North Carolina Tar Heels college basketball team has lost their senior point guard Joel Berry II to an injury, not in the court but through a basketball video game.
The 22-year old Berry apparently broke his hand after punching a door and breaking his hand because of his frustration from losing a game of "NBA 2K18" to his friend and teammate Theo Pinson along with a manager.
"It was just a freak accident," said Pinson in an interview. The night after Berry punched the said door, he told Pinson that something was wrong with his hand, though Pinson assumed it was nothing until the next day came and Berry could not play.
"He did a silly thing, that's what it was. One of his greatest characteristics is his competitiveness," says North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams on the other hand. Williams suggested that Berry's penchant for competitiveness and victory had led him to commit the outburst after he lost the basketball video game session.
Williams stated that he did not know how long Berry would be out of the games and practices due to his injury. Initial speculations point that it could take as much as four weeks for Berry's hand to completely heal in shape for physical activity. This was unfortunate for the Tar Heels, as their next upcoming game is on the regular season on Nov. 10 in Chapel Hill against Northern Iowa.
The team had to adjust practicing without Berry, and his friend Pinson had to replace his position in two of the team's practice sessions. Whether Berry's absence in the game and practice will make or break the team in the regular season remains to be seen. This is because Berry is a standout player for the Tar Heels, averaging 14.7 points last season and scoring 22 points to lead all scorers in University of North Carolina's (UNC's) national title victory over Gonzaga.
Still, with William's prognosis on Berry's condition, the only thing he might miss is the season's opener.
