TwitterKevin Ware is one helluva trouper.
The NCAA basketball player, who suffered a truly horrifying leg injury last night during Louisville's Elite Eight game against Duke, is already making progress after his surgery by getting on crutches today.
And if things keep going at this pace, the 20-year-old may actually be able to play ball again sooner than one might think.
According to CNN Health, an orthopedic surgeon says Ware could be back on the court in six months to a year, assuming there is no nerve damage and no infections or other complications develop during his healing process.
The young basketball guard came down on his leg horribly wrong after a play during Sunday night's game, causing his right tibia, or shinbone, to break through the skin in what's called an open or compound fracture. Yeah, gruesome.
He was immediately taken to an Indianapolis hospital and underwent a two-hour surgery, where his bone was reset and a rod was inserted into his tibia, according to a statement from Kenneth Klein, senior associate athletic director for media relations at the University of Louisville.
"Hopefully I'll be back in time to watch practice," Ware told ESPN by phone today. "It hurts but I'll be fine. I'll be fine."
He added, "I jumped and my leg felt kind of funny. When Coach P tried to help me up, he gave me a funny kind of look. I'm looking at him and then I look down and I see my bone sticking out. It wasn't a hurt feeling. I just went into shock.
"In the moment, you don't know what's wrong with you. You're just looking, thinking, 'How did this happen?' I never watched the replay. I never want to."