Florida State men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton suffers ruptured Achilles in NCAA Tournament bubble
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — While Florida State basketball coach Leonard Hamilton said his team is healthier entering this week's NCAA Tournament, he's dealing with an injury of his own.
Hamilton told media members Monday morning on a conference call that he fell coming off the team bus Sunday night when he misjudged how far down the step was, took a misstep onto the curb and fell.
He originally said that he only strained his wrist and his ankle, but he said in an interview on Packer and Durham on Thursday that he is dealing with a ruptured Achilles.
"Listen, if this is the only issue I'm going to have in life, I'm going to have a great life. I've never been injured and I ruptured my Achilles. I'm fine," Hamilton said on the ACC Network show.
"I could tell you some stories about Gastonia that would make this ruptured Achilles look like Sunday school. We can move on past that, believe me."
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Hamilton also joked about an alternative way in which he suffered the injury.
"What happened was I was chasing a referee after the game the other night in the parking lot and something happened," Hamilton said. "He's not in good shape either, I just want you to know that."
An FSU representative told the Tallahassee Democrat that he's still able to walk on his own and has been doing so around the NCAA Tournament bubble.
If the rupture of the Achilles, which connects the back of the leg to the heel, is severe enough, it may require surgery after FSU's season ends.
But he made it clear on the show that he won't be restricted in any way for the Seminoles' opening game. He'll still be patrolling the sideline when his team takes on No. 13 UNC Greensboro on Saturday at 12:45 p.m.
"Nothing will change. Zero," Hamilton said.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: March Madness: Florida State men's basketball coach ruptures Achilles
