University of South Carolina Libraries
*■“** USC Schedule ■ Men’s soccer at UNC, Saturday ■ Rugby vs. Furman, Saturday Top recruit commits to Carolina by Jeff Romig Special to The Gamecock In 1995, there was talk of Kevin Gar nett combining with BJ McKie to be the Gamecocks’ saviors. Nope. The next year, Eau Claire’s Jermaine O’Neal was supposed to fill that role. Think again. Wfednesday, Eddie Fogler scored what could be his most highly touted recruit when Lower Richland High School’s Rolando Howell gave his verbal commit ment to play for the Gamecocks. “I have a lot of confidence, in myself and in the program, that in the next two to three years, we will be good,” How ell said. Howell has proved, thus far, that he is as good as advertised. In 1998, he helped lead the Diamonds (28-3) to the South Carolina Class AAAA state championship and a No. 15 nation al ranking by USA Today. Howell had narrowed his choices to USC and Kentucky before making his fi nal decision. “I knew that USC was the best place for me to come,” Howell said. “Ken tucky’s a really nice place, but there’s nothing like home. Nothing at all.” The State’s Fred Gonzalez said he thinks that Howell can be an impact play er for the Gamecocks, but he will have to switch positions to do so. “Rolando Howell is a very versatile 6-9 player who I believe could play pow er forward for USC next season,” Gon zalez said. “At the high school level, he is a dominant center, but in college, his mobility and skills which aren’t normal ly seen in a big man will be showcased.” Gonzalez said he thinks Howell can eventually move.into the starting line up to compliment the inside play of Tony Kitchings and Marius Petravicius. “His confidence level is very high, and I think that will also make just as much an impact as his play,” Gonzalez said. “He will earn the respect of his peers quickly, and I think a major reason he chose South Carolina was because he could enter with a laree sDlash.” Howell is confident in his ability to make an immediate impact, as well as his status as a top 10 recruit. “I may be one of the top prospects that USC has ever had, but I will take that into consideration when I go to the Uni versity of South Carolina and do the best I can,” Howell said. Howell is happy that he was able to make his decision early to take any pres sure off before his season starts. “My phone has been ringing off the hook the past two weeks, so I’m glad to get it over with,” Howell said. Now that Howell has made his ver bal commitment, he’s expected to sign a letter of intent during the Nov. 10-17 ear ly signing period. The only question cen ters around the length of his stay at USC. “The NBA isn’t out of the question, and Howell seems to believe that in two years, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities to be talking about the NB\,” Gonzalez said. “But he needs to finish his senior year in high school before he thinks that far ahead. He does have the talent, but to say he will be in the NBA is a bit premature.” USC rejects ‘Authority’ Sean Rayford photo editor Senior Herbert Lee Davis releases a shot Wednesday night against Court Authority. The Gamecocks won the exhibition game, 72-60, and will play LHhuania-Alita on Nov. 10 at Frank McGuire Arena. by Shawn Singleton Senior Writer The Gamecocks opened the 1999 2000 campaign with a 72-60 exhibi tion win over the Court Authority team. Junior David Ross and freshman Travis Kraft led USC with 11 points each, and sophomore Damien Kinloch added 10 points. Kraft and Ross each hit a trio of 3-pointers in 10 combined attempts. Coming off an 8-21 season, the Gamecocks won for the 25th time in 31 exhibition games all-time and their fifth in a row. Six different players saw action for the first time under Eddie Fogler ,as the Gamecocks played with seven freshmen and three sophomores. The freshmen combined for 23 points, 16 rebounds and 13 turnovers in their first college game, as 11 of the Gamecocks' 13 dressed players scored and all but two played at least 11 min utes. “I thought our unselfish play was good,” said Fogler, who is entering his seventh season as the head of the Game cock program. “We didn't take too many bad shots, but we got out-re bounded and turned the ball over some, and those things bothered me. But for the first exhibition game, it was pret ty much what I expected.” Vince Wilson led Court Authori ty, as well as all scorers, with 17 points, including a four-for-10 3-point shoot ing performance. Kenny Harris also added 15 and Dan Plondge scored 10 in the loss, which dropped Court Au thority to 0-2 on its 11-game tour of eastern colleges. The Gamecock defense forced Court Authority into 22 turnovers re sulting in 24 points. Court Authority was also held to 32.8 percent from the field, including a three-for-12 show ing from long range in the second half. USC shot 45.5 percent from the field and was nine-for-20 from beyond the arc. Last season, the Gamecocks finished last in the Southeastern Conference in these categories. They also committed 18 turnovers, six by freshman Chuck Eidson. However, Fogler was not discour aged by Eidson's errors. “I'm not concerned about Chuck's turnovers,” he said. “Not many kids his size can play point guard.” The Gamecocks scored on the opeiiing tip as sophomore point guard Aaron Lucas hit a wide open 3 pointer from the right corner. Lucas finished with five points and seven as sists in 24 minutes of play. “Aaron was a scorer in high school. Now he is learning to become a point guard on the SEC level,” Fogler said. The Gamecocks started slowly, but then went on a 12-0 run culminating with a David Ross turnaround jumper to open a 15-5 lead with 13:15 left in the first half. Fogler then substituted his five freshmen-Kraft, Marius Petravicius, Ivan Howell, Eidson and Calvin Clem mons. This was a recurring pattern throughout the contest as USC rotat ed freshmen and upperclassmen in sev en-minute intervals. Court Authority then went on a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to tie the game at 15, but Kraft's sec ond three-pointer gave the Gamecocks a 36-28 halftime lead. “Travis Kraft had a lot of open shots,” Fogler said. “Ivan is more of a slasher, but they’re all still inexperi enced. However, they didn't play bad ly for just two-and-a-half weeks of prac tice.” After the Gamecocks opened up a 10-point lead to start the second half, Court Authority went on a 19-6 run USC SEE PAGE 9 Gamecock golf looking for victory at Hilton Head by Michael Strickland Special to The Gamecock The No. 10 USC men’s golf team is on Hilton Head Island this weekend to compete in the prestigious Rolex/Golf World/Palmetto Dunes Col legiate Invitational, presented by Cleveland Golf. Thursday was reserved for prac tice rounds, while the 3-day event of ficially begins today with tee times starting at 8:00 a.m. As a team, Carolina is coming off the best 3-round tournament in school history. At the Red River Classic in mid-October, the Gamecocks tore up the Dallas Athletic Club with a 48-un der 816. That effort bested Carolina’s previous low of 845, set in 1997 at the Palmetto Classic. Overall, 10 teams in the Top 25 have made the trip to the Palmetto Dunes resort for this weekend’s' event. Meanwhile, six players ranked in the CGF’s individual Top 10 will al so be in action this weekend. South Carolina’s John Bloomfield is ranked 13th in the nation in that poll. Bloomfield, a junior from Kingston, Jamaica, is the Gamecock’s top per former of the fall season. After his in dividual medalist effort of 19-under 197 at the Taylor Made/Red River Clas sic, a school record, Bloomfield’s stroke average is down to 71.08. All 12 of his rounds have been counted toward the team total. His best round, 65, came in his Red River Classic win. Bloomfield is joined by senior All American Eric Ecker. Ecker is aver aging 72.17 strokes per round. He has carded two top 20 finishes. His low round of 66 came in Georgia at the Carpet Capital Classic. Junior All-American Kyle Thomp son has also started to swing a hot club as of late. At the Red River Classic, Thompson tied for 11th with two sub 70 rounds, including a season-low 64. That 64 is the second-lowest round in school history. Only David Seawell’s 63 at the 1996 Gator Invitational is better. Play this weekend is at the Arthur Hills Course in Palmetto Dunes, a par 72,6,651-yard course. Previous play ers to compete in this event include such notables as Tiger Woods, David Duval and Justin Leonard. Last year’s team champion was UNLV. Ondo named first-team All-SEC in women's soccer Sports Roundup The Gamecock Women’s Soccer Senior forward Jennie Ondo was named to first-team AU-Southeastem Conference on Wednesday, capping a strong final season at USC. The other members of tire team are: Florida’s Abby Wambach, Sarah Yohe, Keisha Bell and Heather Mitts; Ken tucky’s Annie Gage, Jen Reese and Al lison Peppers; Mississippi’s Jennifer Soileau; Vmderbilt’s Asta Helgadottir; and Alabama’s Rachel Brown. Senior midfielder Mindy Sanders was awarded a spot on the second team, along with: Tennessee’s Allison Camp bell and Kelly Berrall; Georgia’s Car olyn Gryard and Nicole Wiliams; Ken tucky’s Keri Boyce; Vanderbilt’s Kim Szurovy and Lindaliz Arauz; Arkansas’ Erin Sampson; Florida’s Danielle Mur phy; and Lousiana State’s Ashley Mit nick. Men’s Tennis Senior Jerome Jourdon, junior Guil laume Legat and freshman Robert Steck ley will represent USC’s men’s tennis squad over the weekend at the 1999 Top of the Hill/ITA South Atlantic Cham pionships. Jourdon, seeded No. 2, will face Tomas Miho of Charleston Southern. Legat, seeded No. 3, will take on Richmond’s Travis Wagner. Steckley will play Tomas Ibler of Hampton. The No. 2-seeded doubles team of Jourdon and Steckley will take on the team of Mule and Torres of UNC Greensboro. The Championships are through Monday at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center at the University of North Car olina. The top two finishers in both sin gles and doubles qualify for the 2000 Rolex National Indoor Championships. That tournament is the third leg of the ITA Grand Slam,' which is Feb. 3-6 in Dallas, Texas. Volleyball The USC volleyball team will host the Georgia Lady Bulldogs Satur day at 7 p.m. at tire Vblleyball Compe tition Facility. The game will be USC’s last regu lar-season home match. The St ate National Football Conference | East Division W L Home Road Div Str Washington 5 2 3-1 2-1 2-2 W-l Dallas 4 3 3-0 1-3 3-1 L-2 'New York Giants 4 3 2-1 2-2 2-2 W-2 Arizona 2 5 1-3 1-2 2-2 L-2 Philadelphia 2 6 1-3 1-3 1-3 L-2 Central Division Detroit 5 2 3-1 2-1 2-0 W-2 Green Bay 4 3 3-1 1-2 2-1 L-l Minnesota 4 4 2-2 2-2 1-3 W-2 Tampa Bay 3 4 2-1 1-3 0-2 W-l Chicago 3 5 2-2 1-3 1-0 L-3 West Division St. Louis 6 1 4-0 2-1 3-0 L-l San Francisco 3 4 2-1 1-3 1-2 L-3 Carolina 2 5 1-2 1-3 1-2 L-2 Atlanta 2 6 1-3 1-3 2-2 W-l New Orleans 1 6 1-3 0-3 1-2 L-6 American Football Conference East Division W L Home Road Div Str Miami 6 1 2-1 4-0 2-1 W-4 New England 6 2 3-1 3-1 2-1 W-2 Indianapolis 5 2 4-1 1-1 2-2 W-3 Buffalo 5 3 3-1 2-2 2-1 W-l New York Jets 1 6 0-4 1-2 0-3 L-3 Central Division Tennessee 6 1 4-0 2-1 4-0 W-3 Jacksonville 6 1 2-1 4-0 3-1 W-4 Pittsbuigh 4 3 1-2 3-1 3-1 W-2 Baltimore 2 5 1-3 1-2 1-2 L-4 Cincinnati 1 7 0-4 1-3 1-3 L-3 Cleveland 1 7 0-3 1-4 0-5 W-l West Division Kansas City 5 2 4-0 1-2 2-1 W-3 Seattle 5 2 2-1 3-1 1-1 W-2 San Diego 4 3 2-2 2-1 2-1 L-1 Oakland 4 4 2-2 2-2 0-2 L-l Denver 2 6 1-3 1-3 1-1 L-2 m t Thursday’s Top News • Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez voted MLB Associated Press Player of the Year • Michigan State voted preseason No. 1 in ESPN’s NCAA basketball poll • Colorado Avalanche trade Claude Lemieux to New Jersey Devils for Brian Ralston •Vijay Singh in first place after first round of American Express Championship •Milwaukee Brewers hire Davey Lopes as manager Todd Money Money in the Bank Bowls still don’t work 11 right, I’m fed up. Actually, I’ve been fed up for about 13 years. It was at least that long ago when I started looking through my big brothers’ magazines when they weren’t around. Not those kinds of magazines. Sports magazines. The first sport I was attracted to was football, the college variety. I’m not sure whether it was the colors or the action or the fact that the rest of my family laigely disappeared every fall Friday and Saturday, leaving me to be — yick! — babysat. But those ar ticles were so interesting. And they still are. But there’s still something about college football I just can’t be enthusiastic for, even after all those years. Why can’t college football have a playofiF system? It would be so easy. And so popu lar. And profitable, too. It would have to be. Let s see now, what are the rea sons the NCAA and college adminis trators have given us for not working this out? • It would conflict with exams. Suuuuure. Going by USC’s academic calendar, fall exams begin during the second week of December. Coinci dentally, nearly every college team plays its last regular-season game the last weekend of November. So if a foot ball playoff began that first weekend in December, would it really conflict that much with exams? And while we’re on this particu lar trip, what is it with college teams traveling to the cities of their bowl games to prepare a week in advance? Or even several days in advance? The reward of a bowl becomes a laid back tourist trip, a fact that, yes, does affect the quality of the subsequent bowl games. See the NFL’s Super Bowl and Pro Bowl for reference. • It would put the tradition of the bowl system in disrepair. Riiiiiight. How many people can name the offi cial titles of more than two bowl games? There is no Orange Bowl or Sugar Bowl or Citrus Bowl anymore because corporate sponsors have found ways to brand their own names into the games. And they change from year to year, making the whole process of fol lowing them all the more annoying. Once you sell out, you become nondescript. And tradition is out the window. • It wouldn’t make enough mon ey. This is the worst excuse. Does the term “March Madness” mean anything to you? When the NCAA picks the top 64 teams in the land to play in its post season tournament in the spring, chaos happens. The eyes of the sports world and its viewers become trans fixed on brackets for three weeks. With every game televised somewhere, the NCAA Tournament is the most-watched playoff of the year, and by far the most pnthrnllirur Fvprvnnp hac a fpum So turn that around and do some thing reasonably close with football, the countiy’s most popular sport. What do you have? The new most-watched plavoff event. The new most enthralline thing on TV for a few weeks. And all the money in the world. Just think, about it. The playoff could be made up of the top 16 teams from the poll of your choice or the Bowl Championship Series standings or whatever. Announce them on a TV show on Sunday afternoon on the last weekend of the regular season, and watch the money flow in. The rest is simple. Split the games between Fridays and Saturdays, so every game can be televised. Follow basket ball’s system, because it works, and lay the teams out in four regions. Make sure teams don’t get to play in their home stadiums. If we started this year, the first round could be played on the week end of Dec. 3, with the champi onship game being on the weekend of... Dec. 24? Perfect. Or if you had five rounds, with 32 teams, the play offs could end just before New Year’s Day. And that would give us a lot more time to enjoy the NFL playoffs, which, of course, mean everything. So why can’t it be done? Basketball, you can’t have it all.