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TH#%AMECOCK SPfPTS Page 12 kJl W l ± kj Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2006 Katie Kirkland/ THE GAMECOCK Sophomore guard Stephen McDowell looks up court in USC’s 68-62 win against Florida last Wednesday. “My favorite verse is, 'Whateveryou do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men ... YColossians 3:23). As long as that re mains my motivation, I can always work hard. ” — Stephen McDowell Sophomore guard talks about life as Gamecock Todd 6reen THE GAMECOCK USC sophomore guard Stephen McDowell had a breakout performance this past summer. Playing for the Score International Team in Germany with fellow Gamecock teammate RenaldoBalkman, McDowell scored 30 points against the German team and 21 against the Russian squad. Thinking back on his cross-continent voyage, it wasn’t anything that happened on the court that stuck out in McDowell’s mind, it was something he noticed about the famous German auto industry. “My most memorable moment was seeing a Mercedes Benz trash truck.” McDowell said. “They had Mercedes Benz’ over there for everything — taxi-drivers — it was just a normal car over there. That was crazy to me; to see the trash men pull up in a Benz. I never would have expected that.” Traveling the globe is something the second-year finance student would like to do again in the future. “I think I’d like to go visit Africa once.” McDowell said. “Really I haven’t even thought about a specific place, just to go. I can remember my great-grandparents; they went and took a trip there before and came back telling me so much.” “I’ve been hearing a lot lately about people doing missionary work, going overseas. That’s something I’d like to do, to go to a country I’ve never thought of and teach them about Jesus. It’s something I’d like to do when I get older at least once.” McDowell credits his faith as a major inspirational source in his life — on the basketball court and off. A perennial member of the Dean’s List and President’s List with a 3.7 grade-point-average, McDowell can often be found working on his game at 5:30 in the morning at the basketball facility. “My motivation comes from the Lord,” McDowell said. “My favorite verse is, ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men ...’ (Colossians 3:23). As long as that remains my motivation I can always work hard.” McDowell’s biggest hero is Martin Luther King Jr. While most students had a day off with the observance of the Martin Luther King holiday, the USC basketball team was hard at work preparing for the SEC schedule. Still, McDowell made sure to keep MLK on his mind. “It was something I definitely took some time to reflect about,” McDowell said. McDowell is not your typical college student. Most see him as reserved and quiet. Fame and fortune is not something that interests him. “I’m more of a low-key kind of guy, so that kind of stuff, out in the bright lights, that’s not for me.” McDowell said. “Humble, relaxed, I don’t make a lot of noise; that’s how I am. I’ve pretty much always been like that, I mean, sometimes with my family I’m a comedian, but other than that, outside of there, I’m just real low-key and relaxed.” “I think the people fllcDOIllELL • 13 Time’s up for nation’s recruits Recruiting trail comes to end as prospects put pens to paper HJ Bembry STAFF WRITER Today is the day many college football fans have been waiting for since the regular season ended more than two months ago. It is national signing day, a time when high school seniors across the country officially announce which college they will attend in the fall. For USC coach Steve Spurrier and the rest of the Carolina coaching staff, today is the culmination of months of work, phone calls and visits to recruits’ homes. While many recruits have known for weeks, even months, where they are planning to enroll, there are always a handful of blue chip prospects who will wait until the very last moment to make their decisions. Richland Northeast’s Adam Patterson, a 6 foot-3-inch defensive tackle, was considering the Gamecocks but announced his commitment to Michigan on Tuesday. Patterson had scholarship offers from nearly every major school in the eastern U.S., including Auburn, Michigan, N.C. State, Tennessee and Penn State. Last year, Carolina landed a major coup when tight end Jonathan Hannah signed with the Gamecocks after having previously committed to coach Frank Beamer’s Virginia Tech Hokies. Hannah has since decided to transfer from USC. Defensive lineman Olufemi Ajiboye, from College Park, Ga., had committed to Carolina after his official visit in mid January. He has changed his mind, opting for Beamer and company in Blacksburg, Va. Several analysts say his mind is still not made up, but for now it looks as if the Hokies have taken an early Carolina commitment. Massive Lake Worth, Fla., defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis recently committed to USC. The 6-foot-5-inch, 318-pound Ellis verbally committed to Carolina on Monday. He chose the Gamecocks over Florida, Rutgers and Michigan. “I will be signing with the Gamecocks on Wednesday,” Ellis told GamecockCentral. com. “I chose South Carolina because I believe in coach Spurrier, and I believe he’s going to get it done up there.” RECRUIT • 13 4 Show of solidarity should get fans on The Bus bandwagon Fan favorite, all-time great deserves to go out on highest note The hype has begun. Fans are starting to chatter. The Super Bowl is less than a week away. And even though its cliche, at this point its all ALEX I’ve got to RILEY write about Second-year — Jerome print Bettis journalism deserves to student have a Super Bowl ring. Lets look at the ficts: The Super Bowl is in Detroit, Bettis’ hometown and the place he still calls home. The title of the game is Super Bowl XL (40). XL is a polite term to call Bettis. This could be the final game for The Bus, who is looking to retire on the highest note in the sport of pro football. Added to all of that, Bettis is a future Canton inductee, one of the top rushers in NFL history and one of the toughest players to ever play the game. BRQ0ITI • 13