This last week, the University of Tulane’s basketball team pulled off two overtime wins in a row. While the first victory, a triple-OT thriller in East Carolina, wasn’t all that surprising, its Saturday defeat of Memphis was a shocker.
What brought about this mid-February turnaround, though, to a team that until prior had been on life-support? It’s ironic that the answer to this question is a young man who wears the number zero; a number that is anything but reminiscent of his recent play.
Senior guard Louis Dabney’s road to and with the Green Wave is one that the sports fans in New Orleans have, without a doubt, followed intimately. The Big Easy is Dabney’s hometown, where he was born in 1993. Twenty-three years later, he hasn’t moved too far from home, as the crow flies anyways, but his road to the Green Wave was anything but short.
Dabney’s high school, Riverside Academy, had a basketball team in the early 2010s that was a powerhouse as far as Louisiana 2A sports is concerned. Louis was a large part in its success. His freshman, sophomore, and junior years saw him lead the Rebels to three consecutive state titles. With everything looking up for Dabney entering his senior season, disaster struck.
A knee injury would prove to put an end to his high school basketball career as Dabney would be forced to sit out his entire senior season. Such an injury can, and usually, does damage a player’s chances to be looked at by college scouts, who focus heavily on the play of up-and-coming seniors. Luckily for the four-year team captain, however, a few from a college close by kept him in their sights and before long, he was a signee at Tulane.
Three and a half years, 84 starts, and several honors later, the local Health and Wellness major has Tulane heading in the right direction as March looms. The Wave’s last two wins (which are a rarity this season) have painted Dabney for the star he is. In these two games, he has recorded 49 points and career high-tying 32-point performance in one of them. His eight assists and six rebounds aren’t too bad either.
It’s no secret that the kid is on fire right now and that’s good news for a Tulane team that finds itself hosting the 18-7 (8-5 American) Houston Cougars on Wednesday night. It would be nice for everyone in New Orleans if Dabney could continue to reward the faith of those Tulane scouts years ago and put up more big numbers.
For a young man who missed one senior season already in his life, Louis Dabney sure seems to be making the most of the second one that, this time, has a much larger prize waiting at the end.
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