SEYMOUR, Ind. -- With a buzzer-beating floater by Warren Central's David Bell, New Albany senior guard Romeo Langford's Indiana high school basketball career came to an abrupt and heartbreaking end Saturday evening as the Bulldogs fell to the Warriors 64-62 in semi-state.
Langford, a five-star recruit and Rivals' No. 6 player nationally, finished with 35 points in the loss, enough to put him over 3,000 in the final chapter of his storied four years.
"It was a lot of fun, and I wouldn't trade it for the world," Langford said of his four years at New Albany. "It didn't end the way we wanted to, but I'm still proud."
Whenever a player's career ends in any sport, at any level, reflection in the immediate aftermath of said ending is difficult with so many emotions and thoughts to process in a state of shock like that.
And there was a lot for Langford to process.
He became just the fourth player in Indiana high school basketball history to finish his career with more than 3,000 career points, hitting 3,002 on Saturday to join Bedford North Lawrence's Damon Bailey (3,134), Lewisville High School's Marion Pierce (3,019) and Fort Wayne Bishop Luers' Deshaun Thomas (3,018).
He also helped head coach Jim Shannon and the Bulldogs go 100-10 in a four-year span that also included a state championship, a regional semifinals appearance and a regional finals appearance in addition to the semi-state appearance on Saturday.
"That's not bad," Shannon said. "Those two (Langford and senior guard Sean East) had tremendous careers, a tremendous impact on a lot of people that probably won't be felt in this state for a long, long time. It'll be a long time before we get another one like that."
Langford's meteoric rise captured the attention of hoops fans across the basketball-crazed state.
Seymour High School's Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium - capacity 8,110 - had standing room only Saturday night. It was the third weekend in a row New Albany played there, and all three of the Bulldogs' games were sold out. During the regular season, teams who hosted the Bulldogs on the road had to put ticket distribution plans in place as far back as 10 days in advance, such as when Carmel hosted New Albany on Dec. 16.
His chase of Bailey's all-time scoring record only accelerated the demand to see the once-in-a-generation talent, but New Albany was so successful during the regular season it secured a bye in sectionals - the beginning of postseason play - and resulted in Langford needing to average 47 points per game with seven games at most remaining.
Langford concluded his senior season scoring a career-best 1,012, surpassing the 845 he scored as a sophomore. He averaged a state-best 37.5 points per game across New Albany's 27 games this season.
"I"m going to remember everything I went through with this school," Langford said. "We just came up short."
Even in defeat, Langford was gracious with his time.
After cooling off in the locker room, he walked outside to greet an line of fans who stretched the length of a high school basketball court baseball and were eager for his autograph. He posed for pictures and signed for them just like he did for 100s of others after the Bulldogs' home and away games this year.
"In society, it's really difficult in this world for people to get put up on a pedestal like that. Very often they fall of it sooner or later. He doesn't seem to do that ever," Shannon said. "Never seen him mess up in an interview or signing autographs after a game, going to visit wherever we visit. I mean, he goes all kinds of places and stays after to sign autographs for an hour, sometimes an hour and a half, get back late and he never complained.
"All the attention he's received and he's still 'Yes sir, no sir,' polite to people. People really like him, even the opponents really like him. He's easy to like.
"But he's a competitor. He does not like to lose. Sometimes people think that because he doesn't wear it on his sleeve or doesn't say anything that he's kind of laid-back. He's not. His inner drive is pretty strong. This will drive him. It will make him better down the road. It's been wonderful to have him. It really has."
Langford signed his last autograph, then made his way over to his family nearby.
Multiple high school all-star games, including a pair with Shannon as head coach of the Indiana All-Stars later this summer, and a college decision await.
"I can't put into words what it's been like to have him," Shannon said. "It's been a coach's dream to coach somebody like that."
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