The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, December 05, 1990, Page 9, Image 9
USC revive!
with win ov(
For the victor comes the spoils.
Last weekend's victories over
the universities of North Carolina
and Houston earned the USC basketball
team the Diet Pepsi Tournament
of Champions title and a
national ranking.
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USC's win over the previously
fourth-ranked Tar Heels has got
people thinking the Gamecock basketball
program is close to returning
to the level of play of teams
during the Frank McGuire era.
It was McGuire who set up the
USC-UNC matchup, and it was
McGuire that Gamecock Coach
George Felton first sought out in
the stands after USC's upset win
Friday night.
It was also McGuire who played
a big role in bringing USC head
basketball coach George Felton to
USC.
McGuire, as in Frank McGuire
Arena where the Gamecocks play
their home games, was able to
compile a 283-142 career record at
USC with fourteen winning seasons
out of sixteen and four
NCAA appearances.
Enough accolades about Mr.
Dn ob-atkoll
uajKviuaii,
Time to give Felton some credit.
Now granted, Felton's 71-49 career
record has a way to go to rival
that of McGuire's, but this year's
4-1 start has Gamecock fans everywhere
dreaming about what might
be.
Two years ago, USC upset Tennessee
on the road which earned
the team a top 20 ranking. The
Gamecocks went on to an impressive
19-11 season earning USC its
first NCAA Tournament berth in
15 seasons.
Optimism was abound, and USC
fans were hoping the program had
finally turned the corner.
At the start of the 1989-90 season,
the team's previous success
looked as if it would continue on
and hopes were high but player defections
(Mark Price), academic
casualties (Troy McKoy) and injuries
(Barry Manning and Joe
Rhett) quickly diminished the
team's depth and un-tested players
were called on to lead the team.
However, the 1989-90 season
was not dissapointing as the group
or eignt scnoiarsnip piayers ana
one walk-on were able to fashion a
respectable 14-14 record.
Manning and Rhett are back in
full force, and last season's problems
have seemed to create character
and chemistry on this year's
squad.
With the play of the "Fab Four"
(Columbia's own Jo Jo English,
Michael Glover, Manning and
Rhett), USC is hoping to ride the
emotional tide all the way to Felton's
second NCAA berth.
Felton was able to take advantage
of last year's roster depletions
by inserting English into a starting
role. The 6'4" guard responded by
leading USC in scoring with a 15.3
average and now affords Felton
with the versatility of being able to
The BIG DE
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Office Hours:
M-F 9:30-5:30
211 Main St.
s program
ir Tar Heels
f ^ Doug Aube
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Pep Talk
play either guard slot. The improved
play of English along with
the return of Manning to the lineup
helps give the Gamecocks one of
the best guard tandems in the
Metro Conference.
Rhett returns to the team after
having a pacemaker installed last
season. He was named the Tournament
of Champions Most Valuable
Player.
It appears that Rhett has already
answered the question of whether
last season's surgery would prevent
him from being 100 percent
this season. The 6-foot-8-inch junior
has come back strong and has
given nothing less than 100 percent
in the first five games.
Glover came to USC as a defensive
specialist and Felton's only
senior combines heady play with
leadership and is averaging 10 '
points a contest this season. It was
Glover's clutch last second shot
against UNC that won the game
for the Gamecocks.
In addition to the "Fab Four,"
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scored 10 points against the Tar
Heels in 25 minutes of action and
with continued improvement might
finally live up to his national billing.
A feat which many of USC's !
top recruits have fallen short of in
the past
Jeff Roulston continues to improve
in the post and his play in
the TOC impressed a lot of people,
enough to earn him the Player of the
Game award in the tournament's
final against Houston and
their 7-foot-1-inch center Alavaro
Teheran.
Roulston was able to "shut
down" Teheran after he had scored
32 points in the Cougar's win over
Iowa State on Friday night, limiting
him to 14 points.
Chris Leso, Stefan Eggers and
Obrad Ignjatovic form a good nucleus
of forwards enabling Felton
the luxury of a much needed bench
depth.
In addition to 6-foot-9-inch Edmond
Wilson and junior Bojan Popovic,
Felton hopes to have the
6-foot-7-inch McKoy returning in
January to give Felton his deepest
and strongest nucleus of players
since arriving at the state's capital.
In addition, the coaching staff's
addition of former Tar Heel great
Jimmy Black provides USC with a
strong motivator and adds a wealth
of basketball knowledge to draw
from along with Eddie Payne.
In short, the Gamecock basketball
program appears to have
found all of the pieces of the
puzzle and is perhaps on the verge
of turning the corner to getting
USC basketball back torward
' McGuire's "glory days"status.
AL about Whaley
Shuttlecock service across s
Video surveillance systei
Full furniture package
Laundry facilities
Sleep /study lofts
Swimming pool
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Eric Glenn/The Ga
USC junior Jeff Roulston looks for a shot in the Gamecock!
set of North Carolina Saturday. USC, ranked 21st, takes on N
remple Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Frank McGuire Arena.
A.P Basketball Top 2
rtS. fVS.
1. UNLV(45) 1579 #1
2. Arizona(19) 1555 #2
3. Arkansas 1435 #3
4. Syracuse 1312 #7
5. Duke 1232 #8
6. Georgetown 1164 #9
7. Indiana 1110 #10
8. UCLA 1097 #12
9. Ohio State 1069 #11
10. North Carolina i 998 #4
11. Pittsburgh 957 #13
12. Alabama 873 #6
13. Georgia 774 #17
14. Connecticut 730 #15
15. Southern Miss. 687 #19
16. Oklahoma 605 #18
17. St. John's 484 #21
18. LSU 458 #20
19. Mich. State 379 #25
20. Georgia Tech 316 #14
21. South Carolina 148 ?
21. Virginia 148 #16
23. Texas 137 #22
24. Temple 131 ?
25. Kentucky 126 ?
Dear USC Students:
Cominfl The 1990-Garnet & Blc
to a neiLIS Stand 0fthepre-ordered 1990)
near you parents or students whic
Because most yearboo
or have forgotten to pick
for you, contact the Studi
All unclaimed 1990 Gar:
1990, by 5 pm.
r'S Mill is...
If you have comments
to call us at 777-4170 or 1
treet
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imecock
5' up- USC senior Karen Middleton l<
o. 24 N loss to N.C. State. The Lady Gar
ern 82-52 Saturday and travel to (
matchup with the Lady Tigers.
5 1 SPORTS BF
Swimmers place
in top ten at meet
The USC swim teams were in
action over the weekend at the
NIT Championships in Tuscaloosa,
Ala.
The men finished in fourth
place, which was ahead of rival
Florida State and top-twenty regulars
Florida and Auburn. The
Gamecocks finished with a team
total of 425 points. Kansas won
the men's division with a 719
total.
The Lady Gamecocks faced
their toughest competition of the
season and came away with a
seventh place finish. The No. 5
Florida Gators came away with a
victory in the women's division.
Lady Gamecock diver Julianne
Bauer, continuing to be a strong
force as a freshman, finished in the
top five in all three diving events.
ick yearbook has arrived and many have all
yearbooks, roughly 2,500 have been picked i
h have already paid for their hook have ne?
ks are ordered through registration by pare
up their book. Please, if you are not sure il
ent Media Office in Russell House 313 at 77
f
net & Black yearbooks must be picked up
? or questions concerning any aspect of the <
77-3888. We look forward to hearing from
Sin
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File photo
DOks for a pass in last season's
necocks slapped Georgia South^lemson
this Saturday for a noon
1IEFS
The team's next competition
will be a dual meet against Virginia
Tech on Jan. 6 at Blacksburg,
Va.
Pep rally Thursday
for basketball team
There will be a USC basketball
pep rally Thursday night at 7:30
p.m. on Greene St. across from
Russell House.
The "Voice of the Gamecocks"
Bob Fulton will serve as emcee for
the event. It will feature the Gamecock
basketball squad, Coach
George Felton, the USC pep band,
the cheerleaders and the Southern
Belles and the USC pom-pom
squad.
The 21st-ranked Gamecocks will
take on No. 24 Temple Saturday
night at 7:30 p.m. at Frank
McGuire Arena.
rpaHv Vwn piven out. However,
' ? J o
up. This means that almost 500
rlected to pick it up!
;nts, many students are unaware
: you have a yearbook waiting
7-3888. We'll be glad to check,
by Wednesday, December 12th,
Garnet & Black, please feel free
you!
cerely,
nirrea Koagers
1 Garnet & Black Editor-in-Chief