The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 17, 1971, Page Page 6, Image 6
By Teddy
Sports I
Oh. No! Not again. Everytime
the USC basketball program starts
to really go well "hmeone gets hurt
and things don't *ork out. Kevin
-loyce. the best sophomore in the
nation. may well miss the whole
season aitter an operation last night
to remove a blood clot in his leg.
Joyce has aided the Carolina
cause immensely and without him
Frank McGuire is going to have to
Kevin Joyce
change some of his plans.
With .Joyce gone only two battle
Iestpd guards remain-,-Bob Carver
and .ohn Roche. Casey Manning
has not seen as much action this
year as .lcGuire had hoped and
theref ore may not be ready to step
in during the ACC.strech drive that
is coming up. Hut it seems he's
going to have to.
It all started when a fellow
named .like Grosso stuck his
hand thr(W h a window he was
trying to se way back in 196w.
Grosso was only a freshman so
things didn't seem to he that bad.
except .lcGuire was worried about
the action he would miss. Ex
perience is valuable.
Tlhen Grosso. who was supposed
to team with the Four liourseman
Skip Hlarlicka. Gary Gregor.
Frank Standard and 4.Jack
Thompsoni to giv-e ('NC its
great est b)asketbhail tharn ever.
t wisted a knece going up for a
layuip In a practice scrimmage at
the start or his sophomore year. As
it turned out though. that didn't
hurt very much because Grosso
wvas ruled ineligble and couldn't
play. (Ph. yes, by the way. Grosso
transferred to L ouisville and led
them to the NIT while earning All
America honors. Carolina had to
1b content with upsetting I)uke
and( '.' when the two were
ranked second in the nation.
A n'2 sophomore by the name of
I obby (remins replaced Grosso
andl teamed with the Four lIpr
seman. ('remins carried over to
the present crop that was picked to
f inished seventh in the ACC that
yea.r. Tlhat was when .Iohn Itoche.
.lTom 4 wens and .Iohn lRibock were
sophomores. There was another
soph that year---Hilly Walsh.
Walsh wasn't a real high scorer
a he seemed to always come up
jtIk th~iteh hasket, something
1k
Heffner
Editor
season. He complemented Roche
perfectly. Roche averaged 23.2 per
game, Walsh about 13. But when
that key basket needed making
and the defenses cheated totvard
Roche Walsh would pop in that
long bank shot.
The Gamecocks were the cin
derella team of the nation that
year as they set the basketball
tans btuzzing. There was only one
problem ---no depth. The starting
live usually went the distance.
The Gamecocks finished the
regular season with a 19-5 record.
won the first game of the ACC
tourney before losing to Duke in
the semifinals and was invited to
the NIT in New York with a 20-6
mark
Carolina easily outlasted
Southern Illinois in the opening
round but in between games it
happened again. Walsh was going
into the New Yorker Hotel on 34th
Street when he got his leg caught
in a revolving door. The leg was
cut and. you guessed it. Billy
couldn't play against Army in the
second round.
The Cadets were the number one
team in the nation in defense and
Carolina was number two. But.
without Walsh. the Gamecocks
were playing at a definite han
dicap. The Army didn't help
matters by playing excellently.
Army coach Bill Knight called the'
win one of the greatest in Cadet
history but Carolina missed
another chance to really step into
the National limelight.
- Roche had developed iit, a
bonafide All-America by this time
andl he led th6 Gamecocks last
year to their best season ever. The
Gamecocks lost only twice in
regular season play. They were
ranked number two in the nation.
'hen came Russian Roulette in
the ACC tournament. Clemson
ihrew one of the finest game pians
of the year at the Gamecocks as
the Tigers took just 15 shots from
he floor. Tlhey hit 14. all layups.
t'S(' was lucky to take a :34-33,
win. Then in t he semifinals' Roche
was -Ideled while driving for a
layup. alter the game had' been
decided. Roch's ankle was placed
in a cast and the superstar was
doubt lul starter tor the ACC
championship game against N.C.
State
Some 'experts' said Roche
wouildn't even dress out, hut he
(did, lie didn't start but he was in
I here b)elore long and led the
;am(e.oc'ks to an 11 point lead in
t he l irst halt. Then Carolina went
into a zone'. State refused to play
and t 'SN came out --'it prov'ed
latal. State came back in double
overtime' to take a 42-39 w'in.
TIhe loss didn 't sit well with ('S('
and the Gamecocks wecre intent on
avenging the loss this season.
And now. Tlhings look bleak with
-Ioye'e rest ing in a hospit al bed w'ith
st it ches in his leg. The pressure is
on (e'eryone butt more than anvone
it is on old relia ble Roche and new.
Mreen sophomore .\anning. Tihe
IWo must ('ome thr'ough it the
GamecI'(ocks are tO) w~ind up w'here
di ve
Ky T'eddy -HefIner
Spmorts Editor
'SC'S Gamecick s begin an ACC
stretch driVe tonight at the
Coliseum against N.C. State
without one of their most. potent
weapons.
Supesoph Kevin Joyce will not
suit lip for the game. Joyce is still
stiffering from a blood clot in his
leg.
Carolina. 14-4 overall andl 5-4 in
the ACC. will start either John
Itibock or Rick Aydlett in Joyce's
place. Ribock was a starter until
Coach Frank McGuire decided
that a pressing defense was in
order .to offset opponents attempts
to hold the ball. Bob Carver
since filled the bill.
The next 10 days will go a long
way in determining the seedings
lor the ACC tournament March 11
1:3. After the N.C. State game USC
plays UNC and Wake. Forest in
conference action. Powerful
Houston is in for a non-conference
game. Carolina goes to State next
Wednesday and to Wake Forest
March 6th.
State comes to town with an 11-8
overall mark and a 4-4 ACC slate.
The Wollpack upset USC last year
in the ACC tournament after
superstar John Roche was injured
the night before. Carolina won the
other two meetings 71-69 and 85-69.
Carolina led by as many as 30
points in the second encounter.
The Wolfpack are led by 6-9 Paul
Coder, a second team All-ACC last
season. and 6-5 Ed Leftwich. Coder
is the number two scorer and the
number one rebunder. He is hitting
the boards for 9.2 rebounds a game
and is scoring. almost exclusively
fri-m the inside at a 15.9 pace.
leftwich. who came up with a
big steal and the go ahead basket
in the tourney last year, is the top
scorer with a 16.5 average. Left
wich is the number three
rebounder with a 5.0 mark.
The Wolfpack have had a
disappointing season but they have
gotten unexpected help from their
sophomore crop. Bob Heuts, 6-7,
1 5 Rick Holdt and (1-2 Bill Benson
have performed well for Norman
Sloan's club.
lieuts is t'he number four scorer
wit h a 1.7 mark w'hile he is pulling
dlown 5.1 rebounds per outing.
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Holdt .is capable of exploding as
his 28 points against West Virginia
shows.
State reserves who see plenty of
action are 6-6 Dan Wells, 6-1 Al
Ileartly. a starter last year, Joe
)unning, Jim Risinger, Doug.
Tilley and Ron Lovisa.
Ctrolina is still led in the scoring
column by 6-3 All-America John
Roche. Roche is hitting 21.8 per
game and has recorded 83 assists
thus far. Roche is one of the top
free throw shooters in the nation
with a .67 mark.
-Junior center Tom Riker is the
number two scorer with 15.2
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Joyce
average. Riker is also pulling down
9.:! rebbunds a contest. 'the 6-10
lilcksville, N.Y.. product has
experienced foul trouble lately but
is an effective inside Shooter and
an effective outsikshooter when
he Is in the game.
Tom Owens is the third leading
scorer with a 14.8 average and is
pulling down 11.3 rebounds a
game. Carver is averaging 6.1,
Aydlett 5.5 and Ribock 1.9. Seven
foot center Danny Traylor has seen
a lot of action lately and i
averaging 1.6. Casey Manning will
probably see more action, due to
the injury of Joyce.
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