Carvie Upshaw
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame
Basketball, 1985-89
University of New Orleans
In 1985, the University of New Orleans was playing at Lakefront Arena for the third year.
The men’s basketball program was on the verge of turning the corner to become an NCAA tournament team under Benny Dees, who came on board.
The women’s basketball program was solid but needed one big, missing piece to become an NCAA tournament team under Joey Favaloro, who served as the head coach from 1980-2004, winning 382 games.
Enter Carvie Upshaw from Brandon High in Tampa, Florida as Favaloro was able to convince the talented high school senior to fend off significant overtures from Florida and Florida State to make her way to New Orleans.
Wins, records, and many, many great games and memories followed, thanks to the talented center performing brilliantly.
“I am so pleased to have made the decision to play at UNO,” Upshaw said. “I recall many things from UNO and once I saw the list of records of everything that have my name on it, I was a bit shocked. A lot of that, I didn’t even know about it. After all these years, it is amazing and enlightening to me to be able to actually see everything written down. I shared it with my family and it was heartwarming.”
There were a few special moments which stand out for Upshaw from her days as a player.
Photo Courtesy of UNO Athletics
“Going to the NCAA Tournament, winning the tournament we played in when we played in Alaska were special memories,” Upshaw said. “I remember when we went to California twice. We did so much as a team. I have a lot of great memories as a team. I took a lot of pictures. I remember the wall by the locker room with all the records on there. It was humbling to see my name.”
Favaloro had the pleasure of coaching Upshaw at UNO.
“Carvie was our first dominant big player,” Favaloro said. “She was the first at six-foot-five or above and she had the ability to dominate the game at both ends of the floor. She was very easy to work with, very easy to coach. She was well-coached and well-prepared in high school so the transition was pretty easy. It was a lot of fun working with her. I really enjoyed working with her. She had a disposition about her that made it very easy to work with her.”
It did not take long for Upshaw to make her mark.
As a freshman, Upshaw earned Freshman All-American honors in 1986.
By her sophomore season, Upshaw averaged 18.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, leading the team then known as the Buc-kettes to a 25-7 record and their first and still only appearance in the NCAA tournament.
Upshaw guided UNO to the Women’s NIT in her junior season as well, one of only two NIT appearances in program history as Upshaw was named an honorable mention All-American as New Orleans won 25 games again.
In her senior season, Upshaw was named third-team All-American.
Upshaw earned All-Louisiana honors three times, scoring 1,759 points.
Upshaw remains the all-time leader in rebounds in UNO history with 1,124 and is first all-time in blocks with 492. Upshaw also remains the all-time leader in triple-doubles with three in UNO history. Upshaw is second all-time in field goals with 723, ranks second in field goal percentage (.556) and third in career scoring average (14.8) and third in points scored (1,759).
Upshaw helped lead the Privateers to 82 victories, the best four-year stretch in program history.
Upon graduating, Upshaw went on to play professionally overseas and became the first female to play in the all-male Polish league.
Upshaw ranks among the best ever to play for the Privateer women.
“We had many big wins with her and she was the primary reason we won,” Favaloro said. “She made others around her better. We had a very good group to play around her. She was a joy to work with. Carvie was as good as any player, if not the best player, I ever coached at UNO. She would be right there. I was so blessed to have her.”
A humble person, Upshaw has never forgotten her days in New Orleans.
“New Orleans holds a special place in my heart,” Upshaw said. “Many of my teammates get together for reunions. It is special. So many of us are really close, to this day. I always felt that I never accomplished much. To be able to be recognized for my playing days, it is totally an honor to know that I left a mark in New Orleans and that the people remember me.”
Story by Ken Trahan of the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee
