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.

Several injuric By Chris Curtis USC's Lady Gamecock basketball team has returning from last season's 23-8 team, ii starters. But the loss of first-team All-American Sh graduation will leave a vacancy that will be tou Carolina's pertinent problem, however, is th scoring returnees are also unavailable, side juries that will prevent them from playing at the first half of the season. Sophomore Brantley Southers suffered a fi kneecap during practice Nov. 8 and will be 01 weeks. Southers, the third-leading scorer for the Gamecocks with a 10.7 per game average, suff< during a scrimmage, and her knee has been pi The 6-2 forward earned freshman All-Americ vv.,-, - . iaKSto*- -4m: < . &, ^ 130- - - >/ 7^2 h ;r~"> -t'.V^x*. .^5r ^BBB ":t-:"^"'" - ~ ,r-~r:J- A~--* **> .... r ^SB j ^V :^jHjfc&i.-* **'<*?y. ^H: MfiB^^IBi^. flH .. pjl^pgi^P PI Marsi McAlister scores an easy lay up agains last season. a i n? ruini guara mve to break her owi By Dennis Switzer Take hard work, competitiveness and determination RntH*? tht?m un in a ?^-7 female athlete. The result would be very much like USC's senior point guard Sharon Rivers. "She's the most fierce competitor. She hates to lose at anything, and she has that knack of motivating her teammates," Head Women's Basketball Coach Terry Kelly said. "I'm your basic no-name ballplayer that plays hard," Rivers said. Her self-described no-name status is disappearing fast, however. Last year, Rivers set the school v/omen's basketball record for assists in a season with 190. That brought her career total to 369, also a Carolina record. Rivers, 41 * - inereiore, classifies assists as "the main part of my game." BUT SHE ISN'T satisfied with her recordbreaking statistics. Her goal this season is to top those records by averaging "at least" six assists a game. "I always try to better what I did the previous year," she said. Rivers' other season goal is "not only to break my own assist records, but to score more." Kelly said he shared Rivers' goal. "I would like to see her score more." Both Rivers and Kelly are anticipating. Rivers' ru?rff\pmanna aa team fnntflifl fhis * ft VA AllUliVV WM VVW??? w""" season. "Being a point guard and a senior, it's pretty safe to assume i'll be in a leadership role," Rivers said. "I expect a lot of leadership * Sharon on the court and off as well," Kelly is plague wo season and played in th< five lettermen Indianapolis, Ind., last ticluding four Championships in Colora SENIOR FORWARD I eila Foster to leading scorer with an t gh to fill. recuperating from two ki at the two top- the team until January, lined with in- Beginning the season v least through make the season interes his first full season a: La^iuicu iigiii uasKeioan team. at for six to 10 . Kelly, named interim 1 led the Lady Gamecocks 1981-82 Lady in the National Collegi ered the injury Regional. He received aced in a cast, honors for 1981-82 from an honors last Association. Kelly plans to use a ti season. "We should be able t< year, and one of the key speed, especially at th< excellent quickness," he TO COMPLEMENT H a man-to-man defense m court press. Carolina's all-time as direct the offense again two highly recruited bac 9 first !^am high school i first-team all-stater fron The other returning s will hp pvnpptpH tn n I ) ? f v" t" :'H returning non-starter fr guard Marsi McAlister. * A Columbia native, M ^ completing the starting averaged almost five pc 8 team in assists, with 60 i | CAROLINA'S ROAD t ] easy, as the Lady Gj national rhamninn I /?r Clemson, Penn State, ] heavily upon the seven fi 'We neei By Kevin Sullivan women's haskf?tha!1 iljSt heavily on freshmer ||SpP^ have a successful 1982 The seven first-yeai ^|P1L probably see more j than freshmen in ol Leading the fresl ioto bv chip Loweii Sharon Gilmore, who t Notre Dame looks to be the strong! | 10 start at center/' rs sets goal i assist record: said. "She will be in charge of running offense and getting our fast break startec With the losses of last year's leac scorers ? Sheila Foster to graduation Evelyn Johnson for the first part of season Decause 01 Knee surgery ? kiv said the scoring should be more spread among the players. * 'There will be more balanced scori more of a team effort. It's going to hav< be more of a team effort," Rivers said. Rivers said the loss of sophomore forw Brantley Southers, who fractured her ri kneecap during practice Nov. 8, will b major hole to fill in the Lady Gamecoc front line. Southers averaged nearly points a game and was named Freshn All-American by the National Worm Sports Federation. "I'm a little discouraged beca Brantley got hurt. I still don't foresee ; losing season because of it," Rivers said. iuvr.ua i?rN l ftttuoiuivin,u IU ios seasons. In four years of high sch basketball, her teams lost only three ganr She was on Lexington High School's st championship team her senior year. Her personal achievements were ? impressive. She was named to the seco team All-State team her freshman yeai Lower Richland High School. She \ named to the first-team All-State squad next three years after transferring Lexington High School. v __ -l.i I I_ _ I'll! _ 1 " l migm nave Deen a nine someininj high school, but in college everyone is on same level. You stop being a supersta Rivers said. But with two records in her name an full, season to go, fivers might b$ on way. imen's bask ; National Sports Festival games at summer and the Junior Women's ido Springs. Svelyn Johnson, last year's secondiverage of 13.7 points per game, is lee operations and may not return to without Southers and Johnson should ting for Terry Kelly, who will begin s head coach of USC's women's head coach last year in mid-season, ; to a 23-8 season record and a berth iate Athletic Association Midwest "Freshman Coach of the Year" the Women's Basketball Coaches ansition-oriented offense again this ) fast break more than we did last reasons is our improvement in team i guard positions, where we have said. IIS wide-onen offpnsp KpIIv will iup A ? lixed with half-court traps and a fullisist leader, ^ron Rivers, should i this season. She will be pushed by kcourt freshmen: Mindy Ballou, a 5\11-American, and Krysti Wheaton, a n Gary, Ind. tarter is senior Becky Parker, who rovide team leadership. The only om the 1981-82 squad is sophomore cAlister will probably join Rivers in backcourt as the season opens. She >ints per game and was third on the n30 games. o a national championship will not be amecocks' schedule includes 1982 isiana Tech, as well as Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina and Old ?' early season success will depend reshmen, Kelly said. 1 to be prepare "She has a lot of ; plaguing his fine shooting toucl team, Head ? Thorn? will depend Ir0 fark t''0,res i players to we? .ln Prtct'ce -83season. P?811!01?' Ke!^ Frost, 6-2, and L players will will join ^homas slaying time positon. ther seasons Krysti Wheatc Ballou have exce the ball in the win imen is 6-3 said. "at this point Raleigh, N.C., est candidate Lynch may see so Kelly said. at the guard positi the [ I" ling ? and {- v.;r the use fljjjM any g ling B iool ies * . 8^^^ to lift. \ in the ir" jj 8 Sharon Rivers looks inside to ^r. . holds the alt-time and singlfrsei etbail te .. yr- ' 1|B ' ' ^ mijm S^SPSPPpfito Sharon Rivers looks for t guarded closely in a baske "We signed seven outst the major adjustment to season, we can have an out Center Sharon Gilmore work her way into the star 3 freshman could be a don said. FRESHMEN GWEN I Thomas, Lisa Malichi an contribute significantly, K id early/ K potential and a W l." jurl is, a 6-0 forward que: it, 111., has done ovei ! at the inside said. Colleen said isa Malichi, 6-0, We at the forward com turr >n and Mindy lied at handling the g position, Kelly won aga native Gwen Ten mp nlauinct timo V 1115 til A Iv on, Kelly said. five Stlira KH m hAJn MRpBBnrW^n^:iKHHtf^^^SL ' %&.? :' HMHH& ;. " w^ 9 ---- - JSS^.K'-; ^?| RHB pass the ball against Virgii ssoii assist records. mm ^ ^_J j , Photo by Chip Lowell i teammate to pass to while being tball game last season. anding recruits, and if they make college basketball early in the standing year," Kelly said. could, like Ballou and Wheaton, ting lineup early, Kelly said. The 6linant part of USC's fast break, he ^YNCH, Colleen Frost, Michelle d senior Dissy Thompson should elly said. elly says ith seven freshmen and ines to two important veterans, a siion arises: will the team rcome its inexperience? \t this point, I can't say," Kelly 1. "I feel we're up to the task, have to make sure we don't mit excessive mistakes and lovers. iVe need to be prepared early in year," Kelly said. The len's schedule includes games inst traditionally strong nessee, Clemson and North Dlina State in three of its first games. MmBm. I ? J?f n j S -^^-^^8^1. H: 1 lis Tech last ytar. Rivers