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Humphrey's Hoops Career Is On Hold

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By JENNA MARINA, Tribune correspondent

Published: January 29, 2008

GAINESVILLE - When Florida forward Dan Werner strolled into the training room to get taped before the Gators' game Sunday against Vanderbilt, he was shocked to see his former road-game roommate, Lee Humphrey, standing there - especially without his hair.

Humphrey impulsively decided Saturday that he wanted to fly to Gainesville to visit his girlfriend and some friends and to check out the team, so he hopped on a plane and made it into town at 2 a.m.

"It was just awesome to see Lee," Werner said. "I see he shaved his head. That's pretty wild. I like it, though."

Humphrey, who holds the Florida record (288) and NCAA Tournament record (47) for career 3-pointers, returned home to Maryville, Tenn., two days before Christmas after he was released from the Greek team PAOK.

The Greek league allows only two American players per team, and when PAOK felt it needed a point guard, Humphrey was cut for former Loyola (Md.) player Jason Rowe.

Humphrey said he had a lot to adjust to while overseas, from the style of play to the culture. The play is a lot more physical and losing games was something new.

"We struggled. We weren't doing that well, which was a difficult change for me," Humphrey said.

Then came his living environment. Humphrey arrived in Greece on Aug. 26 to a non-air-conditioned condominium, and temperatures climbed to 104 degrees.

In order to sleep, Humphrey removed the mattress from his bed frame and stuck it in front of his balcony on the floor. Sheets and a comforter were out of the question.

Travels to China and Brazil while he was in college with the Sports Reach program helped Humphrey adjust more quickly to the culture, but he admitted that the language barrier was sometimes too much to overcome.

"Greek is hard," he said. "I was only there for four months. I can say a few phrases, and I picked up some stuff from the guys in the locker room. There was a few times, though, that I just had to resort to waving my hands."

Still, Humphrey enjoyed the four months he spent living in Greece.

He said he could see Mount Olympus from his balcony on a clear day, and he enjoyed immersing himself in the sites, not to mention the cuisine.

Humphrey said Greek salad was his favorite dish. But it's not like the American kind, and he apparently liked it so much that he could rattle off all the ingredients by memory during the phone interview - onions, tomatoes, olive oil ...

While he was overseas, he missed out on receiving his national championship ring at an on-field ceremony when Florida's football team hosted Tennessee on Sept. 15.

Although Humphrey regretted his absence, his parents accepted the ring on his behalf. His mother had her cell phone on during the presentation so her son could listen to the applause on the other end.

Humphrey finally saw the ring when he came home - "it's really big" - and his parents keep it locked away in a safety deposit box with the rest of his championship jewelry.

Humphrey said he would like to continue playing overseas, and he is hoping that he will find a team to play for within the next week

"I'm not picky," Humphrey said. "I'll play for anyone."

GATORS AMONG TOP 25: Florida broke into the rankings Monday for the second time this season, but the Gators will have to see if they can hold onto their place for more than a week this time around.

The Gators are No. 20 and No. 19 in the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today polls, respectively, after downing Vanderbilt 86-64 on Sunday. The Commodores fell from No. 14/13 to No. 19/18.

UF was ranked in mid-November at No. 25 but dropped out after losing at home to Florida State.

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