Noah Waterman injury update: Pat Kelsey reveals latest, conversation with doctor

Despite undergoing surgery on his thumb in December, Louisville forward Noah Waterman has continued to contribute for the Cardinals. However, after the injury appeared to be bothering Waterman during Louisville’s win over Syracuse on Tuesday, Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey decided to rest him against Virginia on Saturday.

While the team missed Waterman, they were still able to secure an 81-67 win over the Cavaliers. After the game, Pat Kelsey provided further details on Waterman’s absence.

“Noah, I’ve talked so many times about what a warrior he’s been,” Kelsey said. “The kid broke his thumb. played the first game with a broken thumb. We didn’t know was broke yet. Then he gets surgery, has four pins put in, and goes, ‘Can I still play?’ And the doc goes, ‘Yeah, but it’s gonna hurt.’ He’s like, ‘Can I hurt it any worse?’ ‘No.’ He’s stinking played.

“But what happens is, he’s getting it nicked. He’s getting it banged. Fell at Syracuse and fell on it. We got it X-rayed again. Everything’s fine, but it’s sore and swollen. So, we’re going to try to let it settle down a little bit. We don’t have any word on what we’re going to do on Tuesday. We just need that thing to settle down and continue to heal.”

Waterman has been toughness personified for the Cardinals. With a mound of tape wrapped around his thumb every game, Waterman is averaging 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this season.

Noah Waterman transferred to Louisville this past offseason after spending two season at BYU. Waterman has also spent time at Detroit Mercy and Niagra during his collegiate career. Now in his final season of eligibility, Waterman is playing through the pain.

Kelsey doesn’t take the sixth-year senior’s grit for granted.

“He’s a dog man. That kid just wants to play, and he plays hard. He’s playing with a broken thumb,” Kelsey said. “But I thought other guys stepped up. Khani [Rooths] was really good. [Aboubacar Traore] stepped up, gave us great minutes.

“I hate quoting the Pittsburgh Steelers because I’m a Bengals fan. But Mike Tomlin always says, ‘Next man up. Next man up.’ That’s what our guys believe in.”

In the win over Virginia, Traore and Rooths combined for 12 points on 4-7 shooting. The Cardinals will need their backups to continue to step up as they prepare to square off against SMU on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. The game will air live on the ACC Network.