When a hard elbow to the side of his neck knocked Ben Carter off his feet, he did not expect the result would be a significant head injury.
"I always thought it was a straight shot to the head that would give you a concussion," he said. "My head was hurting, but I didn't think it was that serious at first."
After "maybe four or five days" of headaches, Carter said he understood the reality of concussions. The one he suffered Oct. 31 in a scrimmage at Southern California was the first of his career.
The 6-foot-9-inch junior forward is past the serious stage, fully recovered and cleared to play in UNLV's season opener against Cal Poly at 7 p.