Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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- Hattei BY BILL GRANT Sports News Editor After winning 41 games and appearing in postseason NCAA col lege division tournament play the previous two years, the Stetson Hat ters deceided to take the big step and try their luck in the University Division. Hampered by injuries, inexperi ence, and the lack of a talented big man, the Hatters finished 6-20 for * the year, only their second losing season in twenty years. Coach Glenn Wilkes expects the 72-73 quintent to be much stronger but the schedule has also grown in strength, making the prospects again dim for a Hatter winning sea son. The Hatters will face such national powers as Florida State, Jacksonville, Georgia Tech, Marshall and Oklahoma. "We will be the quickest of any Stetson team since I've been coach Mi//s, V pace Eac BY BILL GRANT Sports News Editor Gerogia Southern basketball has finally reached the big leagues. The Eagles, similar to the Stetson Hat ters, after many successful years in the NAIA and NCAA. Small Col lege Divisions have finally scaled the pinnacle to the NCAA Univer sity Division. Lasy year's 17-9 record in Geor gia Southern's first season of University Division competition will be hard to match--due to what is being touted as the toughest schedule in the schools history. However, head coach J. E. Rowe feels that the personnel strength of the 1972-73 team is stronger. Heading the returnees are juniors To /e do the typical big, muscular center. He shoots from the outside and his rebounding is not that awesome. He doesn't overpower anybody, but he finesses his way to points and rebounds. He probably remembers the USC Toledo game last year. In the first - half Tom Riker and Danny Traylor dominated him completely. He had * four points in the half. His stats at the end of the game were respect able, 21 points, but he got most of his points against the USC sub stitutes. Kozeldo definitely did not have the night of an All-America candidate, which he is professed to be. TIhis year he'll probably want to make a better showing against the Gamecocks. The rest of the Toledo team has the job of feeding the ball to Kozelko. The guards-John Hlodak, Bob Conroy and Rich Davie- don't do much at all offensively, except for bringing the ball up the court and giving the ball to Kozelko as fast as they can. Collect ively those three averaged less than four points a * game. The returning forwards-Mac Otten, Mike Parker and Bob Repp -shoot a little more than the guards. Together they averaged around 18 a game. They try to help out with the rebounding and do a pretty good job. But they are all in the 6-5 height range and that's not too good when you're playing for wards as tall as your center. A ray of hope for TIoledo is a sophomore forward named Jim Brown. He's 6-8, a sophomore and scored 15 points and pulled 15 -hopes ing here," said Wilkes, starting his sixteenth year at the helm of the Hatters. "And with shooters like Denton Jones, J. C. Bridges and Billy Williams, scoring will not be a major problem." Wilkes figures the youth of his squad will be another advantage for the Hatters. "Many of our key players are underclassmen and I've never seen a group more eeager for varsity competition." Stetson returns five letterman from last season--Barry Faith, Louis Williams, Anthony Hill, Leslie Yother and Cliff White--but Faith was the only one to score in double figures, averaging only 10.1 ppg for the season. Wilkes pins his hopes for a winn ing season in 72-73 primarily on two highly recruited junior college players, a transfer guard, and three standouts from last year's frosh team. The junior college players--6-6 Vallace ;Ie attack Johnny Mills and Richard Wallace, Mills, a 6-5 forward and one of the greatest pure shooters in Eagle his tory bombed the nets for a 24.3 ppg scoring average, hitting on 52 per cent of his shots. Meanwhile, Wal lace, a 6-3 guard set a Georgia Southern record as he connected on 55.4 percent of his shots for a 21.4 average. "There is no doubt Mills and Wal lace were two of the finest sopho mores in the country iast season," commented Rowe, now in his third year at the helm of the Eagles. "It's hard to find a pair of young players with so much poise and ability -especially with the amoung of (Please see SOUTHERN, Page 13, Column 1) From Page 8 rebounds on an average night for the freshmen. Only one thing is bothering his coach, Bob Nichols. Brown was a center and has to make the transition to forward. Says Nichols, "He has enough speed and quickness to make the transition from center but it will take a lot of work on his outside shooting and driving for the basket. Last year he got most of his shots by getting the ball himselfor- by tak ing passes." Nichols had better hope that Brown comes through because he is probably the difference between a mediocre team and a good one. At least he'd give the Rockets two scoring threats and two decent rebounde rs. Todelo, if Brown doesn't make it, will again have the one man which they can count on for everything. They'd probably do as well as last year, 18-7, and may even have a cr-ack at the MAC crown which they tied for last season. But there's not much hope for the Rockets to beat the powerhouses without getting scoring from someone other- than Kozelko. Across from US C ROUNDHOURSR < pinne John Haslem and 6-1 Leroy Wilson -were both named to the first five All-Region junior college team while Haslem received All-America honorable mention honors. Wilkes is counting on these two to pick up the scoring gap that was lost when Ron Beal (18.2) and Jim Orr (11.7) both graduated. The transfer, 6-1 Denton Jones of Marquette, will not become eligable U I"N THE TURTLI You can really re tweedy ribbed tt Really move o figure-flatterini our big lineup.. .cables, argyles and ribs. the sweater weati From $10 FREE GIFT WR Park 2 hours 1FREE transction) in the Par king Building, Dmo DC J on J until January. Jones is described as a "super shooter" and was a former high school All-America and the number one high school basket baller in Tennessee two years ago. The sophomores--6-0 J. C. Bridges, 6-7 Billy Williams and 6-6 Bill Seitz--are being touted as the best trio of sophomore performers as Stetson has ever enjoyed. They averaged 22, 21 and 16 ppg for last Slacks ft stripes a a standoi new doul Bright n perkup favorite tieneck. Jse your GAMECOCK CHARG ,ou don't have one, easily open ~our student I. D. card to our c itown. NECK lax in this irtleneck. ut in its fit. See ;weate r patterns, Ready for ier ahead. APPING (with any Municipal / ' vnt own. )WNTOWN & DUTCH SC OPEN FRIDAY NIGHT 'TIL 9 C pair year's frosh team and are slated for extensive duty this season. The Hatters appear to have a stronger squad than last season's entry, but still have one major prob lem that should keep them from having a winning season. No one on the squad is taller than 6-7 Williams, a sophomore, and the ability to han dle opponents near 7-feet will prob ably prove deadly to the Hatters. U TERNTT PLUS r today. In plaids, nd checks. Here's it collection in the )leknits and wools. ew colors. What a they'll give your blazer or tur From $20 E ACCOUNT. If one by bringing redit office dow UAR E