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Mark Leary Asst. Sports Editor The year 1974 was quite a sports year at Carolina. It was more than just the usual year of winning and losing. It was a year that everybody will remember. It was a year when the major sports football and basketball were in the spotlight constantly. Interestingly though it was more than just football and basketball that made 1974 one of the best sports years in Carolina history. Sports like baseball, track and swimming came alive at Carolina in the year of 1974. The Past The year started with the Carolina basketball squad well on their way to another 20-win season and their fourth straight NCAA playoff ber*h. The first of these goals was accomplished when the Gamecocks downed a strong Pittsburgh team 67-50. This marked the sixth season in a row that Frank McGuire had led his team at Carolina to a 20-win season. The NCAA bid came and the second part of the McGuire goal was completed. The past year also held sadness and defeat for the Gamecocks. McGuire and the whole Carolina community were to lose James A. "Buck" Freeman who McGuire described as the "coaches coach." Also Carolina was shocked by Furman in the first round of the Eastern Regionals, losing 75-67. Under head coach Alan Gentry the Carolina swimmers began moving toward national prominence in 1974. They recorded a 5-5 dual meet record against some of the best teams in the country. When it was NCAA time the Carolina swimmers brought home a ranking of 25th in the nation and their first swimmer to become an All-America, Tom Schmidt. Baseball and track were also great success stories in the year of 1974. Both Bobby Richardson's baseball team and Bill McClure's track squad vaulted into the national F-otlight in 1974. The baseball team compiled a record of 48-8 and produced two All-Americas, also a first at Carolina. Earl Bass (12-1) with an ERA of 1.10 was a first team All-America selection at pitcher. Also slugger Hank Small gained All-America recognition. The Gamecock baseball squad also ended their season in defeat as they lost to the eventual NCAA runner-up Miami of Florida in the finals of the NCAA regionals. The track team finished third in the nation in the NCAA Indoor Championship of 1974. The two mile relay team of Mike Sheley, John Brown, Don Brown and Jim Schaper won their event and at the same time made themselves All-Americas. A disappointing season of football (4-7) closed out the year of 1974. It was the year that Paul Dietzel resigned effective the end of the season after only the second game. It was the year that Jeff Grantz proved that H as in Heisman wasn't as G as in Grantz. It was also the year the search committee came up with Dietzel's successor, Jim Carlen, a very successful coach at Texas Tech. The Future What does the future hold for Carolina in the world of sports. The year 1975 should be by all accounts a very interesting one. For baseball, track and swimming it should hold more of the same, success. For basketball, McGuire should if all things go as expected win another 20 games. This season's 20 game quest will not be as easy as in the past. The Gamecocks have to win 11 of the next 13 games to record their seventh straight 20 win season. With Niagara, Houston, Notre Dame, Dayton and Toledo remaining on the road; Pittsburgh and Marquette among others at home it should be interesting to say the least. Finally in football Jim Carlen will get his chance to prove to all those who wanted Mooney Player as head coach that the selection committee made the right choice in selecting Carlen. Carlen has the major job of turning the football program around and this will not be an easy or quick task. Carlen will have to rely heavily on bringing in a good number of top recruits. Thus the turnabout of the football program will not happen in one year. All in all 1974 was quite a year in sports at Carolina and the future is a bright one. Tough battles PETE FEHIELEY Sports Editor Tonight's matchup between Carolina and Niagara will provide the Gamecocks with another op portunity to prove they can win away from Carolina Coliseum. Fresh from a victory over the Davidson Wildcats Saturday night, the Gamecocks come to the Niagara Falls Convention Center a Dunleavy la SCOREE Gamecock Basket ball Opponents Scores Oklahoma 113 Colorado 62 Bentley 91 Assumption 87 St. John's 103 St. Francis 63 Manhattan 79 Siena 72 Fordham 60 Temple 49 Marquette 71 Notre Dame 68 Niagara 72 Ganisius 63 St. Louis 77 Wichita St. 67 Houston 99 Mercer 98 Pittsburgh 84 Penn St. 56 Ga. Southern 97 South Miss. 76 Toledo 85 North Illinois 66 St. Bonaventure 77 Villanova 70 Virginia Tech 60 Fairleigh Dickinson 48 Top Twenty Scores Indiana 82 Northwestern 56 Niag ar Carolli with an overall record of 9-4. Niagara is also enjoying a winning season having defeated Canisius 72-63 to avenge an earlier loss to the Griffins. The Purple Eagles leading scorer is junior guard Andy Walker with an average of 20 points per game. Bruce Watson, Ollie Har per, Roy Beekman, and Chico Singleton are all averaging in double figures to give Niagara a balanced scoring attack. ys one in OARD UCLA 102 California 72 NC State 88 North Carolina 85 (OT Louisville 55 Drake 53 (OT) Stanford 67 Southern Cal 66 Maryland 87 Navy 73 Alabama 93 LSU 67 Arizona St. 93 New Mexico 76 Oregon 68 Washington 66 Kentucky 85 Mississippi 82 Lasalle 67 Penn 65 Arizona 69 Texas-El Paso 57 Women's Basketball SC State 49 Carolina 48 Carolina 55 Appalachian 53 Carolina 68 Appalachian 32 Swimming Carolina 89 South Florida 22 Miami 64 Carnlina 49 1 team ia next Carolina is led in scoring by junior pivotman Tom Boswell with a 17.4 scoring average. Boswell is coming off his best zhooting per formance of the year, it 20-13 effort against Davison. Carolina has won all three meetings between the two schools. In 1972 Carolina whipped Niagara 80-69 in Columbia. The following season Carolina went to Buffalo and beat the Purple Eagles 84-74. Last year in Carolina Coliseum the Gamecocks crushed Niagara 85-60 behind the 25 point performance of Brian Winters. The game is a crucial one for Coach Frank McGuire's hopes of a seventh consecutive 20 win season and another bid to the NCAA tournament in March. Baseball practice begins With his sights set on another trip to the NCAA playoffs, Carolina baseball coach Bobby Richardson has announced a 50-game schedule for the 1975 season, which includes 30 home contests. Last spring Carolina received an at-large berth to the District III regional playoffs, finishing the season with a 48-8 won-lost record. With a heavy array of talent and experience returning from this club, plus five highly regarded newcomers, Richardson is excited about this campaign. "There will be eight regional tournaments comprised of four teams each this year and our immediate goal is to gain an at large bid as an independent," observed Richardson, embarking on his sixth season as skipper of the Gameococks. "Last year we made it to the district playoffs and this time around we hope to go one step farther to the College World Series." The schedule: Feb. 28- at Baptist College. March 4- at Wofford; 5-0-West Virginia; 7-8-Richmond; 10-Duke (2); 11-at Francis Marion; 13-14 Virginia; 17-22-at Stetson Tour nament; 24-Hunter; 25-Old Dominion; 26-George Mason; 27 Marshall (N); 28-29-at Georgia; 31 Howard (N). April 1-Howard; 2-Clemson (N); 3-at North Carolina; 4-UNC Wilmington (N); 5-UNC Wilmington; 7-The Citadel (N); 8 at Erskine; 9-10-St. Leo; 11 Wofford (N); 12-North Carolina; 14-Baptist College (N); 15-at Georgia Tech (2); 18-at Georgia Southern (N); 19-at Georgia Southern (2); 21-Newberry (N); 22-Davidson (N); 24-Furman (N); 25-Georgia Southern (N); 26 Georgia Southern; 28-at The Citadel (N). May 8- at Furman; 9 Jacksonville (N); 10-Jacksonville. All home night games are scheduled for 7:30 P.M.