FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -Patrick Beverley had just led his team in rebounding – no small accomplishment for a 6-foot-1 guard. Surely, the Arkansas sophomore deserved a nice meal for his efforts.
Not so fast. Beverley dislocated his jaw in the middle of the game.
“Mashed potatoes and soup,” Beverley said Monday, a day after leading the Razorbacks to a 71-67 overtime victory over Alabama.
Beverley hurt himself sometime in the first half, but hardly anyone knew until after the game – after his 13 rebounds helped Arkansas prevail in its first Southeastern Conference home game.
“I had my elbow dislocated in high school, and I wanted to die, I wanted to pass out. I wanted to be gone,” Razorbacks coach John Pelphrey said. “So I can’t imagine what your jaw would feel like – then come back and play. Somebody asked me, ‘Well, Patrick didn’t shoot it very well.’ Well, how would you shoot if your jaw was out of place?”
Arkansas hosts South Carolina (8-8, 0-2) on Wednesday night. Pelphrey said Beverley would likely play despite continued soreness.
Beverley was the SEC freshman of the year in 2006-07, when he shot 39 percent from 3-point range and became a crowd favorite because of his exuberance on the court. He’s averaging 12.3 points this season – and leading the Razorbacks (13-3, 2-0) at 5.6 rebounds.
Beverley said he was elbowed in the first half against Alabama on Sunday. He tried to keep playing with the injured jaw, but finally had to come out and have it popped back in place.
“I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy,” Beverley said. “I can’t even describe how that felt.”
Beverley returned, but he committed his third and fourth fouls 29 seconds apart early in the second half. He left the game with 15:08 to play and sat out for nearly 10 minutes. By the time he came back, what was at one point a 12-point Arkansas lead had been cut to three.
Beverley made a 3-pointer from the right wing against the Alabama zone with 4:10 remaining, and although Arkansas went over seven minutes before its next field goal, the Razorbacks came away with a win.
It wasn’t until afterward that guard Gary Ervin found out what had happened to Beverley. On Monday, Ervin talked about his teammate’s new diet.
“I probably look small, but I love to eat,” the 6-foot Ervin said. “I can imagine – because he loves to eat too – so I know it’s a difficult situation.”
Swingman Sonny Weems marveled at Beverley’s toughness.
“Any 6-foot guard going in there and getting 13 rebounds against a big front – he’s got to be a great guard,” Weems said.
Arkansas has a talented, experienced frontcourt that includes 7-footer Steven Hill, 6-foot-10 Darian Townes and 6-foot-8 Charles Thomas. Beverley has outrebounded them all this season.
“We’re a big team inside,” Beverley said. “I go against those giants every day, so that kind of makes it easier when game time comes.”
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