Injury Bug Bites State Again ... Times Two
Just when the NC State basketball finally got everyone back, the injury bug has struck again.
This time it got Manny Bates. And Pat Andree.
Both players were knocked from the Wolfpack's 60-54 win against Clemson at PNC Arena on Saturday, throwing into doubt their availability for Monday's quick turnaround game at Virginia.
Bates was the first to go down after taking a direct blow to the neck while attempting to prevent Clemson's Aamir Simms from getting to the basket midway through the first half.
The 6-foot-11 redshirt freshman fell to the floor and immediately grabbed for his neck after the contact and remained down while trainers and team doctors attended to him. He eventually sat up and was taken directly to the locker room for observation and further treatment.
Andree, a 6-7 graduate forward, suffered an injury to his right ankle late in the game when he stepped on another player's foot while battling for a rebound under the Tigers' basket.
“I don’t have an update on either of them yet because I went straight to radio," Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said immediately after the game. "I have never had a situation like this with this many injuries and players consistently being hurt. I am hopeful for both Bates and Andree and don’t want to assume anything."
From sound of things, Bates stands the better chance of making a quick return.
"I decided to hold Manny out after he got injured because I thought we had a good handle on the game," Keatts said. "So I wanted to air on the side of caution."
Andree, meanwhile, left PNC Arena after the game on crutches, wearing a walking boot.
Although the injury was a painful one -- he could be heard screaming from the bench before he was taken back to the locker room -- Andree said that x-rays taken after the game showed no break.
This was only the second game since C.J. Bryce suffered a concussion on Dec. 29 and only the third ACC game overall that the Wolfpack was playing with all nine of its scholarship players in uniform.
If there's one positive to the situation, it's that State has experience playing shorthanded should it be forced to do so again
"It could be tough, but I believe in all these guys," junior guard Braxton Beverly said. "The work we're putting in right now, the way everybody's been playing, we'll be fine."
Bates is averaging 5.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while ranking among the ACC leaders in blocked shots at 3.1 per game. He had two points in just under six minutes of action before his injury Saturday.
Andree, who had two points and three rebounds in 16 1/2 minutes, is averging 6.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for the season.
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