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USC tennis ?: y??IRIHIlj no at roitpno t By MATT WAKI) Gamecock Staff Writer Jimmy Connors, Stan Smith and / common. They have each been rankc three have won the world's premie Wimbledon, U.S. Open and the NC singles title! Tennis's boom in this country has cc levels that has helped keep the prof< tennis collegiate programs in the Uni coming on the scene faster than ever John McEnroe reached the semi-final Connors. FOUR YEARS AGO McEnroe was tennis championship, the National 1 seeded number three and he. like Cci seeded player by the name of Chuck I and continued to develop as a junior Closed 14 and under division in 1973 Hodgtn and McEnroe each have { moment. McEnroe went to Stanford v parade. Hodging, ranked 17th nations unders, was highly recruited, but his: the University of North Carolina ant "1 chose to come to Carolina becj the supervision of coach Ron Smarr very interested in making the tenni cessful and the athletic department i uiuue naa a 10110 do on wnether I wou IIODGIN AIJSO received a visit 1 Carlen. Hodgin was impressed with Carolina the athletic director was a ni interest in whether I signed with Nc Hodgin said. "I was very impressed w home. He was very interested in havir impressed to see the athletic director time from both of his duties to come ta Hodgin thinks USC's tennis team ca looking forward toward a good seas players," Hodgin said. "Besides the g< tough schedule and some of these teai maybe even beyond our capabilities Though the Gamecocks have not championships as a team, Hodgin b caliber of teams USC will play. "A I Carolina tennis program and South Ca its tennis in the spring," Hodgin said, think it's really important to have fall Mc Kinney but not loc By DOUG JOLLEY Gamecock Staff Writer Carolina lost to the Georgia l>ecause Zion McKinney wasn't i Flanker McKinney was all ov nnccoc ? *" ?1? CMUO..O, Hi^MJUIIIg U IUUCI1UOWI1 P<1 the first quarter. McKinney's re< and five first downs. He also rush< ALTHOUGH DISAPPOINTED already looking forward to Caroli the season. "I hate to lose any game, but wc put it together tonight," he said. 4 play, and if I had a goal right no year 11-1. "Georgia had the best pass defe had double coverage on us fron covering Phil (Ix>gan) and me." McKinney, a sophomore from F after Georgia, Georgia Tech, Clen recruit him. He has started for ( game last year. This season McKinney has recei has rushed 12 times for 105 yard v recuit I t glance H competion Arthur Ashe all have something in *d number one in the wnrlH nnH nil r tennis championships including AA singles title. Yes, the NCAA ime on many levels, and one of the jssional game alive has been the j|^p|p8 ited States. Younge players are before. At Wimbledon 18-year-old s before being defeated by Jimmy ||iillilp involved with another important 4 and under. McEnroe then was moors at Wimbledon, met an un- Bflflfil Jodgin. Hodgin defeated McEnroe ' player by winning the Southern ?one their separate ways for the ^ith all the fanfare of a ticker tape lly and first in the South in 18 and |l|||||l| final decision came down between i USC. SBSH a use of the tennis program under [lpll|||p Hodgin said. "Coach Smarr is s program here at Carolina sues also interested. This kind o( atId come here or not." from USC athletic Director Jim v^3r^J| the visit. "When I went to North ce man, but he didn't show a deep >rth Carolina or somebody else," ith the visit of Coach Carlen to mv ^ HBH ig me come to Carolina, and I was * and head football coach take the ilk to me." Carotin n do very well this year, and he is at practi on. "We have some really good nationallj x>d players on our team we play a ms will force us to play up to and , , t ready for been invited to the NCAA tennis MANY II elieves this can change with the players ha big difference between the North on center irnlina's is fhnt I IMP nl meu.a. up "USC does play in the fall, and I will need t tennis tournaments in order to get as a colleg the junior x when you j 0 | it's like ni dejected, rL'^, >kinq back c Dogs Saturday night, but not Jlflfi trying. er the field, catching six of 10 iss which tied the score at 7-7 in Carolina options were good for 81 yards vitational ?d twice for seven yards. USC losl about the loss, McKinney is night 4-0, t na's next game and the rest of the s001"10 . . . . . .... "So far i naa a cnance ana jusi com an i , ,, 'We still have a lot of games to P^; A w, itd have to be finishing the mumR in< , , JA.. "The 11 nse we ve faced this year. They broke the i i the beginning of the game, q.3 (JSC's Mckens, S.C., came to Carolina "Our se ison and other colleges tried to "The confi Carolina since the Notre Dame Hankins bccduso t hi ved 12 passes for 172 yards and Charleston s- players, w r- ' a freshman Chuck llodgin hits a forehand deciding ce last week. Hodgin, ranked 17th llodgin, in 18 and unripe r=> ? "-LLb-Lt^? the spring." similar to the professionals. I with time I'll develop, but yoi IIGHLY recruited tennis to play against good competit ve the dream of playing order to grow as a good I court at Wimbledon or player." >en, but Hodgin thinks he Most college players hav ime to develop himself thought of someday turnini iate Dlaver. "Plavinc in o-? , , - ?j ?-c? ? unu jtcAiu^ me ncne ranks is one thing, but professional tennis. "I've a >lay in the college ranks thought of turning pro. You ight and day," Hodgin think otherwise when you 1 caliber of competition television and see Coi llegiate ranks is very challenging somebody to a $ :cer club places I in tournament 's sorrpr Huh finichoH thii-H ? ? J uui u tiuiui uaj in me i/iiyuc Tournament in Charleston. t to College of Charleston, who won the tournament, Fi >ut defeated Pembroke 11-2 Saturday. USC's Pat Laydei g against Pembroke with four goals. in all our matches we've outshot and outplayed oui USC coach Tim Hankinson said. "But we've had trt 5 net. 2 victory gave all our players an opportunity to score ce." Prior to playing Pembroke, the Gamecocks' record first home game is Friday against Western Carolina. ason should be uphill from here on out," Hankinson s idence our players have now is what we needed." on said this year is a rebuilding year for USC's soccer icy lost several key players from the 1976 team. Collej i, according to Hankinson, did an excellent job of recru hich has helped improve their program. |?B; air5 fcS WJ ^^K;M5Blf"fiS:IKicSii^ipS^^;8?W^Sj Stepten McCormacfc-THE GAMECOCK ; against playing for North Carolina, of Sumter, S.C., said he was impressed USC tennis program. think match," Hodgin said. "But I'm i have realistic enough to know that the ion in only way you get the big money is tennis by working hard for it. I'll turn pro ...I * 1 * ~ " wiien i Know i can r>e successful at e the it." g pro Hodgin will be an important s of asset to Carolina's tennis program lways and with a schedule that ranks as can't one of the hardest in the Southeast, kvatch Hodgin will be tested early to see inors how successful he'll be against 50,000 collegiate competition. Carlen From page 12 But in the final analysis, it was a game of missed opportunities, the inability to make the most of another team's mistakes. I In- The Gamecocks will have to think about the fumbles that ,..1.?l .i-- ^ = iuiij ic.-)uncu 1111iic ut'orgia saieiy, and n led the Bulldogs' final field goal, the margin of victory. It's the stuff nightmares are made of. r opjuble And l^e on?y reason Georgia doesn't have to think about the same things is because they didn't It lose. Victory has a way of making was things look excusable in v u vopcvi. a'd. As USC defensive end Scott Blackman said. "It looked like a club game nobody wanted to win." ?e of But then the toughest kind of iting game to win is the one you're trying not to lose.