One of the biggest stories of the week in NCAA Basketball was the season-ending ACL tear for Kentucky forward Nerlens Noel. The suburban Mass. native was supposedly going to be yet another John Calipari one-and-done freshman player en route to becoming a high first-round draft pick this coming off-season. Many media outlets still have him pegged as a high pick the New York Times reports, but his injury puts a damper on what had been an impressive season for the future NBA player.
The defending champ Kentucky Wildcats put together a nucleus of bright young talent before last season's title run through March Madness and the Final Four, headlined by Anthony Davis, whom many people know not only for his talent but his protruding unibrow. Noel wasn't literally in the same class as the now-New Orleans Hornets player, but may one day match him in his ability (and might challenge his style as well with a hi-top hairstyle.
Noel had five double-doubles this season, with three of them coming in his most recent full games. He had eight points, six rebounds and three blocks in the 69-52 loss against Florida, with one block costing him the season. It was on his last block that he landed awkwardly on his left leg, tearing his ACL. Noel is known through the basketball world as a 100 percent effort kind of player, so as Florida head coach Billy Donovan noticed in this Sports Illustrated story, it was especially tragic to see Noel go down in that way.
Noel's best game of the season came earlier this month, when the Wildcats defeated the Texas A&M Aggies 72-68 in overtime on the road on February 2. He made seven of his ten shots, scored 19 points, corralled 14 rebounds, blocked two shots and committed only one turnover.
Nerlens' front court presence could help a bevy of teams in the league. There are currently five teams that have lost more than two-thirds of their games, all of which lack depth down low. Noel may not go as one of the first handful of picks in the draft after his injury, but he should still help one of the teams in the lottery in the future.
We reported on Noel's injury earlier this week, with the story including his plans to return, a video of his injury and more.
You can follow Nerlens Noel on Twitter @NerlensNoel3.
Nerlens Noel's bio and stats are here.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
