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Page 22 - April 10, 1985 Sports ^ THE GAMECOCK The pressure's on In nn/fn/r?/i *?# #? Infinp in uuiiuyij aIUIGUU& jjfcpl pir k , F*rsi i Twenty years ago, South Carolina's football, basketball and baseball teams were followed by only a small handful of fans. lint f f liinot or/* HiffnrAnt Vl/i? liv//"? nr /lin \i/if h Hp throw of a football, the bounce of a basketball or the swing of a bat. And when thousands of people congregate in one place to see a sporting event, many of them come to yell obscenities at the opposing team or at someone on the home team for making a bad play. THAT DOESN'T do much for an athlete's confidence. How about those athletes who are being viewed on television by millions of people and drop a last-second touchdown pass to lose the game? That's called feeling the pressure, and it's evident in every walk of life. Moreover, it's becoming a trend in college athletics. It all comes down to the pressure to win. What will some schools do to be successful? Recent examples include Clemson athletics and its drug scandal, Tulane basketball's betting scandal and oavinu off nlavers and renorts that Arizona State baseball players were given a drug to improve performance. Where will it end? THERE ARE FANS all over the country who are willing to give big money to the college athletic programs in order to see (heir teams win, and that's fine. But when it comes to illegalities like under-the-table payoffs to recuit top players and allowing athletes with sub-standard grade point averages to enter college, the situation has gone too far. There has been evidence of a changing face among college administrators. Tulane President Eamon Kelly wants to drop basketball from its slate of intercollegiate athletic programs based on the illegalities that have been uncovered. A few years ago, the University of San Francisco dropped basketball when rharopc r\f HIpoqI naunffc vuprp nnpnuprpH Even at USC, players attend a special conference before the year starts to learn about what can and cannot be done while in school. THE PRESSURE is on. Athletes live with it. Not only on the field but in the classroom. More and more college administrators agree that academics come first and athletics come second. At USC, there is a major campaign underway to magnify that. Today is the signing date for high school basketball recruits to ink their name on college letters-of-intent. High school players have the pressure of listening to hundreds of college coaches sell their university and basketball program. It's hard to pick from a list of 100 schools that want you to play basketball for them for the next four years. Remember the pressure you felt when you had to choose what school you wanted to attend? College athletes live with their own type*of pressure everyday. It's time for all of us to be a little more understanding. Charles Bloom is a sportswriler for The Gamecock. 4 " *,?>' ^IflB Bffli 1 11 sb?^S ?>i . > V- <mSS gy^" ViinBh. '" sB' ^ I IpP* ': ' i m > /fl _ . St.. .4 USC's Derta Sikole is taken out by an Adslphi player durii - BEZ > a ^>AJUk/r- <Jr *' ?-V,'r,>*!?V? .. $ ' '?<*-* .... <*"* '*-? >M'W'VW'' USC's Mike Costella takes the lead in Saturday at Weems Baskin Track. Tulane play By Associated Press i>tw iiKi.r./vrNS ? unreliable testimony by self-admitted drug users is the only thing linking Tulane basketball player John "Hot Rod" Williams to allegations of point shaving, according to the 6-foot-10 center's lawyer. Mike Green of Chicago, who joined Williams' defense team on Monday, plans to have his client plead innocent at a arraignment scheduled next week. "There's nothing to plead guilty to," he said. "THE MAN gave his best efforts in every game he ever played for Tulane," he said. Williams, an all-Metro Conference selection considered a top pro pro spect, is one ot tnree piayers accused of controlling the outcome of home games against Southern Mississippi and Memphis State in February. The other two are sophomore swingman David Dominique and senior point guard Bobby Thompson. ' a ''M *'.. si; * |? ig|?l ?& ? JOSEPH GARNETT I Tha Gemecock ig a tag play last week. ' #91 gBPuK^j^y^^fm | mi Ba flj WrPwBIIHliWMIIi M jg cr< Sf3gBC^^gefl^Hi|? 3.' C3i HKbLVk. iriHHHa I jfl ;' ~i.* . . B ' ' i^wiwvKip*-jivt ^ tie S is 1,1 at w RAY GRONBERG/The Gamecock H the 3,000 meter steeplechase event 11 er may plea Thompson pleaded guilty to one count 01 conspiracy 10 commit sports bribery early yesterday. The indictment also mentions a conspiracy to shave points in the game at Virginia Tech on Feb. 16, although no specifics were included. DOMINIQUF/S LAWYER, Edward Castaing Jr., also said Monday that his client will plead innocent at ar raignment next week. Two weeks ago, when District Attorney Harry Connick announced he was arresting the players, he said cocaine was the motivating factor, rather than money. ureen said Monday mat tne state s case is based on testimony from three people who admitted acquiring drugs from a fourth person also involved in ihe case. "I have found in several of the cases I've tried that it's hard to determine what drug addicts mean from time to time." he said. Lady Gamecocl during weekeni From Staff Reports USC's softball team defeated Louisiana Tech, 2-1, Saturday in the championship game of the eight- team Lady Gamecock invitational tournament. The Lady Gamecocks topped off a perfect 5-0 tournament record by scoring in the first and second innings. then holding off the Lady Techsters. USC third baseman Shannon Gregg scored Carolina's first run in the first on Cindy Long's base hit after hitting safely and advancing to second on Shirley Burton's sacrifice bunt. South Carolina added another run in the second when designated hitter Robin Baxter reached first on the second baseman's error, second on Chris SC track team v ires well in meet m Staff Reports JSC's Ollic Taylor finished first in (wo :nts and helped the Gamecock 400-meter ay team to second place Saturday as rolina's track team competed in its own scored South Carolina Invitational track et at Weems Baskin Track. I ay lor, a sophomore irom ureensnoro, \ C., placed first in the 100-meter dash with time of 10.4 seconds. He also won the [)-meters in :21.4. USC's 400-meter relay team, composed of vl(?r filarial fnliurn A ml v mirl ithony Bennon, finished second behind ptist College. The Buccaneers finished th a time of :41./l, while the Gamecocks jssed the line at :41.9. USC's Mike Costello placed first in the 000-meter steeplechase event and tmccock Greg Wimer took fourth, behind \ lis Bango and Reed Townsend, both of :laware. Gamecock long jumper Wayne Smith lished first in his event with a leap of 24 :t, 4 and 3/4 inches. Harold Washington iced fourth. Dale Gerke, USC's perennial high jumper, d with Walt Credle and Knoxville Track ub's Mike Hogan for first with a jump of feet. William Robinson was the next?hcst finisher, jumping 13 feet for USC. USC's 1600-mcier relay team took the amecocks' final first-place finish of the ternoon. The team, consisting of Mattison, arold Butts, Mark Taylor and Bennon, nished in 3:15.9. almost two full seconds lead of Baptist College and The Citadel. Another Gamecock participant Saturday as Ken Costello, who finished second in the OOO-meters and fifth in the 1500 meters, urdler Keith Latney placed third in the i A vrtr..u i W'liivil i , aiiu i\uii i di u 1/ ininiiLu >ttuuu 111 ie discus. id innocent "THE ONLY THING I've read (about Williams) is what drug addicts say about him," he said. He also said he may seek a gag order, if supposedly secret grand jury testimony keeps appearing in news reports. "I can't see why a prosecutor would do that, unless he doesn't have condidence in his case," Green said. He said Williams didn't even know v>' what "point shaving" meant. Point shaving means intentionally winning by a smaller margin than the established betting line or losing by a bigger margin. THECASK was allotted on Monday to State District Judge Alvin Oser, who told lawyers for the players and five others indicted in the case that he would hold a bond hearing and arraignment next Monday. _ ;>> ks victorious d invitational Diemer's sacrifice bunt and home on a single by pitcher Darlene Lowery. Lowery, the tournament's Most Valuable Player, hurled six strikeouts ^ ) as the game's winner. Stacey Johnson was the losing pitcher. Other l ady Gamecocks named to the All-Tournai jnt team included infielders Cindy Long and Shannon Ciregg and catcher Chris Diemer. The win gave USC a 26-8-3 record. USC travels to South Florida Saturday for a doubleheader, and then takes on Florida State Sunday for another two-game set. The Lady Gamecocks' next home game is April 20 against Winthron at 2:10 n m i I