Syracuse, N.Y. - He wore a black hoodie, the words "My last year being broke!" spelled out across his chest in white block letters.
When people see Elijah Hughes in that shirt, they automatically assume the words reference pending financial windfall. And Hughes, a genial sort, understands why people would leap to that interpretation.
But "broke" for Hughes means something deeper, something "spiritual" as he puts it. The Syracuse guard/forward spent last year in basketball purgatory. A transfer from East Carolina, he was forced to sit out the season because of NCAA rules.
So Hughes spent last season practicing, watching and agonizing.