Tough-luck Kid

Kasey Tweed has never been one of Central Oklahoma's big stars on the basketball court. A career scoring average of 4.4 points a game is proof positive of that.

But the senior guard has played a vital role in UCO's success throughout her career in a myriad of other ways. Tough, hard-nosed defense. Leadership. Shear competitiveness. A tipped rebound here, a knocked away pass there. Contributions that sometimes don't show up in a box score.

And now, sadly, it appears Kasey's career is over.

I honestly didn't expect her injury-ravaged right knee to hold up the entire season, especially considering the fearless way she plays on the court, but certainly there was hope that it would.

Kasey tore her ACL in that right knee as a freshman in high school, then again as a sophomore at UCO and then again as a junior. She sat out the entire 2010-11 season rehabbing that knee, even using a personal trainer last summer to get it ready to go for one last go-around.

It actually was holding up pretty good, though there were plenty of days that Kasey couldn't practice much because of the soreness. She averaged 5.9 points a game and had a team-high 15 steals through UCO's 7-2 start and gave the Bronchos a gritty toughness they needed.

So, of course, it wasn't the right knee that went out on Kasey. It was the left. She felt something give in the second game of the season, didn't tell anyone for fear of not being able to play and then tweaked it again during practice last week.

The early diagnosis wasn't bad, but a doctor's visit revealed a partial ACL tear. Rehab it for a few weeks and she might be able to return, though the ultimate result of that would undoubtedly be a full tear and another surgery. Which means that Kasey Tweed has played her final game.

"I've played since I was five years old and just didn't want to give it up," Kasey said. "Now I'm done forever."

How do you measure a player's heart? Their passion? Their love of the game? You watch someone like Kasey Tweed.