The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 26, 1981, Page Page 9, Image 9
1 Sports
I USC durnjps VJ\
FroH
I
Cam/irtA jiuMrd^Z^^ EraHrL
night in (JSC's 103-88 win o
The reti
By Mike Chil
Sports Colurr
About this time last year, the b
Foster consisted of a few fond
meaningless pick-up games agaii
Foster, who as a 14-year old fr
High School in Greenville was
tention of major college basketba
headed nowhere. A young man w
"can't miss" college prospect wa
oi one-on-one wun nimsen ana ne
Sports Com
I It was a time in Jimmy's life
Last spring he received that br<
basketball coach Bill Foster ofl
play at Carolina. Coach Foste
gamble in signing the 6-8 prosj
8 played organized basketball in t\
? of personal problems and acaden
I DESPITE THE SKEFTICTS
Foster decided to give him a cl
day, Jimmy has been repaying h
act. Jimmy has shown his gratit
fully to Bill Foster's cause.
The results have been impress
the 1980-81 season, Jimmy is a
team-leading 11 rebounds a gair
have been against the toughest c<
11 rebounds against Marquett
rebounds versus Texas. Equally
Jimmy maintained a solid B aver
classes at USC.
Gamecock assistant basketbal
I who has taken soecial interest in
j "Jimmy has done everything we'
; We run a pretty tight $hip an
sacrifices and Jimmy has made t
FANS, COACHES and playei
relentless intensity which Jimmy
| He has become a true kamikazie
loose balls, drawing the charging
and crashing the boards with tc
bodily welfare.
After a recent Carolina home ?
v ,;T '
MnSHBHHHiBBMHDHi
ildcats, 103-88
rPLtv
^I
p^JpW?? :V ;:- .. :.,;.,"Q- ' :
ik scores two of his career
ver Davidson. (Photo by Ba
irnofJi
bbaro I
ml** '
V
asketball career of Jimmy i
memories and a series of 1
nst inferior competition,
eshman at Wade Hampton (
already drawing the at- I
ill coaches, was now 19 and
ho was once regarded as a
is playing an endless game f
was getting beat. ?
mentary
wiu:ii uc iiccucu ct ureuk. ,
iak when USC's new head '
fered Jimmy a chance to |
r knew he was taking a
x?ct, since Jimmy hadn't
vo years and had a history
lie deficiencies.
M about Jimmy, coach
lance and ever since that
lis coach for that generous
ude by dedicating himself
ive. Seventeen games into
irn**nrtir>r< 1 A *"?
V^iC*?UAg 11 pUlllU) (1I1U (I
\e. His best performances
smpetition ? 20 points and
e and 24 points and 12
important to his coaches,
age in his first semester of
1 coach Steve Steinwedel,
Jimmy's comeback, said,
vejasked of jhim more?j
id we believe in making,,
hose sacrifices." I
*s have marveled at the
has played with this year,
performer ? diving after
foul every chance he gets, <
ital disregard for his own
;ame, a coach from one of
zmtini
^Blr^ wj ^ MBK: \fi?Wp^B?v>' w
' Kb - a^Hl i> SS^pj
high 41 points Saturday
rry Newman)
mmyFi
JSC's future opponents said of
:an't behove this guy Foster,
clayed with such intensity and
ets up...it's remarkable."
In essence, the Jimmy Foste
>ne of the nation's top high s
ound a home and with that hon
JIMMY'S SUCCESS must n
:raveled a lorg road to get wh<
appeared as though that road w
As a ninth grader at Wade
starting berth and averaged
scoring and rebounding while p
ind four years older than he
season in a fury, averaging n
well over 20 rebounds. Mid
however he suffered a broken a
remainder of the year. Unabh
became disenchanted with sch
classes.
After being declared ineligi
junior year, Foster returned I
and totally dominated Region
team to the upper state pla'yol
and 19 rebounds a game for co;
fhon Hn*? fr> ruircnn:iI roacnnc
basketball his senior year. He
could earn his high school diplc
"Back in high school...thos
days, I guess," Jimmy reflect*
be disciplined back then, but h<
coaches here have really helpe
"I knew when I came here
chance to play organized bask
not to blow it. I like to think
know I have a lon^ way t<j? go.'t,
Aftar,{i tvvjo.yqar.cjbsenjce, jj
playing the game he loves. H
hard not to mow the opportur
him. Over the summer, he pi;
lifted weights, and ran like hi
school started, he continued hi
class, attending study halls, an
It seems as though Jimmy i
what all the scouts knew he hac
one helluva college basketball |
tes scorii
oy mcnara rvieyers
Sports Editor
Basketball is fun again for Carolina guard
Zam Fredrick. That was good news for
Gamecock basketball fans but not for
Davidson as USC downed the Wildcats
Saturday night 103-88.
Fredrick poured in a career high 41
points, hitting on 14 of 22 field goal attempts
and adding 13 points from the free-throw
line.
The 6-2 senior co-captain from St. Matthews
has been on a scoring spree of late,
tallying 109 points in the past three games.
Fredrick attributes his increased scoring to
a revived confidence in his game.
"I'm just getting in the groove now where
I'm thoroughly confident in everything 1
do," Fredrick said. " Every shot I throw up
I just know it's going in. I'm just really
finding myself on the basketball court.
"It's like high school all over again. I'm
jusi oui mere naving a good time. I had so
much fun tonight. I was out there laughing
and playing basketball, the way I like to
play. I'm just having a good time lately and
that's it."
*
FREDRICK HAS emerged as the team's
leading scorer this year, averaging 24.7
points a game. But last year, a year he
would like to forget. Fredrick averaged only
seven points a contest.
"I feel like my junior year was wasted
completely. I was very upset over the
playing time I received. But I don't want to
say too much about that. I think it's spilled
milk and I think it should stay where it is.
"They (the present coaches) let me do
probably anything I want to do. When I get
out there, I'm freelancing. When we get the
ball on the break, I'm free to do anything I
want."
Fredrick seemed free to do whatever he
wanted to do against Davidson, hitting 90
percent of his second half shots to lead the
Gamecocks in scoring for the 13th time in 17
games.
Fred?-'ck's 16 first-half points and Kenny
Holme. . \ points helped USC to jump out to
a 44-ab naitume lead over the Wildcats.
DAVIDSON RELIED on the sharp
shooting of 6-7, 220-pound junior forward
Rich DiBenedetto to stay close at halftime.
the Gamecock standout,
I've never seen a kid who
wanted it so bad. He never j1 - ^ ; ,
r who was once regarded as , chool
prospects has finally i 2
ic, ne s found nappiness. f - ot
be taken lightly. He has
ire he is now and so often it pif?
as going to end.
Hampton, .Jimmy earned a ! in
double figures in both
laying against players three t
He began his sophombre , . _ ^ ~
early 30 points a game and [ way
through that season, .
rm and was sidelined for the ' ; ; .
i to play basketball, Jimmy ' \ jf
:k)1 and he stopped attending I
ble for the first part of his
0 the Wade Hampton squad
1 4A competition. He led his fs
while averaging 28 points
ich Johnny Ross'squad. And r
Jimmy didn't play organized
attended night school so he [ , .
ma. fv:V^
e were my wild and crazy ;
d. "You didn't really have to j
?re it s a amereni story, ine Hmgtfj
etball and so I worked hard
b has worked tremendouilv Sk^S^sHBh
lity that coach Foster gave ?
lyed ball nearly every day,
s coaches suggested. When jfe ?
s dedication...never missing f
d following the team's rules. Despite hot
s at last destined to become
I the potential of becoming ? two Vears' ^
)layer. in rebounding
nig
spree
'Every shot /
aL- * *
inruw up, / JUST
know it's going
in.'
-Zam Fredrick
DiBenedetto, a member of last year's 19791980
All-Southern Conference team, scored
14 points against USC's zone defense, including
12 of the Wildcats first 18 points.
After a halftime ceremony honoring
George Rogers and the 1980 Carolina
football team before 10,173 fans at Frank
ivicLiUire Arena, the Gamecocks scored
three consecutive field goals to increase
their margin over the Wildcats to 15 points
DiBenedetto. forward Todd liaynes and
guard .John Gullickson sparked a brief
comeback for Davidson, as they outscored
the Gamecocks 19-8 and cut the USC lead to
four, with Carolina ahead 58-54 with 12:48
remaining in the game.
But that was as close as the Wildcats
could get the rest of the night, because they
were unable to shut down Fredrick, who
also contributed a game high seven assists.
THE CIA IKCOCKS finished with a 103-88
win. marking the first time a Carolina team
has tallied over 100 points under Bill Foster
in a regular season game.
The victory raised Carolina's season
mark to 10-7, while Davidson fell to 9-8
Behind Fredrick in the scoring column for
USC were Holmes with 21 points, Kevin
Darmody with 14 and co-captain Kt. vin
Dunleavy with ten.
Holmes led Carolina with 13 rebounds,
followed by Darmody with 10 and Jimmy
Foster with eight. The Gamecocks were
credited with 17 assists in the game, but also
had 22 turnovers.
FOR DAVIDSON, DiBenedetto totaled 29
points, Haynes added 26 and Gullickson
finished with 12. The Wildcats committed 24
turnovers and were outrebounded 40-28.
See Beidenbach, page 7 1
S&. IRE -
Aifl?f5*i^Kl I
* -*# #
having p/av*>r1 organized basketball in
mmy Foster is leading the Gamecocks
this season. 'Photo by Barry Newman)