FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas freshman Nick Smith's availability for an upcoming foreign tour is up in the air after he suffered a finger injury Monday.
On Wednesday, three days before the Razorbacks depart for their 11-day tour of Italy and Spain, Smith was a limited participant in the team’s workout. Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said after the practice that Smith has a deep bone bruise in his left index finger and called his status "day to day."
“He'll go back to the doctor on Friday, get re-evaluated,” Musselman said. “He might play, might not. We'll just see with the doctor. And then, obviously, before we play a game we have some days.
“We'll just have to see how the swelling is, and that'll be up to Nick, the doctor and (head athletic trainer) Matt (Townsend).”
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Smith, who USA Today named its national high school basketball player of the year earlier this week, did not take part in the bulk of the Razorbacks’ on-floor drills Wednesday. In that time, he worked with a support staff member on his jump shot and finishing around the rim with his right hand.
But toward the end of practice, he did pushups with teammates and coaches as a result of team members not accomplishing a goal during a free-throw drill.
“Medically, it's not a break,” Musselman said. “At one point it was like a ligament. With further testing, it is basically a deep bone bruise is what it is now. Our doctors were great. They X-rayed and MRI'd.
“As they gathered more information, it was just a deep bone bruise."
Musselman added that no player will see time on the court during the tour if there is any fear of an injury.
“But again, it’s a bone bruise,” Musselman said. “A lot of bruises are pain tolerance, swelling, but we’re not going to play him unless he feels 100% and the doctor feels 100%.
“It’s hard to keep Nick down. He’s been working.”