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The 6-2 senior had a minor headache, according to broadcast reports, but there was no apparent damage to the eye or eye socket.
Villanova’s second-leading scorer and a first-team All-Big East selection suffered what was termed a "soft tissue" injury during a scrum for a loose ball with Pitt’s Ronald Ramon and Carl Krauser in front of the Villanova bench 30 seconds into the second half of the Panthers’ 68-54 victory over the second-ranked Wildcats.
Ray was released a short time later and returned home with the team Saturday morning.
"This is the best possible scenario," Wright said.
Ray will use eye drops to treat the injury and is expected to see an eye specialist today or Monday. Ray is listed as day-to-day for the NCAA Tournament. Villanova will find out its destination for the big dance when the brackets are released later this evening.
"We’ll check him in the next couple of days and see how he is, see if he can play," Wright said.
This was the second injury scare for Ray in the last two weeks. Ray wrenched his left knee when he slipped and fell while running a play in the final minutes of Villanova’s 89-75 loss to Connecticut Feb. 26. The injury appeared serious at first, but was diagnosed as a mild sprain the following day.
"I feel great for him right now," Wright said during an impromptu press conference around 12:30 Saturday morning. "When I came to see you guys, they said this was serious. They said they’ll keep checking. When I got back (to the locker room) they said, ‘Hey great news. He’s got his vision.’ Everybody knows what everybody saw. They said it just looked a lot worse than it was."
The scary chain of events took place when Ray fought for a loose ball with Roberts and Krauser in front of the Villanova bench as the Wildcats tried to rally from a 32-21 halftime deficit. As Ray battled Ramon for the ball, Krauser tried to strip the ball from Ray and accidentally poked his left index finger into the right eye of the Villanova guard.
Ray immediately grabbed his eye and Villanova trainer Jeff Pierce rushed to his aid. Pierce applied pressure and took Ray off the floor. Ray complained to Pierce that he could not see. He was examined by Dr. Andrew Bazos, the Big East Tournament physician, and rushed to St. Vincent’s. Ray was accompanied to the hospital by Father Rob Hagan, Villanova’s team chaplain, and was met at St. Vincent’s by his parents, Allan Sr. and Larnel Ray.
The television replay of the incident was so grisly that ESPN did not show it again.
Rumors quickly began to swirl that Ray’s eye had been dislodged from the socket. Wright, meanwhile, was unaware of the severity of the injury.
"You know, I tried to move the guys away from him so they didn’t bother the doctors," Wright said. "I just concentrated on the team. I kept asking where he was. Finally, someone told me they took him to the hospital."
"When Allan got hurt, coach just brought us into the huddle," senior guard Randy Foye said. "He said, ‘Don’t worry about that right now. We’ll worry about it after the game, just keep our heads into the game, and just keep playing hard.’"
After the game, Wright said he was told by Dr. Bazos that the injury was serious and Wright then informed the team.
The mood, naturally, was somber, in both locker rooms. Krauser and Ray are friends and old adversaries. They have played against one another many times in high school, college and on the playgrounds in New York.
"Allan Ray’s like a little brother to me," Krauser told the New York Post. "I know his whole family. It’s crazy to see one of my little brothers go down. It’s crazy. I don’t even know what to say about it."
Ray was evaluated by an ophthalmologist, who was brought in specifically to tend to Ray, according to Wright.
Roughly 20 minutes later, the prognosis had changed. Ray’s vision had returned and there was no apparent damage to the eye or eye socket. Sometime after midnight, the doctors at St. Vincent’s felt Ray had progressed well enough to release him.
Wright then briefed the media before leaving Madison Square Garden with a smile on his face.
"I feel great right now," Wright said. "I feel great. As you all know you know you’re not even thinking about this season. I didn’t even ask if he could play. I was more worried about his future based on what I had been told. They said he was going to be fine, that he was good and that it was going to be day-by-day."
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Despite the loss, Villanova is still expected to be one of the four No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament. Thanks to the pod system, which the NCAA uses to keep travel in the first two rounds to a minimum, the Wildcats should play the first two rounds at the Wachovia Center where Villanova went 3-0 this season.
Terry Toohey is the assistant sports editor of the Daily Times.
