BURN THE HORSE
Tuesday evening we heard the "devastating" news out of Jonesboro that Trey Finn had
to have knee surgery and would not play in this week's Sun Belt Tournament in Hot Springs. We only thought that was devastating news at the time.
Just minutes later, we learned what "devastating" really is when Middle Tennessee confirmed that women's basketball player Tina Stewart had been stabbed to death by her roommate.
You can read the story from the Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro here:
I guess both are devastating in their own way, but the loss of Stewart's life puts both events in perspective. Finn will have surgery, work hard over the summer and return probably as good as ever next season. Stewart will not have the opportunity to do any of that.The Middle Tennessee teams were scheduled to leave for Hot Springs on Friday. Both have first-round byes in the Sun Belt Tournament and do not play until Sunday. As of late Friday, reports were that a decision about the tournament had not been made. And that's completely understandable.
When Loyola Marymount's Hank Gathers died on the court at the West Coast Conference Tournament in the early 1990s, they canceled the tournament. I hope that doesn't happen here. Hot Springs has spent a lot of time and money prepping for this event. And fans from across the Sun Belt have spent money and made plans to attend.
Regardless of what Middle Tennessee decides to do, all Sun Belt teams should find a way to honor Stewart. I'm not sure how long it takes to order patches but it would be nice if every player on every team (men's and women's) at this year's Sun Belt Tournament wore a small blue patch with a "20" on it. It would be a reminder of how we shouldn't take for granted the fantastic athletes we are fortunate to watch from out schools.
Devastating doesn't even begin to describe it.
