Duke's Rodney Hood injured the Achilles tendon in his right leg during Wednesday night's practice with USA Basketball and left the gym on crutches, according to Andy Glockner, who was in Colorado Springs, Colo., covering the event for SI.com.
The extent of the injury remains undetermined. But a source told CBSSports.com on Thursday that early indications have left those close to Hood optimistic. In other words, when Lakers star Kobe Bryant injured his Achilles tendon everybody immediately knew it was bad. That's simply not the case here, meaning the hope is this is more of a minor strain than a possible season-ending setback.
Hood missed all of last season after transferring from Mississippi State.
He is expected to be a key player for a team ranked in the preseason top 10.
