The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 21, 1983, Page 10, Image 10
In the Meti
Gamecock (
Rw llonnic Cuuitvor
mm J WWIISII0 VVWIII.OI
The magic number is 20.
That's the number of wins USC head
basketball coach Bill Foster sets as his goal
every year.
"We're always looking for a 20-win
season," he said.
Last season, Foster reached both major
goals of a 20-win season and a bid to a natinnnl
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the regular season at 20-8 and made it to the
quarterfinals of the National Invitational
Tournament, losing to Wake Forest.
This season, with the Gameeocks in the
Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic conference,
20 wins might not be as easy.
FOSTER SAID this schedule will be his
toughest since coming to Carolina four years
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Foster, who said his schedules at Duke were
always among the hardest in the country. :
"Four out of the six years at Duke, our 1
schedule was rated the toughest or second ;
toughest in the nation." 1
Foster sees three areas where the teams
needs to improve to be successful this season.
First, he said the team needs to play better on |
the road. Last season, the Gamecocks were 1
17-3 in Carolina Coliseum, but 3-6 on the <
road. The team won two 011 neutral courts. ;
lit tKic caorrtri
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13 games at home and play 14 on the road, s
not including at least one game in the Metro i
tournament to be held in Memphis, Tenn. s
Second, Foster said the team needs to play
better defense. <
t
"OUR DEFENSE has to improve. We i
allowed our opponents to shoot too well."
Gamecock opponents shot 48 percent from t
the floor last season, while USC shot almost s
52 percent. USC averaged 72.3 points per
game, while opponents averaged 67.7.
Third, Foster said the team has to improve
from the free-throw line, a persistant pro- c
blem for the Gamecocks. i
l he (Jamecocks shot 66 percent from the ]
free-throw line, compared to 69 percent for ;
Carolina opponents.
i
USC RETURNS eight lettermen and four i
USC women's
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USC forward Marti McAKstar dritttu downcou
McAfetar'f satar Amy joins tha wqmi tim aaason.
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regular starters. Missing from the starting
lineup is Gerald Peacock, who led the team
in assists with 182 and averaged 8.2 points
per game.
Headlining the list of returnees is 6-8
senior Jimmy Foster, who led the team in
scoring the past two seasons and rebounding
for three seasons. Foster averaged 17.3
points and 8.9 rebounds per game last
season.
Other returning lettermen are Brad Jergenson,
a 6-8 senior forward; Scott Sanderson, a
5-3 senior guard; Mike Brittain, a 7-0 junior
:neter; Jimmy Hawthorne, a 6-3 junior
guard; Duane Kendall, a 6-10 junior center;
Chris Troutman, a 6-0 sophomore guard and
Harold Martin, a 6-3 junior guard-forward.
Top newcomers to the team are Michael
roster, a 6-2 point guard from Greensboro,
4.C.; Matt Mayes, a 6-3 guard from
Irevard, N.C.; Gerald Perry, a 6-6 forward
rom Dreher High School in Columbia; Tom
it ierle, a 6-0 sophomore guard who
ransfered from Emporia State in Kansas;
nd Bob Sylvester, a 6-8 forward who made
he team as a walk-on.
FOSTER STARTED at the point guard
osition Saturday night in the exhibition
ame against the Canadian National team,
coring six points and dishing out nine
3010 13 .
Mayes underwent knee surgery during the
jmmer, but coach Foster expects him to be
;ady to play by the second game of the
jason Nov. 29 against Missouri-St. Louis.
Many magazines and polls have picked the
iamecocks to finish either third or fourth in
le Metro conference, but Foster said his aim
to shoot for No. 1.
"You always shoot for No. 1, and then let
le chips fall where they may. You can't
loot for No. 4. "
AVERAGE ATTENDANCE has increasi
every year since Foster has taken over the
aaching job, and Foster said 750 to 800
lore season tickets have sold than last year,
tut Foster would still like to see more
tudents at the game.
"At Duke that was the least of my wories,"
he said. "You'd think the coliseum
'as out in Irmo or somewhere."
team national
By Tracy
A new c
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women's
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ference ct
rpfurn on,
center fro
guard fro
t in a contest last uason. who start
season,"
ir another 20-w
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Jimmy Foster goes up during Clemson's Murray Jarm
open their season Nov. 26 against UNC-Asheville.
ly ranked in pri
Mixson Kel|y
:onference, a long home-game stretch and season,
mposed of veterans and strong freshmen jng jn z
'ill determine the success of the USC's citing F
1983-84 basketball year, and because of Monica
>nd-year head coach Terry Kelly said he's "The
about the coming season. far this
ear should be a lot better," he said, com- an that
c coming season with last year's 16-12 group I
a is ranked 20th in the nation by the TO
1 Press pre-season poll, and as the newest Carolii
>f the Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic "I tl
e, has been chosen as the pre-season sively,'
> win the conference title. well fe
'VE GOT us picked to win it this year," USC
"That'll be good if we do. Traditionally wju p
ro the toughest teams are Memphis State Colisei
la State. "Hci
umber-one goal is to win the Metro Con
. 4<ir lllc 1111
lampiuiisiup, ne continued. If we win, % .
)matically qualify for the NCAA (Nalegiate
Athletic Association) tournament.
s we'd like to be ranked during the year, 44BU
and foremost we'd like to win the con- stretch
lampionship." of the ^
That's'
i about individual players, Kelly said, that's
>spects look very good this season. We finish i
e of our top players who was injured last US)" h<
ntley Southers. She's back with us now,
ery strong." Kelly
against
IERS WAS red-shirted last season due to with CI
lury and a blood disorder. the Lac
? got three returning starters back besides
se are Sharon Gillmore, a sophomore because
m Graniteville; Marsi McAlister, a junior schedu
m here in Columbia; and Mindy Ballou, ferencc
ed for us before the end of the year last And
he said. Metro
^ i
/in season
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$? t
ian during a game last season. The Gamecocks
eseason poll
said incoming freshman will be a factor this
"We have an excellent recruiting class comis
far as freshmen are concerned," he said,
lene Najarian from Wakefield, Mass., and
. Williams from Kershaw. # t
>se two have been the leading candidates so
season. But I don't think our youth will be
much of a problem. The sophomores as a
i n/4 n 1 % t r> ( r? m /? #? ?? a 1 nanr ' ' Via c O I
iau a isji ui piaying nine iddi ycai, 11^ aoiu.
IMPROVE over last season, Kelly said
la will have to work on its overall defense.
link we're going to have to play well defen"
he said. "If we can do that, everything else
ed off of that."
' has a 10-game home stand this season, and
lay 16 of its 28 games at home in the _
urn.
ivine 16 hnmp tramps is tn our advantage."
iaid. "Nine of those are double-headers with
?n, which is a plus because that's a better
for us."
T WHEN we have that 10 home-game
, I think that will be the make-or-break time
/ear for us as far as our season is concerned,
about mid-January to mid-February, and
when you pretty well size up how you'll
this year. That's an important stretch for
' said the season opener Nov.1 29 ^ gg
South Carolina State and then a contest * ^
emson Dec. 3 will be tough competition for
ly Gamecocks early in the season.
ose are not good opponents to open against
e they are strong," he said. "But the type of
le we have will help us in our Metro Coni
games." vanything
that will help Carolina in the
is good enough for him, Kelly said.
H