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Marshall’s season-ending injury included broken elbow

Kendall Marshall

North Carolina guard Kendall Marshall answers questions in the lockerroom, Saturday, March 24, 2012, in St. Louis. North Carolina is scheduled to play Kansas in an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional final college basketball game on Sunday. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

AP

When UNC point guard Kendall Marshall was injured in an NCAA tournament game against Creighton in March, a fractured wrist was listed as the official reason for his tragically curtailed sophomore season. Now, in an interview with the IMG Academy basketball blog, Marshall has revealed that his injury was more extensive than originally believed.

“My wrist is almost 100 percent,” he told the blog. “What people didn’t know is that I also fractured my elbow. That’s been the toughest thing for me to deal with, still not being able to go full contact. Hopefully, I’ll be ready to go by the Combine.”

As impressive as Marshall’s tolerance for physical pain has been, his ability to face emotional torment -- in the form of internet heckling -- may be even more impressive.

In season, I get anywhere from 15-25 Tweets per day of just pure recklessness. Keeping it PG, it’s stuff like “You suck” and “You can’t shoot.” Now, it’s “You’re overrated” and “You’re not going to get drafted high.” Even some Carolina fans come at me sideways now because I left school early. Maybe one every couple days I’ll give them a sarcastic response. You have to be able to laugh because these people don’t understand that you’re human and not on a pedestal.

It’s hard to feel too bad for Marshall on that score. His @kbutter5 account has been one of the most-followed accounts of any college hoops star, in large part because his quick wit and real talk are so much more interesting than the usual “Eating pizza tonight"-type messages.