April 2013 Basketball Wiretap

Anthony Bennett Dealing With Inflamed Nerves In Left Shoulder

Feb 28, 2013 8:21 PM

Anthony Bennett is listed as day-to-day with nerve inflammation in his left shoulder.

“Right now we’re treating him as having brachial neuritis, which is exactly inflammation of the nerve group coming off your neck to the shoulder,” said UNLV team trainer Dave Tomchek.

Bennett underwent both an MRI and ultrasound and will be re-evaluated prior to the Runnin’ Rebels’ Saturday afternoon game against Nevada.

“We’ve determined there’s no structural damage in the shoulder; we’re taking care of the nerve and it’s going to be a day-to-day situation,” Tomchek said. “He’ll get treatment and proceed with activity as pain allows him. There’s no timetable as to when this is going to be completely gone.”

Taylor Bern/Las Vegas Sun

Tags: Anthony Bennett, UNLV Runnin' Rebels, Mountain West Conference, NCAA, NCAA Injury, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Noel's Brother Expects Him To Declare

Feb 15, 2013 3:55 PM

Nerlens Noel tore his ACL on Tuesday, which was discovered with an MRI on Wednesday.

"I'd be surprised if he comes back," his brother Rodman Noel said on Wednesday. "Right now people still say he'll be a top-five pick. It would only be smart to take it while you can."

Noel's rehab is expected to take six to eight months.

"What devastated him more than anything else was not being able to finish out the season," Rodman said. "Especially being his first year of college. He really wanted to play in the NCAA tournament."

Jeff Goodman/CBS Sports

Tags: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky Wildcats, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Source: Noel Has $10M Insurance Policy If He Never Plays Again

Feb 14, 2013 6:16 PM

Nerlens Noel has a $10 million permanent total disability policy, according to a source.

Noel tore his ACL on Tuesday, which is an injury he is expected to recover from.

Noel's injury would have to be career-ending to collect on the policy.

Noel's policy cost him between $40,000 and $60,000 to take out.

Darren Rovell/ESPN

Tags: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky Wildcats, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Noel Out For Season With Torn ACL

Feb 13, 2013 1:48 PM

Nerlens Noel will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.

Noel suffered the injury on Tuesday in Kentucky's loss to Florida.

Noel has been widely expected to be one of the first players selected in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Noel was initially supposed to be in the incoming freshman class of 2013, but reclassified for 2012.

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky Wildcats, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Noel X-Rays Negative, MRI Scheduled

Feb 13, 2013 10:40 AM

Nerlens Noel suffered a knee injury on Tuesday.

X-rays were negative on Noel, but an MRI will still be performed to determine if there is structural damage to his knee.

Noel has widely been expected to be one of the top picks of the 2013 NBA Draft.

Andy Katz/ESPN

Tags: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky Wildcats, NCAA, NCAA Injury, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Wiggins Scores 57 In Response To Article Questioning Effort, Intensity

Feb 8, 2013 1:31 PM

Andrew Wiggins scored 57 points on 24-of-28 shooting, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked 4 shots in Huntington Prep's 111-59 win over Marietta College JV on Thursday night.

Earlier Thursday, Wiggins caught wind of a Sports Illustrated article that portrayed him as a player who doesn't go full-tilt against lesser competition.

"I just had to respond to the negative outlook that the reporter gave me," Wiggins said. "I thought I responded well. Negative media happens to everybody. You just have to work through it and respond."

Just hours earlier, Wiggins was named one of three finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year Award, given annually to the nation's top high school basketball player

The other Naismith Award candidates are Simeon's Jabari Parker and Aaron Gordon of Archbishop Mitty.

"All three are great players and I think Andrew separates himself from the other two in that he can dominate games in ways on both ends of the court," Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford said.

Grant Traylor/Huntington Herald-Dispatch

Tags: Andrew Wiggins, High School, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Wiggins Admits To Playing Down To Level Of Competition

Feb 7, 2013 9:43 PM

Andrew Wiggins has gained a reputation for only playing hard against top competition.

"When the big games come, I show up," Wiggins said. "I'm more than ready to play. When we play a team I know we're going to blow out or anything like that, I'm not as motivated."

One assistant coach summed up Wiggins this way: "He has the highest ceiling I've seen in high school for a long time. Once he figures out how to play with a motor all the time, I think he'll be an NBA All-Star. I'm not saying he doesn't play hard, but he knows he's good enough to turn it on and off."

Wiggins has struggled on the court lately, something that's been attributed to everything from a case of bronchitis to apathy to the pressure of his college choice.

"I think it's the lack of competition that has him disinterested,” said Nolan Shulman, a Canadian recruiting analyst. “He is driven by competition. When it isn't there he turns his effort off and goes through the motions."

Pete Thamel/SI

Tags: Andrew Wiggins, High School, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Nerlens Noel On Pace To Break Anthony Davis' Blocks Record

Feb 2, 2013 5:53 PM

Nerlens Noel is on pace to break Anthony Davis’ single-season blocks record of 186 in a 40-game season.

Through 20 games, Noel has 95 blocks.

"I don't keep track, but some people tell me what the numbers are through (a number of) games or something," Noel said. "That's something I do want to break, but that's not really the focus of the season."

Noel blocked 12 shots, including two dunks, during the Wildcats’ 87-74 win over Ole Miss on Tuesday night.

"At the beginning of the season, I had a tendency to leave my feet, being too anxious to block shots," Noel said. "And that's when I was coming up with maybe only two, three, four blocks a game."

Noel is averaging 7 blocks in SEC play.

"A lot of people think it's about scoring, but every team is always going to have its given scorers, two or three guys that are always going to get the majority of the buckets," Noel said. "Defense is something that's undervalued on some teams. It can change the whole game in significant ways."

Brett Dawson/CatsIllustrated

Tags: Nerlens Noel, Anthony Davis, Kentucky Wildcats, Southeastern Conference, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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