Green Wave bring sport, normalcy back to New Orleans
Count on a big Green Wave of emotion when Tulane tips off at home today.
It’s not just any home game.
The Green Wave host Central Connecticut in the first significant sports event in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city on Aug. 29. It’s another small sign that life is returning to the city.
“It’s going to be very different for us to have a home court and see familiar faces,” Tulane coach Lisa Stockton said. “I hope it’s a more unifying event for our fans. Our fans and our community have probably missed the opportunity to be a part of something like this.”
After the storm, the team found a temporary home at Texas Tech, both in the classroom and on the court. Stockton made the 1,000-mile drive back to Tulane on Monday and her players followed a few days later after taking final exams at the Lubbock, Texas, school.
“Texas Tech has been unbelievable,” Stockton said. “I can’t say enough about the support they gave us, from the president on down.”
The rest of the student body won’t arrive for weeks. Classes resume on Jan. 17 – another first since the storm. Students return to a much different place, though. The hurricane forced the school to cut back on staff and programs. Earlier this month, the school announced it was dropping several varsity sports. Stockton’s program was not one of them.
“It really is survival,” Stockton said. “The real positive is there’s no bitter feelings because it’s nobody’s fault. It’s just another victim of Katrina.”
In her 19 years of coaching, Stockton said nothing had prepared her for what she experienced the past few months, from the utter loss to the kindness that followed.
Texas Tech gave the Green Wave a home. Nike replaced their gear, from shoes to shorts. Coaching friends also contributed items, such as marker boards and more.
“We all know that athletics is definitely a community,” Stockton said. “In that way it’s been a great lesson in generosity.”
Central Connecticut coach Yvette Harris expects the game to be a humbling experience for her players, as well.
“I want them to understand the magnitude of the whole event and the fact that there’s a lot more to life than sports,” Harris said. “You never appreciate the things you have until you see how tough it was for all those people.”
Central Connecticut offered to play the game on its home court if Tulane weren’t ready, Harris said. She said her school was prepared to pay for the Green Wave to travel to Connecticut. But Tulane was adamant about playing at home, Harris said.
It was time, Stockton said.
“So many things in the city have been stuck in neutral,” Stockton said. “We needed to step forward. This will be the first time we’ve really been able to do that.”
Top 25
Shona Thorburn had 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists to lead No. 22 Utah to a 73-62 victory over No. 23 North Carolina State at the Duel in the Desert tournament Saturday in Las Vegas.
Kim Smith added 22 points and nine rebounds for Utah (7-1), which will play for the Gray division title against either Arkansas State or No. 13 Notre Dame. Julie Larsen added 13 points.
Billie McDowell scored 15 points and Khadijah Whittington added 11 for the Wolf Pack (6-3). Monica Pope finished with eight rebounds.
(5) Baylor 85, Army 68: At West Point, N.Y., Sophia Young had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Baylor extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 29 games with a victory over Army. Rachel Allison added 12 points, Chameka Scott had 11 and Jhasmin Player had 10 for the defending national champion Lady Bears (9-0). Cara Enright led the Black Knights (4-5) with 28 points. … (6) North Carolina 98, Coastal Carolina 41: At Chapel Hill, N.C., Heather Claytor had 18 points, including six 3-pointers, and the undefeated Tar Heels opened up a 61-point lead midway through the second half of their victory over the Chanticleers. North Carolina (10-0) won its 25th straight home game and reached season highs for points and margin in the 57-point win. La’Tangela Atkinson added 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting, while Ivory Latta had 12 points for the Tar Heels, who made 10 3-pointers. … (10) Stanford 83, Rice 53: At Stanford, Calif., Candice Wiggins scored 19 points and Stanford held Rice to 24 percent shooting. Freshman Jillian Harmon added 15 points, and Brooke Smith tallied her first double-double of the season for the Cardinal (5-2) with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Krystal Frazier led Rice (3-4) with nine points. … (11) Michigan State 76, Houston 53: At East Lansing, Mich., Liz Shimek scored 24 points and Michigan State overcame a sluggish start to beat Houston (2-5). Shimek, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, was 11 for 14 from the field and had eight rebounds and five assists as the Spartans (7-2) won their fifth straight game. … (13) Notre Dame 77, Arkansas State 54: At Las Vegas, Melissa D’Amico scored a career-high 20 points on 10-for-12 shooting for the Fighting Irish at the Duel in the Desert. Megan Duffy added 13 points and six assists for Notre Dame, and Breona Gray scored 12 points. Adrianne Davie and Ronnie Maglaughlin led Arkansas State with 10 points each … (16) DePaul 99, St. Francis (Pa.) 61: At Chicago, Khara Smith scored 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting and Erin Cattell added 15 points to lead DePaul past winless St. Francis (0-9). DePaul (10-1) won its 29th straight home game, the second-longest current streak in the nation. … UC Santa Barbara 90, (24) UCLA 81 (OT): At Los Angeles, Jessica Wilson had 21 points and 11 rebounds and UC Santa Barbara outscored UCLA 16-7 in overtime. Jenna Green and LaShay Fears each had 20 points for the Gauchos (2-6). Lisa Willis had 28 points for UCLA (5-4). Nikki Blue added 13 points and seven assists for the Bruins, who shot 1 for 7 in the overtime.