As expected, the University of New Orleans lost its Sun Belt conference tournament match against Western Kentucky. Billy Humphrey was able to play his last collegiate game, scoring 7 points in the loss.
Humphrey will have surgery on his knee, now that the season is officially over.
Sounds very much like this is the end of the road for Humphrey's playing career. Hope it's not, but without reliable wheels, you can't play pro ball, no matter how well you might shoot from long range.
It's hard to leave a sport that you've played for so long. Sports often defines a person. It's not just what we do, it is who we are. "I'm Joe Blow, basketball player for Xavier University."
The problem is that when Joe can no longer play basketball, who is he? Is he Joe the ex-basketball player, doomed for the rest of his life to attempt to draw a crowd by telling stories about how things were when he used to play? What makes Joe special if his tie to sports has been broken? How will he support himself if there is no more scholarship?
UNO will have a difficult adjustment to make as well. The student body may well wish to take another vote next year, once they feel the impact of losing Division I sports, but it will be too late. The infrastructure and the players and coaches will be gone.
Perhaps University of New Orleans basketball is Katrina's latest victim.
Good luck to Billy and to UNO.
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