By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
A preseason mêlée has put Katahdin senior point guard Billy Livezey in a tail spin. While playing in the Lee Academy Preseason Tournament, Livezey and another player got their feet tangled up causing them to crash onto the hardwood.
“A player jumped up for a floater during a fast break,” recalled Livezey. “When he was coming down, I was running behind him and my legs got caught underneath him. He fell on both knees, pushing them down toward the floor to my left side. I thought I heard a pop and came out immediately.”
On first review of the MRI report, the doctor suspected that Livezey might have two tears in the meniscus, which would require surgery.
“Hearing that news got me pretty defeated,” said Livezey.
Then, unexpected news turned his anguish to hope a few days later.
It was believed — after a sports trainer’s evaluation and a telephone conversation with a medical doctor — that Livezey may not have a tear since the MRI was inconclusive . He was elated.
Livezey began quad and leg exercises to rebuild his strength.
“I think all the thoughts and prayers that people did for me paid off,” said Livezey.
With his knee movement inconsistent with a typical meniscus tear, Livezey began his work to get back to the court.
“That was news I was not expecting,” he said.
Then the unfortunate happened. Livezey’s knee began to swell. With this complication, Livezey will now undergo a scope of his knee tomorrow to discover the extent of his injury.
Livezey’s mother, Gail, said she is hoping if surgery is involved it would happen soon.
“I am hoping for a miracle,” she said. “My dream would be for him to be able to play his last home game. I would be thrilled to see him Senior Night in his uniform.”
Livezey’s mother knows the agony her son has faced through this experience.
“It’s been hard for him,” she said. “He has continued to go to practices in hopes of coming back. He has a lot to offer his teammates even from the bench. He knows the game. He needs to keep his head up through this tough trial.”
Livezey, who also plays football and baseball, has never experienced a serious injury like this before.
“If there is a tear, I will have surgery and will be out for the season,” he said. “If there isn’t, then I will be playing. It’s probably either a deep knee bruise or a meniscus tear.”
Not only has the injury been hard on Livezey personally, but it has affected his Cougar teammates, as well.
“It’s hard to really replace a player of Billy’s caliber,” said Katahdin basketball coach Cliff Urquhart. “He means a lot to us. He is our floor leader. He runs the offense and echoes our defensive switches.
“An under-rated part of Billy’s game is his on-the-ball defense and his ability to pressure and wear down other teams’ guards,” added Urquhart.
The Cougars are currently seeded 14th in the Class D standings with a 3-7 record.
Katahdin’s Senior Game is at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 in Stacyville.
