Guard Kevin Ware was badly injured during the first half of the Midwest Regional final between Duke and Louisville this afternoon.
Ware was carried off the court on a stretcher then taken from the stadium in an ambulance. Details about Ware’s injury aren’t available yet but some are reporting that he suffered a compound fracture on his lower right leg . Other sources simply stated that Ware’s “bone snapped.”
After the injury, Ware’s teammates and Coach Rick Pitino fought to hold back tears. Ware eventually called his team over to give them a message before he was carted away off the court.
Ware’s injury occurred with about 6 minutes left in the first half of the game. Duke’s Tyler Thornton pulled up for a three and Ware jumped up to contest. The sophomore guard’s leg buckled when he landed and Ware was unable to get back up.
Kenny Smith said: “My thoughts and prayers go out to that young man. As a father, you just hate to see something like that happen to a young man.”
Here’s a video of the injury. (Warning: The video contains some graphic footage.)
Several basketball fans took to Twitter to send their thoughts to Kevin Ware. #PrayForWare quickly became a trending topic as athletes, fans, and reporters sent the Louisville Guard well-wishes.
Watching Duke/ Louisville my heart goes out to Kevin Ware.
— Joe Theismann (@Theismann7) March 31, 2013
Our thoughts go out to Louisville’s Kevin Ware. Hate to see that happen to any athlete. Here’s to a speedy recovery.
— ESPN (@espn) March 31, 2013
Prayers go out to KEVIN WARE and his family!!! Heal quickly!
— Kenny Smith (@TheJetOnTNT) March 31, 2013
