams says there is no specific timetable for his return; however the initial prognosis was approximately one month – which would put his return to the floor roughly two weeks after the start of the regular season.
Berry averaged 14.7 points and 3.6 assists per game last season and led the Tar Heels' charge to the national championship, which culminated with a 22-point outburst on a bum ankle in the title game over Gonzaga.
With Berry sidelined for what will likely be through November, point guard duties might be handled on a committee basis, with sophomore Seventh Woods and freshman Jalek Felton likely to split the lion's share of the work.
