HLB basketball team cuts 3 from roster

H.L. Bourgeois High School, last season’s state 5A boys’ basketball runner-up, has lost three players from the team over the past month.

Senior Stevie Howard was kicked off the team after allegedly striking an opposing player behind his head against White Castle on Dec. 20.

Senior Nathaniel Singleton and Terrance Jones became academically ineligible starting with last Tuesday’s contest against Ellender High School.

Braves head coach Andrew Caillouet would not comment specifically on the Howard situation, only saying, “Stevie was removed from the team for violations of team rules.”

Howard claimed the blow to the White Castle player was accidental and referees saw it as such.

“They (Caillouet and Bourgeois’ administrators) said I punched the guy behind his head when I just cleared him out of my way,” Howard said. “The refs didn’t call an intentional foul or say I did it on purpose, but I still hit him. (The coach and school administrators) said since we had a meeting about me getting back on the team, I had to get put off the team.”

Howard served a five-game suspension earlier in the season for allegedly making derogatory comments toward a fan. He asserts he did not make the comments in question.

“Another player told them something. He admitted it, but that woman called the school and said I told her that,” Howard claimed. “They didn’t believe him. Our principal (Nason Authement), he’s going to take an adult’s side before he takes our side.”

Neither Howard nor Caillouet would name the player who came forward about making the comments or what was said. Repeated calls to Authement have not been returned.

As district play began last week, the Braves, last season’s co-district champions in 8-I with South Lafourche, were 8-15, 1-0 in district as of Monday.

Caillouet described his team as doing “fine” despite losing Howard, Singleton and Jones.

The starting lineup now consists of seniors Jereme Lagarde and Damien Jacobs and juniors Denzel Kemp, Phillip Jackson and Drew Worther, who is returning from an injury.

Caillouet contends the Braves are a good enough squad to make a run at the playoffs.

“They just need to play a little harder and find a way to get things done,” he said.

As Howard sat in the stands behind the Braves bench and watched his former team lose a hard-fought game to Ellender last Tuesday, he tried to be encouraging.

“I told them to ball (play tougher), but they say they can’t function without me,” he said.

Howard said he has considered transferring to a school in New Orleans, but he hopes letters from his former AAU and All-Star team coaches vouching for his character would persuade Caillouet and Authement to let him back on H.L. Bourgeois’ team.

There was speculation Howard would transfer to Ellender. However, Louisiana High School Athletic Association rules would require that he sit out a year unless he moved within the school’s residential boundary, which he has not done.

If Howard has played his last high school basketball game, he remains defiant, seeing himself as the wronged party through this ordeal.

“It would hurt, but he (Caillouet) made his decision. He’s paying for it. He’s losing every game without me,” Howard said.

H.L. Bourgeois senior Stevie Howard, above, was booted from the school’s basketball team after he allegedly hit an opposing White Castle player on the back of the head during a Dec. 20 game. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF