The 2009-10 season is not just another season for East Tennessee State University basketball player Tommy Hubbard. The junior forward is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he only played 15 of the Buccaneers’ 34 games last season. That and the passing of teammate Seth Coy are two of the things that will make this season more important to him than any other.

“Seth sat right next to me in the locker room,” Hubbard said. “Now every time I look to my left there is nobody there so I have a cold shoulder.”

Last season Hubbard injured his ankle during the ninth game of the season against Chattanooga. The injury cost him 16 games of the regular season and almost forced him to take a medical redshirt, which would have kept his year of eligibility intact. However, Hubbard decided to return to the floor with only five games left in the regular season.

“It was a big decision,” Hubbard said, “but when I looked at the big picture, me playing increases the chances of us winning. I did not want Courtney Pigram or Kevin Tiggs to leave without winning a conference championship or experiencing the NCAA tournament.”

Hubbard displayed his selflessness by returning and helping his team win the conference tournament championship.

“If he would not have played in the conference tournament, we wouldn’t have won the tournament,” head coach Murry Bartow said. “He’s that valuable to our team, especially on the defensive end.”

Hubbard is one of the best defenders on the team, and also one of the most athletic. The 6-foot-4, 205-lb. forward will be asked to guard the smallest player on the floor one minute and then take the task of guarding the biggest on the floor.

“I’m fearless,” the junior said. “I’ll guard anyone in the country, I don’t like getting scored on.”

Some of that fearlessness Hubbard brings with him from the football field, which Hubbard played in high school in his home city of Boston.

“He’s a very scrappy and very tough kid,” Bartow said. “He’s got an ability to guard a lot of different players on the team. That versatility was a major reason we won the tournament.”

Despite Hubbard’s successes on defense, he has been inconsistent on offense. This is why his offensive game is something he put a lot of time and effort into when he went back home for the summer. Hubbard worked out at the Boston Celtics’ facility and played many pick up games with professionals from the states and overseas. They helped him with his offensive game, among other things.

“I don’t want to be a liability on offense,” Hubbard said.

While Hubbard works tirelessly to improve his game, he is constantly reminded of his friend Coy and the lesson that his sudden passing taught him.

“Seth didn’t know what was going to happen to him, so that is why I treat every day like it is my last, and play every game like it is my last.

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