Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

Fos Spoft* tdkor The squeakings of sneakers against the Coliseum floor have sub* sided along with the echoes of bouncing balls. Class is over. The session has lasted for more than two solid hours ? the usual ? and the exhausted pupils cherish the sound of the dismissal call. The professor, like his students noticeably tired ' *1 irom uie niiciiaujf ui mc preceeding lesson, calls out ^ a few final instructions to his * assistants, makes some personal notes and leaves to prepare for another engagement.... Qill Foster is a basketball coach. The University of South Carolina pays him to mL??. /*/vn nf nnrlc DC. 1 lie 11 tic ui tuav.ii auiiiuo right before his name, and the placement thereof furnishes the bread on his family's table. Yet there always seems to be more, [f much more. Nothing Foster does ? whether a practice session or a public appearance ? limits his recognition solely to "coach." There's simply too much complexity in the person, his style and methods. But Foster somehow balances the complexity, and the effectiveness of the interwoven result is the most ! clear-cut attribute to his technique. It just plain works. Organization is the key. That cliche' was around long before Foster, but his Wm I f ^ JB a i L-'";i;yv"_ roster is an organizer m A Ter: \ the old maxim's validity. It ! is organization that allows Foster to be more than a i coach, or at the least to I encompass new areas' and ideas into the position. The day begins early. They all do for Foster. To another, his schedule of daily chores has all the order of an upended stock page, but he will fulfill each obligation, engagement and meeting before the working Hoi/ ovnirpu at a nnrmallv U"J " - ^ late hour. In between, Foster will be a teacher, businessman, promoter, psychologist and philosopher, among other tasks. But it's all part of coaching. Bill Foster style coaching. "As a coach, you're inin a lot more than iust the game itself, the X's and O's," Foster says. "You have to be involved in promoting your product to the public, in selling your program to recruits, and as a psychologist ? motivating players and your staff, trying to develop camaraderie and teamwork. "I have to keep up on the techniques of the game, but over the years I've realized that I ought to spend more time in management and organization. I try to do a lot of reading in the management field. A basketball program is like a business organization in a lot of ways." i Foster's program, however, differs from businesses in at least one [ way: his lack of a nine-toi five job. He says personal nn ^Bi^Br bi as well as basketball coach. shake off the long hours. "I enjoy coaching," he relays. "I don't look at it as far as the hours except from the family standpoint. "Like I've said so many times before, I really feel that I am very fortunate (to be in coaching)," he continues. "I don't call it work. It has its highs and lows like miortrthincr olco hilt T rpallu enjoy it. Every day, every |j situation is different, and I p think as a coach you really | have to do a great deal of | adjusting." g Foster is constantly ad- I justing ? to new techniques, | ideas and situations. His constant quest for improvement carries Foster to numerous seminars on such topics as management and teamwork in both teaching and learning capacities. He studies successful uigdiiueiuuiis in veil iuua | areas in order to acquire [ further applicable t knowledge. | "I try to study successful organizations and successful people to get ideas for us," he explains. "I try to sort out the underlying principle and see if it fits our system: Is it worthwhile? Does it work? Can it be implemented? Will it help?" |t has helped. The effectiveness of Foster's coaching endeavors has launched him into the national spotlight as he has built strong teams and an impressive record. Foster took over at Duke in 1974 when the school's basketball program had hit an all-time low. Just three v#?nrs later hp nronelled his Blue Devil squad to the NCAA finals, a feat that bestowed numerous awards upon Foster, including national co-coach of the year. A Norwood, Pa. native and Elizabethtown College graduate, Foster coached five years at the high school level before moving into the MAMITO ft D1 AnmnKur/f tuiicgu laiiius at JLJIUUIUOUUI5 State College. He then moved to Rutgers, Utah, Duke and USC, posting a 338199 record in his 21 seasons. The 51-year-old coach is now further installing his system of basketball success at Carolina. "I was just thinking of getting people in the stands, making USC basketball as exciting as we could and of establishing a brand of basketball that's aggressive both offensively and defensively," F? ?ter recalls of his thoughts o: coming to Carolina last season. "Our program works on five basic things: recruiting, winning, attendance, scheduling and prumuiiuii. It is in trying to utilize his five basic themes that Foster calls upon all of his talents and tasks. The program is designed to cover all facets of successful basketball and Foster never ceases to cover all areas of the program. The Foster method is complex and not totally An#l ~ '^^Kj^tJ^. :?? jft:^ ^j^lp ?|j ^ yvr?-: _SaSf^jS^0^B ' M.OOMMUMI STAT* C0LUU3E 19?1 1*4 .* 1**.., MM *4.' ?#? w .gg&s ThfW yours ..." . 44-11 . JJW ... "Thrv* y< RUTGERS UNIVERSITY f iM4 17 ..; / "Mi 1M2 1906 it'T 197*,.. :wr ?-7 i97?... 1909 14-10 .1977.., I#*...... ti-4 . 1979... 197 0 13-11 1979 . . 197 1 .1*7 I960 . . Wyiryf- 1,mr absorbed without hard ef- acad< fort; Foster and his staff ofoui keep this foremost in their minds when hitting the Th< recruiting trail. acad< "We're looking for players with good basketball skills fefJ, that also have a firm _?JJS academic interest," he auuc notes. Th< Both traits are tested the early. com{ "First of all, the big thing class in (this season's) Dractice nracl , - ' r r was to get them (the Fosl freshmen) to start working orgai hard and pushing them- and ? selves," he said. "Everybody or at least most . . people have not pushed "1S 1 themselves nearly as much mor.< J ... iur?rl as then can, eitner "v** physically or mentally. "Using that premise, what an,4. we basically try to do is to get our freshmen in top JV physical shape like the rest of our players. Then, we get .. them acclimated to mer ^ten|nnBPf':,^ nv 31^Bfc^^B^^^^^^B^BjgaHBHBBK^'' "::''''v>Xgm|j Foster Years ? ?l v * wir ' yiin UNtVCfttfYY Of UTAH mi _ l?'| < . t ?,?V<t ?X?t t . t . |< < r M 'V IS'li A?|A frit I! f ?tt wr Mm 4Mt OUKE uMtvemmr ..'.V??N*i 13",s 8toomsbu ....:...j..... 13-14 **?? . '?-. ' 14-1S Uwh.... 27-7 Ouk* ... 22-8 Soutn C*i 24 ? TOTAL.. , nag emic life ? that's part h r job as coaches." patier can w ; staif's stress on sof jmics is reflected in the ?rs' high class at- an(j $ ince and regular study beiiev nnrlor ctaff ciinprvisinn * (IUI V." ncouragement. stantl b players are faced with f^ls ' task of learning a been )lex system, but the A. room atmosphere of 10 ' Lice sessions, along with ;er's example in nization, keep intensity ibsorption levels high. ?}. f it is t iter's relationships with his cc flayers consist of much "W b than demands for hard traini - ? A _ 1 c and learning; ne oners laien i compassion, guidance feed friendship. news n building a program, abou have to put the pieces Hust! ther brick by brick and Dodg ^ euro thou oro snliri ? a that* 1 staff and solid young Lift i," he explains. "You Fost 1 ^M^jKusBBw? '^ ' - ^ rg jff- -: | 5 ^...-^; 1 rr|' j| 4 -I f~.~,: ': g|j g|g|j ^:^7^c?. .-: :y.p1;i r^v j s^? : ?& tensity or south carocwa TT: <7-10 '.A. -17-10 fjffa ' " / .-ilifiS' ": * *-A'yX'.v v . . ' ii S'' ACCOM) BY SCHOOLS ffl ............. 45-11 .004 1*0-78 .61$ 43-39 624 113-64 63ft olma . . 17-10 630 338-199 6?l mi) ave to be willing to be it and do the best you ith what you have." ar, Foster's best hasn't too bad, to understate, here is no evidence to 'e that the success will antinue, for he is cony striving to improve, positive thinking has rolaved to manv V ? ? V gh a motivational film, tive Vibes," and his speaking seminars, most of all, Foster's rs feel the inspiration sir coac' ? nkings as hey wh^ meetly affect aching success. e use sound educational ing to maximize their t," Foster says. "We the players with .letters and stories t Pete Rose ? a Johnny le, the comeback of the [ers or any material s inspiring." pa uAtnothina r?n Kill tv* WIIKVMUI?0 m^mmrn er.