Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Sports ?mb Denver Gamecocks The NBA Bv Trarv Holms Staff Writor One glance at a Denver roster these days reveals that the Nuggets are the Carolina connection to the NBA. And if you think Coach Donnie Walsh is favoring other former Gamecocks, you're probably right. But what coach wouldn't? After all, the trio of USC alumni ? Alex English, Cedrick Hordges and John Roche ? has been glittering like gold for Walsh's Western Conference Nuggets. "These guys have really been playing well,'' says Walsh, now in his second full season as Denver head coach, "They have been an essential part of the team." Alex English has been very essential. English, USC's alltime leading scorer, joined Denver last season after a successful season with the Indiana Facers. He began his NBA career with Milwaukee after graduating from Carolina in lr"7. The Colun.jia native is averaging 25 points and eight I'uuoumm imrougn eigm games) and is the i\uggets leading scorer. Shooting nearly 57 percent from the floor, he has scored at least 20 points in every Denver outing this season. "Alex is playing as well as any forward in the league," L ^ wj^HES^ wBrHB Ilk "V . TK^wBlllr^^wr^Ki K *'^HF--S-r5 I 11 Or fifi Hi B p .... "s,%^ MB. B| 1 W '^k. BU| H| kj Hr JH -<- JiM Former Gamecock star Cedrick Hordges (34) maneuvers around a Hofstra opponent. Hordges is currently an NBA rookie with the Denver Nuggets. Seventeen teams By Jim Corbett Stall Writer Seventeen teams will begin playoff action this week in search of the men's Intramural Flag Football Championship. The fraternity divisions will send seven teams to the playoffs, with five residence teams and five independent. teams battling for the crown. Leading the way for the fraternities will be top ranked Kappa Alpha. KA has recorded the most wins on campus (6) and the most points (98) and must be considered the prime contender for the title. Number three Sigma Chi has their own exDlosive offpnso ;inH wilt rtofir?itni\> n --M WW MM M v?vy. III1VVIJ ?/V 14 IVU111 IV/ watch. Sigma Chi has playoff experience, earning the finals in both 1977 ahd 1978, which could he a factor. Defending champion AFRO will have to be reckoned with by any team looking to win it all. AFRO extended their consecutive game winning streak to 18 with a 24-0 drubbing of the Ludes. AP'RO also has playoff experience and a pressure tested defense which will be significant in low scoring playoff action. MOORE ALUMNI was the surprise team of last year by making the playoffs and could be even more surprising this season. Moore Alumni got their offense into gear and tuned up for post season action with a 34-6 rout of the Chem club. A strong offense and tough defense are needed by any team seeking the championship, and Moore Alumni has both. Sigma Nu enters the playoffs coming off an 18-12 overtime win over Chi Psi in a continuation of a halted came Sigma Nu counts on strong line play to key its passing attack and anchor its defense. Sigma Nu's only loss has been to KA, while beating stiff opponents such as ZBT, Chi Psi and Lambda Chi Alpha. Woodrow heads up the Residence Hall entries in this year's playoffs. The "Woodies" count on strong blocking to open up their running attack. The lack of a strong passing game could hinder Woodrow in the playoffs. UNBEATEN AND UNSC'OKEI) upon Columbia Hall has been erratic at best this season. Columbia Hall barely got 's Carolina < 'He (English) does everything ? shoots, rebounds, and runs ... He is destined to be a superstar in this league.' -Donnie Walsh insists Walsh. "He does everything ? shoots, rebounds and runs ? and is constantly improving. He is destined to be a superstar in this league." YET ENGLISH is not the only Nugget with plenty of potential. Rookie Cedrick Hordges has made the Denver lineup, and has already begun to make impressive marks in the NBA. "Hordges has been a great surprise," Walsh said. "He has come on and done a tremendous job as a strong, power forward." The recent Carolina standout is averaging 14 points and seven rebounds a game, while shooting GO percent. Before this weekend's games, however, Hordges was sporting a 66.7 league-leading shooting percentage. Cedrick, who has played in every Denver contest to date, earned his first start in Saturday's clash with Kansas City. AFTER AN exceptional past season, John Roche has yet to regain'full form in the present campaign. "John was bothered by injuries this summer, so he really j:j-u i - ... ? - - uiun i nave a pre-season, explained Walsh. "He had a super year for us last season, and it will take him a little time to get back in that groove. But we're sure that he'll do it." Coming off the bench, Roche leads the Nuggets in assists with a 6.2 average. The vintage '69-'71 Gamecock guard has averaged nine points per game and is shooting 93 percent from the foul stripe. Roche joined the Denver organization in 1979 after Walsh coaxed him out of retirement. He began his professional career with the New York Nets of the now extinct ABA, and traveled to four other squads (Kentucky Colonels, Utah Stars ? ABA; L.A. Lakers,; European basketball)before rptirino in 1 077 (n lom ? N/v>* 111^ III AUI IU 1U V v o\_ll\/V/l. Donnie Walsh admits that the idea of retiring had also entered his mind. "I had basically planned to get out of coaching and move towards an administrative position," he reflected. "So. when I was offered the head coaching job, it was a tough decision." WALSIl MADK his decision and took over the Nuggets' helm in 1979. Any regrets? "No, so far 1 have really liked it." says Walsh, who ended his 12-year USC assistant coaching career by enlisting as a Denver assistant in 1976. "This position has been great c-Apc-i ieiK.e. i naven i experienced a lot ot winning perearn playoff spots by the winless Wade Hampton Hotel but came back to blast the then fourth rated Maxcy, who also advances to the playoffs. Snowden Machine enters the playoffs coming off a tough 7-0 win over Navy ROTC. Newcomer Skoal can be considered the dark horse of this year's race for the championship. Skoal has lost just once this year, 6-0 to AFRO, and has come on strong in recent games. Chi Fsi advances to the playoffs as the third survivor of ine iraierniiy division which also includes KA and Sigma Nil. An opportunistic defense keys the Chi Psi attack, and they could pull some upsets over any team that is prone to make mistakes. Other playoff entrants not ranked in the Gamecock top ten include two of last year's semi-finalists, Phi Kappa Sigma and AFKOTC. Both are coming off disappointing seasons, but a stellar performance by either in the playoffs would make their season. Thornwell and Bates House also advance into the playoffs. Bates House has given up just two touchdowns (to Maxcy and Columbia Hall) in dropping their two games. Thornwell has struggled all year from lack of offense but could put things together and make it difficult for any playoff opponent. Sigma Alpha Epsilon has had an up and Hrwim t/nor Ki?* U "l'l 1 '* ' * \a\*yv ii yvai inn uur> iiciu lou^n against lop teams. W-L Points 1) KAPPA AIJ'IIA (?) 0-0 o<> 2) AFIU) 5-0 {\\ 3) sk;mac'III (i) 5-0 <;o 1) mookk alumni 5-0 |(i 5) skiima nu 5-1 ;u ?) wooiwow 1-0 25 7) columbia hall 1-0 u\ umdufhl'm iu?/<iiuii.' /?!-> * - |,? IIIiM'J V III' ; l-l 22 SKOAL (tic) 4-1 22 10) CHI PSI 1-2 7 Honorable Mention: Ma xcy-ii, AFKOTC-4. Phi Kappa Sigma-ll. First Place voted in parentheses. ? connection mm wmBB [gigpillM WBb Alex English (22) fires a jump shot over | Chicago's Artis Gilmore. English is the all-time leading USC scorer. sonally, but I'm sure that will come with time." I The winning has not been coming lately as Denver is 2-6 and last in the Midwest Division so far in the season, but Walsh feels that the current rebuilding process will furnish the Nuggets with a shiny future. "This squad is young and new, and it will take a while for all the players to learn each other," he says. "But we will get together as a team with time and experience. We are building an organization which we think will be strongest ? and hopefully the league's strongest ? in a period of around three to five years." It looks as if some former Gamecocks are point* tn mnW. I c, --O V" 1 good building blocks for Denver's future. ^ ' : ' ' \:"vfl |?&. * | Steve Liebler Carolina goffer Steve Liebler has been named I Athlete of the Week for his outstanding performance in the Andy Bean Greenleafe Intercollegiate Golf Classic at Cypress Gardens, Fla. Liebler, a junior from Norfolk, Va., fired a 221 in the three round tournament, edging out n ' -j ? . / ? riunua orate s Steve Keppler, who shot a 222. Runners-up this week are soccer players David Goodchi/d and Glenn Thompson. Goodchild scored his team leading tenth goal to lift the Gamecocks to a 5-0 victory over previously I ! undefeated Central Florida. Thompson, a goalie, recorded his second consecutive shutout as a replacement for the injured Gary Durkin.