Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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E Steve Parker Crowd noise tribute to Joyce The crowd at Wednesday night's basketball game was especially loud, much louder than they had been all year long. Almost the entire final five or six minutes of the game saw the fans standing and cheering each move that the basketball Gamecocks made. Crowds are often noisy at the final game of a season, and USC's contest with Duquesne Wednesday night was the final time that Carolina would be playing on the Coliseum floor this season. But the fans weren't so loud just because the season was ending. No, they sensed that they were losing one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the school in senior Kevin Joyce. Joyce's number was retired in a brief ceremony at hal ftime and it was fitting tribute to the player who has per formed so brilliantly in his career at USC. Joyce became only the third player in the school's history to have his number removed from active duty, as Grady Wallace and John Roche have previously been honored in this manner. But a comparison of the three players gives even more tribute to the athletic abilities of Joyce. The statistical accomplishments of both Wallace and Roche were so great that their numbers had. to be retired. Wallace was the only Gamecock ever to score in excess of 30 points for a single season while having a lifetime average of 28.0 a game. Roche's statistics are similiar--he averaged over 20 points a game all three of his varsity years and finished out his career as the second leading all-time USC point producer behind Wallace with a lifetime mark of 22.5. Stats don't tell whole story But statistics alone do not merit the retirement of Joyce's number 43. If that were the case then the numbers of Tom Riker, Tom Owens and others would also have been put away. Since you can't retire all the numbers of above aver age players, such a tribute is limited only to the truly great ballplayer. For example, Joyce. The 6-3, senior guard from Merrick, New York has experienced the kind of season that labels a player as a true All-American and a true Hall-of-Pamer. This past season the accomplishments of Joyce have been numerous. He played on the Olympic team and seemed to take over the leadership responsibilities of the floor game during the final games. Joyce came back to captain USC's youth corps as Coach Frank McGuire named two freshmen as starters and the role of leader for Joyce was even more evident - and Joyce assumed the role and succeeded at it. Averaging 20.8 points a game this last season he was the key to the USC game as he complimented his scoring dis plays with 134 assist passes. Joyce's heroics have led the Gamecocks to numerous vic tories in his career--for example, the Temple game in the NCAA quarterfinals of last year when Joyce's last second shot dropped the Owls. Or this season, when Joyce thrilled a home crowd as the Carolina squad upset Indiana behind the senior's 41 points. Who can forget ACC tourney heroics? But most importantly, was Joyce's performance as a sophomore in the ACC championships. No one around (See PARKER, Page 15) NEW SHIPMENTS All Colors of CORDUROY BELLS by Heavy Denim WIDE BELLS by Brushed or Blue Denim JACKETS by MOE LEVY'S AND BRITCHES BREW Corner Lay & Assmbly Rain.S Split B By STEVE PARKER Sports Editor USC's baseball Gamecocks finally got in some action after nearly a week of idleness due to rainy weather, but while they triumphed over West Virginia in the first game of their twin bill 4-3, their lay-off was reflected in the second game as the Mountaineers rebounded to trounce the Gamecocks 13-0 at Sumter Wednesday. Carolina claimed the first game in overtime as the contest went two innings .past the reg ulation seven of a double header:, USC's winning run was scored by outfielder John Gam brell, who continues to hit at a torrid pace in these initial games of the season. Three 'U In Intrar Town Men's mild upset of pre viously unbeaten Bates House, 50 38, Tuesday night at the Physical Education Center lowered the number of teams with perfect records to three as the Men's Bas ketball Intramurals moves into its final weeks. The victory by the Town Men enabled them to keep their slate unblemished at 6-0. Two teams in the Independent league own the only other thus undefeated seasons, as the Cycle Club and Veterans both hold 7-0 marks with three games remaining or' the schedules of both teams, including a match-up between the two. Bates House had been top-ranked in the Residence league prior to their match-up with the Town Men on the basis of an extra victory, but the Town Men gained an undisputed hold on the initial spot with their impressive come-from-behind vic tory. Holding a 27-22 halftime margin; Bates suffered through a poor sec ond period as Town Men outscored them 28-11 and eventually pre vailed by 12 points. The battle for playoff berths remains close in the Fraternity league with no squad owning an undefeated record. The playoffs, scheduled to begin on March 26, will feature the first place team of each fraternity divi sion playing the second place team >f the other, with the two winners )laying for the frat title. In the heavily populated Resi dence and Independent leagues the VO LEIGH LI VICE-PR C STUDEI Or tops; Gar aseball T Gambrell went 3-4 in the first game and 3-3 in the second to complement his season opening performance of 2-3 last week. The outlook for the Gamecocks was dismal in the 'first game when West Virginia took the lead 3-2 in the top of the ninth, and Robby Rogers ground-out, -double-play in the bottom half of the frame further darkened the outlook. But Ken Shull walked, Gam brell stroked a single and Short stop Eddie Ford's single cored Shull. - Gambrell attempted to gain third on the play and Moun taineer third-sacker Mike Tiberro's miscue allowed Gam brell.to conclude the. game. Gambrell also had two RBI in the game as his solo homerun in the sixth and single in the nbeaten nurals first place finisher will play the third place, while the team in sec ond position will take on the fourth place team. The winners to play. The championship round itself will feature the Residence league winner against the Independent champion. The winner of that con test watches as the loser tackles the Fraternity team. The two winners then battle for the campus crown. The Gamecock League, played strictly on an entertainment basis, is not inirolved in the playoffs. Team standings: Complete thru March 6) Residence League: Town Men .................. 6-0 Bates ........................ 6-1 Maxcy ...................... 4-2 Horseshoe ................... 4-2 Douglas ..................... 3-3 Woodrow ....................3-3 Burney ...................... 2-3 LaBorde .................... 1-5 Snowden ....................0-4 Independent League: Cycles ....................... 7-0 Veterans ................... 7-6 AFROTC ................. 4-2 Kappa Psi ................ 4-4 NROTC .................. 3-3 Gamecock ................ 3-4 Newman ................. 3-5 Alpha Phi Omega ......... 2-4 Hillel.................... 1-5 Delta Sigma P1 ............2-6 Union .................... 0-3 (See INTRAMURALS, Page 15) . TE EVE NTIS ESIDENT IT BODY neco cks. win -bill seventh, which scored catcher Drew Choate, accounted for two runs. While his teammates slacked off considerably in the second game, the fleet Carolina outfiel der did not. Gambrell's three singles represented three of the five hits the USC squad had the whole contest. While USC could not muster a score, the Mountaineers had no difficulty as they jumped on USC starter George Beam for four runs in the first inning. Beam experienced the same wildness that he did much of last year as he walked three bat ters and-hit another while retir ing just a lone mountaineer. The Mointaineers scored one more run in the first off of reliever Bo Robinson to finish with five for the inning. Four runs were scored by West Vir ginia in the sixth and seventh frames for a game total of 13. Carolina committed eight errors in the second contest. Alan Johnson was Carolina's winning pitcher on the day as his ninth inning relief work, in which he surrendered the go ahead run to West Virginia, chose to be the one in which Carolina came back with two. Johnson came on in relief of starter Earl Bass who toiled eight innings and gave up just two runs on two hits while strik ing out 13 batters and walking two. Beam was USC's loser, while Dan Dolphin was the winning pitcher of record for the Mountaineers. The Gamecocks are slated to play a home game this after noon at 3:00 with Pembroke State. Another game will be played with Pembroke tomor row. Erskine moves in Satur day for a lone 1:30 game. Help Wanted The Gamecock . sports staff has open ings for talented sports writers. Any interested persons should contact Steve Parker or Jim Hersh at 777-4249. Easy To Open Gamecock Charge Account *100 (Limit) BRITTON S