Louisville guard Kevin Ware had successful surgery on his broken right leg Sunday night.
Now his teammates and coaches are waiting to find out when the sophomore will return to campus Tuesday and whether he can travel with them later this week to the Final Four in Atlanta.
Ware sustained a horrifying fracture in the first half of Sunday’s Midwest Regional final when he landed awkwardly after trying to contest a 3-point shot, breaking his leg in two places. He was taken off the court on a stretcher as his stunned teammates openly wept.
A few hours later, his coach showed up at the hospital with a gift: The regional championship trophy.
“He was groggy, in good spirits. He saw us win the trophy and was crying and said it was all worthwhile,” coach Rick Pitino told The Associated Press. “We didn’t cut down the net, but I left him the trophy.”
Pitino said he and his son Richard, who recruited Ware, and an equipment manager would spend the night in Indy, along with the team’s doctors.
School officials said doctors reset the bone and inserted a rod into the tibia during the two-hour procedure.
Ware has played a key role in the Cardinals’ second straight Final Four run, scoring 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting in 25 minutes in the regional semifinal win over Oregon, and on Sunday he was the primary motivator. Before leaving the court, he called his teammates over to prod them to win the game and not worry about him, a message he continued to express at halftime. And he was eager to return to Atlanta, where he played high school basketball.
For television viewers, it was a gruesome sight that prompted many to express their sentiments on social media sites. CBS even stopped showing the replay, which was not seen inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
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article courtesy of TheGrio.com
The Louisville Cardinals defeated the Duke Blue Devils, 85-63, to win the NCAA Midwest Regional trophy for injured teammate Kevin Ware. And, shortly thereafter, Ware got his hands on the prize himself.
Also Sunday night, Louisville stated that surgery on Ware’s leg was a success. Experts do not expect the injury to be career-ending, but the sophomore guard faces a long recovery period.
Louisville faces Wichita State in the national semifinal in Atlanta.
courtesy of usatoday.com
UPDATE: 11:45 AM EST
Louisville rep Kenny Klein tweeted the following photo of Kevin Ware on crutches with the caption “Louisville G Kevin Ware up and moving on crutches today after surgery to repair a broken leg yesterday
