NC State star Terquavion Smith, a projected first-round NBA draft pick, was taken to a hospital after being stretchered off the court following a scary fall in the second half of an 80-69 loss to North Carolina on Saturday.
Smith suffered elbow and neck injuries, the school said, and he did not return to the game. NC State coach Kevin Keatts told reporters after the game that Smith had been taken to a hospital, but didn’t have any other updates.
“Our thoughts and prayers right now are with Terquavion,” Keatts said. “It’s a very emotional situation for me right now. … My prayers and my thoughts always go to my players in these types of moments.”
With 9:45 left in the second half, Smith landed on his back after a hard foul by the Tar Heels’ Leaky Black. Smith was driving to the rim and Black missed the ball before committing the foul.
Black was assessed a flagrant foul 2 and ejected from the game.
Smith remained on the floor for several minutes as trainers attended to him before a stretcher was rolled out.
“My hope and my prayers are that [Smith] is not hurt,” UNC coach Hubert Davis told reporters after the game. “He’s an unbelievable kid and player. You never want to see anyone hurt and injured. He’s a fantastic player.”
In a tweet on saturday nightSmith wrote: “I am fine appreciate all the prayers and concern.”
A 6-foot-4 guard, Smith is no. 21 in ESPN’s NBA draft rankings. He leads the ACC in scoring (19.1 PPG) and is fourth in assists (4.7). He had scored 12 points Saturday prior to the injury.
Keatts said he believes his players handled the situation well after Smith’s injury.
“Our guys are really close, a close-knit bunch,” Keatts said. “I thought we handled it as best we could.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
