This according to KLBJ radio in Austin. No details are available about his injury right now, except that it was caused by a collision in a pickup game.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news?slug=ap-texas-ford&prov=ap&type=lgns Sounds serious, but Barnes smiling makes me feel a little better about it. I hope it's not related to that neck condition, but who knows? I wish for the best.....
Hmmmm...Ford slides down to the Rockets on draft day---if he goes pro. I hope he's ok though he seems like a really nice guy.
I read this qoute, but do you think that could mean there may be a broken neck? I certainly hope not. TJ is my favorite college player, and will probably be my favorite NBA player once he goes pro.
Yeah, I don't think Barnes would be joking with reporters afterwards had it been a serious injury. I'm surprised the news traveled so fast. The comment by the spokesman doesn't help
cut and pasted from hornfans: I was at the Greg yesterday and today. Most of the same players from yesterday. Boddicker wasn't there today. Sydmill and Steve Leven were though. TJ tried to do a spin move on Kenton Paulino and somewhere in there he got hit in the head. He fell to the ground and lost the ball. There was some laughter from the crowd cuz TJ wailed and everyone thought he was joking around. Then we all realized he wasn't moving and he was in the same awkward position that he was in when he fell down. Really weird cuz it wasn't a violent collision or anything. Might have been Kenton's knee or something cuz TJ put his head down while spinning. One player immediately picked up the phone (think it was Will Wyatt or one of the players Quan mentioned cuz most of the same guys were there today) and Barnes showed up. TJ didn't move at all while waiting for the stretcher. Probably a good 10 minutes at least. Quite a scene at Gregory today.
Thanks for posting that. Local news has interviewed some guys who were there as well. Sounds like it was a stinger. TJ's parents were told of the injury, and didn't come to Austin, so it sounds like he's going to be ok, even though he apparently lost feeling for a little bit. I hope he's ok, and assuming he is, does this affect his decision any, or is it just a freak accident? Bear in mind he does have a relatively serious neck condition already.
On local news they said it was just a stinger. His dad sid he would be fine, bu they are keeping him overnight for precautionary measures. What is the neck condition? I hope he's alright.
Great, He will probably go pro thinking that he could get injured and it would be all over. Dang Gregory curse. DD
He could take out a wickedly large insurance policy. Of course with his known neck troubles and tonight's incident, many insurance companies may hesitate to give him a policy.
UT's Ford hospitalized after practice mishap By JEROME SOLOMON Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Texas sophomore T.J. Ford was taken to the emergency room at St. David's Hospital in Austin Wednesday evening following an apparent collision with another player during a pickup basketball game at Gregory Gymnasium. A UT spokesman said the injury was non-life threatening and Ford underwent tests and an evaluation that were "mostly precautionary." Due to privacy laws, UT basketball sports information director Scott McConnell said school officials could not provide more specifics about the incident. After being notified of the incident, Texas coach Rick Barnes joined Ford at the hospital, but had no comment. Ford, who led Texas in points (15.0 per game) and assists (7.7) as the Longhorns advanced to the Final Four two weeks ago and tied a school record with 26 victories, won the John Wooden Award and the Naismith Award as college basketball's player of the year. He had nine double-digit assist performances this season and 24 in his two-year career and is second in career assists for Texas with 527. Ford said this week he might leave school early to enter this summer's NBA draft
No insurance company would turn him down as he would have to suffer a career ending injury. His premiums might be a little higher but nothing compared to what he would make as a legitimate Top 10 pick. The bottom line is how badly does he want to win a national championship.
Ford treated, released from ER Nation's top player hurt in a pickup game By Randy Riggs AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Wednesday, April 16, 2003 University of Texas point guard T.J. Ford was taken by ambulance to an Austin emergency room Wednesday evening after being injured while playing in a pickup basketball game. Ford was checked into St. David's Hospital at approximately 6 p.m. and was examined by doctors for several hours before being released at 10 o'clock. Hospital officials and university spokesmen declined to comment on his injury, but a UT student watching the game said Ford was struck on the back of his neck and crumpled to the floor. Texas Coach Rick Barnes was with Ford in the emergency room. "It's not life-threatening," Texas assistant media relations director Scott McConnell said shortly after Ford was admitted. "He's undergoing further evaluation, mostly for precautionary reasons." Ford was conscious when he was checked into the hospital, McConnell said. He was later spirited out out of St. David's away from the gathered reporters. The incident occurred during a pickup basketball game at Gregory Gym on the Texas campus. Several members of the Longhorns basketball team — including Royal Ivey, James Thomas, Sydmill Harris and Kenton Paulino — were playing, along with Texas football player Selvin Young, a witness said. Ford, who was dribbling up the court on a fast break, was slapped on the back of his neck by an unidentified player as he headed up toward the basket. The ball was knocked loose, Ford fell to the floor and play continued. "It was very minor," Seth Galton, a UT sophomore watching the game, said of the contact. "He was just looking at the sky, no hands or feet moving." Young and Texas quarterback Vincent Young — who was present, but not playing — ran out of the gym to find help, Galton said. Former Texas basketball player William Wyatt, who was playing in the game, rushed to make a phone call on his cell phone, Galton added. Ford remained on the floor for almost an hour, Galton said, adding that the point guard stayed motionless until emergency medical personnel arrived almost an hour later. Ford's neck was stabilized and he was placed onto a stretcher. "Nobody had any idea what to do. He didn't move once in that entire hour," said Galton, who was among approximately 50 onlookers. Ford has a history of neck problems. In the summer of 2001, just before his freshman season at Texas, Ford experienced numbness in his arms and tingling in his fingers, and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, an abnormal narrowing of the openings of the vertebra through which the spinal cord runs. He was scheduled to undergo neck surgery that July, but the operation was canceled after consultations with more doctors and a meeting between Ford, his parents, Barnes and school medical personnel. His symptoms abated, and subsequent tests revealed improvement. But a UT basketball trainer said at the time that Ford always would have the congenital condition, which can be career-ending for athletes in high-collision sports like football and hockey. "It was definitely odd," Galton said. "Everyone had their eyes on T.J. the entire game, and still nobody had an idea what happened. He might have hit him in the very worst possible spot." Ford's parents, who live in Houston, were notified of his injury. They did not have immediate plans to come to Austin, McConnell said. Ford led the Texas men's team to the Final Four this season, and the Longhorns fell to Syracuse in the national semifinals. He won both the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith Award — given annually to college basketball's national player of the year — and led the Longhorns in five statistical categories this season, including points per game (15) and assists per game (7.7). He said earlier this week that he may leave school early to enter this summer's NBA draft.
hey i live just down the street from st. david's hospital. dammit now he's gonna want to go pro to get the money before something even worse happens. this blows all around. hope he stays ok though.
Tj had something like this occur when he was at Willowridge high school.....matter of fact it happen at the game against Dulles but again it was a small stinger. Would a pinched nerve cause this?
