A dream season for North Pulaski has turned into more of a watch-and-wait.
Senior forward Daquan Bryant, a first-team all-conference selection the past two years and the leading rebounder for the Falcons, injured his knee at a recent practice and will be out for at least two weeks.
“He sprained his knee in practice,” North Pulaski coach Ray Cooper said. “He’s a big part of what we do. How we are going to replace his rebounding, I don’t know. But it is what it is and hopefully we can get him back. We hope it won’t be but a couple of weeks or so.”
Bryant went for tests, including an MRI, Wednesday. The results will not be back until Monday, but doctors and trainers determined it to be a sprained ligament on the outside of his kneecap.
They also ruled out torn ligaments, including the anterior cruciate, which would have required surgery and ended Bryant’s high school career.
“The trainer got him to move it some,” Cooper said. “So we know it’s not an ACL or anything like that. He won’t have to have surgery, so best case scenario, we could have him back in time for the state tournament.”
Bryant’s 12 rebounds led the Falcons in a key victory over No. 1 Little Rock McClellan.
Bryant used his 6-3 frame to provide the inside muscle for the Falcons in their triumph over the top-ranked Lions, but the Falcons will likely not have Bryant’s muscle for the 5A-Southeast Conference rematch on Feb. 16.