UBALL Honors Its Cornerstone; Senior Night 2010

After Five Years of Bringing Ursuline Basketball to the Brink of Greatness, “The Originals” Are Honored by the High School

The Class of 2010 Turned Ursuline Basketball into One of the State's Top Programs

Typically on a big night, we attempt to create something witty and touching to say on our web site. On February 5, 2010, we had every intention of continuing that tradition. On this night, UBALL (Ursuline Academy High School Division’s Varsity Basketball program) was set to pay tribute to seniors on this year’s team. It had been four years since the basketball program had a senior night. The reason for the long delay wa that in the Fall of 2005, mere days before the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, a group of eighth graders walked onto the court, teamed up with a former college coach, and took it upon themselves to say that the next five years would be the greatest and most productive years in the history of the program. Tonight, while watching these former eighth grade no-names who would become a who’s who of the local basketball community, it was hard to argue against the statement that they produced a five year run that will be remembered forever.

We could continue our coverage of Senior Night 2010, however, we felt it would be better to simply share with you what was shared during the ceremony. Instead of the typical quick presentation of flowers and a few photo opportunities, members of the team had organized something special for the seniors. The gifts were great, especially the framed replica jerseys. However, nothing will take the place of the kind words shared by two of UBALL’s players to the five seniors of UBALL. We thought it would be best to include those words in this article.

Jones '10, McCarthy '10, and Lyons '10 joined Coach Fav and started UBALL in 2005

This evening we are here to celebrate the accomplishments of our five UBALL seniors. Through the ups and downs, the five seniors have shown their leadership skills throughout this great season. Whether they know it or not, they have made a tremendous impact on our lives. We hate to see them leave after the season, but they must go in order to accomplish great things in their lives. We can honestly say that these seniors have set great examples for many players and we are honored to follow the paths they have all started.

Three of our seniors have started UBALL traditions and made many dreams possible. They have established a dynasty that will never be forgotten. Each senior with her own personality and ways have brought this UBALL family closer together. The closing of the season is very hard but we know that they will make us proud. I do not think words can express the feelings we have for our seniors.

It is hard to write anything that can follow the kind words that were delivered by junior Morgan Lagrue ‘11 and freshman Jenna Deemer ‘13. Therefore, we will simply end our coverage of senior night by saying this: For nearly a decade prior to the arrival of the Class of 2005, Ursuline Academy’s basketball program struggled. True, in the mid 1990s, the team put together a great run and finished as state runner-up. In the years that follow, the success of the team dwindled leaving the hope of a state championship in basketball nothing more than a wild, crazy thought. For those of us who were around, we will never forget being on the wrong end of a 82 – 13 outcome. We will also never forget the comment, “Ursuline has sports? I thought they were just one of those schools that  cared about education”. For the past five years, these five athletes have have changed the public opinion of Ursuline Athletics. Now, at the beginning of every basketball season, the “pros” state, “How good is Ursuline this year?” These five students took a chance and agreed to play for Ursuline Academy. They believed that they could make a difference. They believed in their coach and stayed loyal to him throughout the years. Most importantly, they stayed loyal to each other.

On behalf of the Ursuline Academy family, congratulations to Michon Wright ‘10, Raven Lyons ‘10, Chante Jones ‘10, Monae Pierre ‘10, and Liann McCarthy ‘10 for a job well done. There is only one thing left to do….. go get your title. Win It All, UBALL.

Ursu-online staff