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THB^AMECOCK spo >ts Friday, Dec. 2,2005 ^3 -L V_3 _ L -L k3 Page 11 Last hurrah brings back thoughts of joy, sorrow After witnessing all USC has to offer, I’m ready for some sleep I have the worst job in the world. Every day I get up and attempt to fulfill my duties as a full-time student in a major that to be completely honest is a pain in _v the neck. Then after I am finished with my classes I come up to ' the third floor JoTIdthdll of the Russell Hlllydrd House and Third-year spend the rest electronic of the day at a place where I have spent so much time I could establish an in-state residency using its address. rrom aDoui z p.m. until the early-morning hours, I am working endlessly to produce a section in the paper that many of you pick up only to do the crossword puzzle that keeps you occupied in your boring statistics class — the same paper some of you tirelessly bash without knowing all the time and effort that people just like you spend putting it together. So needless to say, sleep has not been a very common practice for me during the last two years. On more than one occasion, I have had to get out of bed and make phone calls to find out which student-athlete got arrested and why. 1 have suffered through more than a dozen arrests in less than a year and have watched my beloved Gamecock football team lose talent not to graduation, not to the NFL, but to the slammer. I he hardest part about my job is the heartbreak. When you talk to guys on a team every single day, you can’t help but go through everything they go through. I spent two football seasons watching as the Gamecocks broke my heart time and time again. I was there for the 63-17 debacle. I was on the field when Ole Miss converted a fourth down from the 30-yard line to upset USC on its Homecoming. I was courtside when Dave Odom’s team blew a 17 point, second-half lead to lose to a top-25 Florida team and when they shot less than 30 percent from the free throw line in a loss to, yeah that’s right, Clemson. I was on the field when Syvelle Newton was punched in the face mask, starting the most embarrassing display of “but he started it” crap I have ever seen. I was in the room when Mike McGee said there would be no bowl game. Basically, in the last two years I have experienced more devastation than any sports fan should in a lifetime. Then, just to relive it, I get to write about it. But in my last day as sports editor of The Gamecock, it is all becoming clear to me. As much heartbreak as I’ve gone through, it’s been a pretty good ride. I was courtside when the student body stormed the court after a win against No. 3 Kentucky. I was in the room when the same Mike HILLVflRD • 12 * * wimyiieu uy uuiiduidii nmydtn sports editor . Mmmmmmmum Best Quote Na'Shan Goddard A J senior-ou,side '''Whacker This is basically a career award for Goddard, who is the definition of a reporters go-to-guy. Last season, Goddard compared going from Holtz to Spurrier to moving from J. Lo to Halle Berry. This season, the classic quote from the big fella was when he was addressing a question about the cockiness of Spurrier. "Were not as good as bis other teams right notv. When you have a ' ^eat team y°u can ^oast’ * Goddard said. u When you have a fine IMS girlfriend, you can brag. If not, you say she's intelligent." _Play of the Year Chris Tucker senior, defensive tackle Tucker’s interception and 48-yard return through more than half the . Florida team in the First quarter against Florida takes the cake. The play set the tone for a 20-3 Carolina lead, and rhe Gamecocks never trailed afterwards. 1 Worst Quote Blake Mitchell sophomore, quarterback Mitchell could be the least enthusiastic football player alive when it comes to post-practice interviews. But hey, a Steve ”, Spurrier quarterback should be. Just smile, s$y you’re taking it one game at a time and leave the tough ones up to coach. Nicely | done Blake. ’ H — : | Most Outstanding Player 1 OFFENSE Sidney Rice freshman, wide receiver This hardly needs any explanation. Rice probably could have won every award on this list. His record-breaking season was fun to watch, and the simple fact of the matter is that no defense could stop him. If he stays at Carolina all four years, he could leave as one of the greatest in Gamecock history. 11 ! "Guess who’s pulling tor Auburn now." After a win against his alma mater, coach Steve Spurrier said, “The headline in the Florida paper should be, ‘Guess who’s pulling for Auburn now.”’ That tidbit of cockiness is what made 1 Spurrier one of the most hated coaches in ^menca^in^^^ I Most Outstanding Player I DEFENSE | I Johnathan Joseph/p Fred Bennett B juniors, cornerbacks Iglf u This duo had big expectations coining into the season and . F ■1 got off to a slow start. But as the season wore on, Joseph and P Bennett showed why they could be argued as the best cornerback tandem in the SEC. With four and three Hi interceptions respectively and the demonstration of superb pppy open-field tackling, Carolina fans should be excited to see this pair back in 2006. ? MVP OFFENSE Blake Mitchell sophomore. quarterback We ail saw what happened | when the Gamecocks were f. without Mitchell, and it is * safe to say we don’t want to 1 see that again. While not * the most talented, Mitchell | is the most valuable piece | in the Cock V Fire offense. • £ v .-.- ------ Biggest Surprise OFFENSE I Syvelle Newton • junior. If quarterhack/funning back/wide receiver While we knew he was talented, nobody could have predicted that Newton'would have the impact he did against Vanderbilt at three ■ >; different positions. Should he recover from a v-o torn Achilles, he will be a potent weapon for 11 Carolina in 2006. * % --——-—-—— MVP DEFENSE Ko Simpson sophomore, rover o j / Y, While he didn’t have the X interceptions he did as a • . ; freshman, Simpson was USC’s top playmaker again in 2005. Leading 'y the team in tackles is just the start ofhts > ■ v, contribution. Can you ' •- yfi count how many times he gave up a touchdown? ^_: Most Improved FFENS E Mike ; Davis X freshman, running back H-existent in the first half of the season, | e win at Tennessee and was a different | e season. Davis brought much needed : offense rhat was becoming rather one- f irs left, he could become a staple in the | amecock offense. Biggest Surprise K DEFENSE % Dustin & Jordin Lindsey sophomores, middle linebacker k defensive end * i The numbers don’t lie. When both Lindsey twins start, the Gamecocks don’t lose. While they aren’t the biggest, strongest or fastest, the Lindseys bring the smarts and passion that coaches want out of all their football players. I On/ Lambert f' senior, Mp defensive end. 1 Lambert spent most of his career as a linebacker, but his move kf/ W *4 to defensive end this season helped him become a big parr of an |||||| . " ! '■ 4 SEC sack-leading defense. Hb inrerception against Arkansas ||§fgf | ^ 1 and play against Florida are big reasons why the Gamecocks are l||||i s bowl bound. glral -----*-’ Carolina blows past UNC Greensboro Gamecocks notch fifth win of season knocking off Spartans in Columbia dlichael Aguilar FOR TP GAMECOCK The Gamecocks are in the middle of their non-conference schedule, and as is customary, some of these games are big time mismatches. UNC Greensboro fit right into this mold, as the Gamecocks scored the first basket and 0-0 was the closest Greensboro would be to leading the game as the Gamecocks won 77-55 on Wednesday. The biggest mismatch that faced the Spartans was Carolina senior guard Tarence Kinsey, who ran off screens, created his & own shot, took outlet passes and found any other way possible to put up 20 points. Two of those came off an alley oop play that displayed the pure athleticism that has characterized Kinsey’s USC career. Carolina jumped to an early lead, as its solid coaching and talent came out in full force early. The score was 21-7 with 14:31 left to play in the first half. The Gamecocks were moving the game at a high speed; they had already taken the ball away from the Spartans three times. As the game slowed down, the Spartans managed to make what could be considered a small comeback and shortened the lead to 12 before the end of the second half. USC did not let up though. As the second half started, the Gamecocks were sparked by the aggressive defense of junior forward Renaldo Balkman and junior guard Tre’ Kelley, who combined for nine of the Gamecocks 15 steals. “We got out to a quick start and it’s easy to let up on a team when you are winning by a certain amount of points,” Kinsey said. “The coaches kept us levelheaded, and they wanted us to continue to play like we did.” Carolina did finish strong BASKETBALL • IB ♦ Katit Kirkland/ T11K UAMW:<)(;K Junior forward Tarence Kinsey shoots against UNC Greensboro. 4> ,*