Briana KoenemanAfter 220 days of rehabilitation and recovery, Louisville's Kevin Ware hit the court for his very first game since his horrific leg injury last season.
The Cardinals guard made his return with 13:49 left in the game to a wild standing ovation from over 19,000 fans. (Via WDRB)
"I'm fine, I'm Kevin again. Y'all just go back to cheering for me and being the full support on the court. You don't have to worry about me hurting myself anymore." (Via The Courier-Journal)
And his performance wasn't too shabby for a player who sustained a gruesome compound fracture in his lower right leg just a few months ago. (Via NBC)
During the Cardinals' exhibition matchup against Pikeville, Ware put up six points, four rebounds, and, thankfully, zero injuries. (Via WXXA)
After the game, Ware said he was sure his first shot would be an air ball, but he proved himself wrong by sinking a three-pointer to thunderous applause. (Via Vine / Adam Lefkoe)
Louisville coach Rick Pitino was in tears when Ware went down last season. But he says the guard was more than ready to get back on the court Wednesday. (Via YouTube / CitrusTV)
He told reporters in Louisville, "I wanted to get him some minutes just to get over the jitters of being back... He's been practicing full bore. I just wanted to see him run around, just run and jump and get some confidence. But he's been doing that in practice." (Via Corvallis Gazette-Times)
Ware hasn't been rushing through his rehabilitation, which he began just five weeks after undergoing surgery for the fracture. His therapy included riding a stationary bike and slowly increasing pressure and weight to his right side. (Via Hollywood Life)
Ware says his teammates are still coddling him a little bit, but he's excited to get back on the court for good and prove he can move past his infamous injury.
