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Trip in tii By STEVE JOHNSON Sports Editor Editor's note: in conjunction with the celebration of Black History Month, the sports department is paying tribute to great black athletes from USC. This is the second of a four-part series. Turn back the clock. The year ? 1977. The place ? USC's Sarge Frye Field. Crowds of nearly 2,000 fans would gather on warm spring days and nights to hear the thunderous crack of Gamecock bats as they met pitch after opposing pitch. More often than not that year, when USC fans rose to their feet USC, Rodrii for tough cc By CHRIS DAVIS Staff Writer Despite a disappointing loss to Indit cock tennis team looks forward to a p rariKing 01 uui ana a squaa or exper beat. USC's unexpected loss to 16th-ran some of the players, but was not seen Nathalie Rodriquez, the number one cause we could not practice on our in play indoors at Indiana. Indoor tennis cause indoor courts are much faster an The indoor courts were not availabl not yet been made to the indoor athlet were scorched in a fire this past fall or Rodriquez used her baseline talents her 1989-90 season ranked 37th. Rodi preseason poll. She, along with Michelle Duda, is members of the team. Duda was 17-7 this past year, and was ranked 57th \ combine her excellent baseline game playing the number two position for U Duda and Rodriquez will combine l in the number one doubles position. T this past year with a ranking of 28th. USC is scheduled to play 13 rar second-ranked Florida, fourth-ranked C "We always play pretty good teams do well even though we started out sic sistent as we were last year." Head coach Arlo Elkins is heading facing one of the toughest schedules i the team into the Top 10. STUDENT Gf THURS1 \ POLLS WIL1 Please vote accor You must L RU Interdi: Li n. BUSINESS m. GAM F V. cc VI. MEDICAL S IF NECESSARY, A THUI IF YOU HAVE C tne recalls to applaud another big hit, they were applauding outfielder Mookie Wilson. Wilson has since moved on to "the show" and the cheering has only gotten louder. The man who would go on to become the most famous player to ever play baseball for the Gamecocks, was born right here in the state: in the town of Bamberg. After two years at Spartanburg Methodist College, Wilson chose to transfer to USC and become part of a team that was starting to build a national reputation by consistently placing in the NCAA tournament in the mid-1970s. In 1977, Wilson was an integral part of a team many college base oan experts oeneve was tne best ever for USC. Wilson lettered that year for first-year head coach June Raines. Both school and national honors quez ready mrt battles ina this past week, the Lady Gameromising season. With a preseason ienced players, USC lodes hard to ked Indiana came as a surprise to as a major setback. : singles player for USC, said, "Beidoor courts, we were not ready to is very different from outdoor bed there is no wind." e for practice because repairs have ic facility housing the courts which 1 Sept 8. ; and well-rounded game to finish iquez is ranked 29th in this year's one of the two nationally ranked in the number two singles position vhen the season ended. Duda will with her volleying ability, while SC this year. their talents again this year to play he pair were recognized nationally iked teams this season including jeorgia and eighth-ranked Duke. said Rodriquez, "I think we will >wly. Hopefully we will be as con; into his eighth year at USC and in the nation. Elkins hopes to lead 1VERNMENT El DAY FEBRUARY 21, OTING L BE OPEN 10:00 am at the following 1 uiug iu your inajt present your valid student ID c SSELL HOUSE-2nd Floor Lobby Continuing Education Criminal Justice Education Engineering Health sciplinary Studies - graduate student: brary and Information Sciences Pharmacy Science and Math Social Work 5 ADMINISTRATION - 1st Floor Business Administration BRELL HALL- Near Front Entra Honors College Baccalaureate lumanities and Social Sciences Nursing IV. LAW - Main Lobby Law School )LISEUM - Blossom Street Lobby Applied Professional Sciences Journalism CHOOL - Student Affairs Confer Medical Students L RUN-OFF ELECTION WE tSDAY, FEBRUARY 28,1991 QUESTIONS, PLEASE CAL1 i Gamecock were to be bestowed upon Wilson sig during that dream season. Wilson Mi led the team in triples (three) and he in batting with a .357 average. The sto speedy outfielder also stole 33 ote bases that year, the sixth-highest Tkl season total ever by a Gamecock for baserunner. tasl Though his team ended up los- ^ ing an exciting College World Se- inc ries to a talented Arizona State ne* team featuring former Atlanta en( Braves' standout Bob Homer, and ma eventual teammate with the Mets hin and Blue Jays, Hubie Broooks, out Wilson was a unanimous selection disj for the College World Series AllTournament Team. Wilson was ^ honored after the season by being named second team Ail-American , by The Sporting News. Wilson was drafted by the New ^8; York Mets organization as a junior 55 in 1977's spring draft. After signing with the Mets, Wilson was as- per Watson, Gi By ROBERT WATKINS 17 Staff Writer (th In what seemed like one of the fe slowest games this season, the Gamecocks exploded to a 60-41 m win over the Winthrop Eagles on. Monday night in front of 6,706 .. fans. Jamie Watson, the spark of the ft,r: bench, scored 15 points and xj Barry Manning looked like "Jo- Vf Jo-Jo English" with his four !JJj inree-pomters. sec After Jumping out to an early wit lead, the Gamecocks let the Ea- inj gles come back to take the lead ? \ SOSflll'ifKlQR]? - Community Service^^^ Programs has a job for YOU! Drop by the Campus Activities Center or call 777-5780. .ECTIONS 1991 6:00 pm locations _ ir. :ard. J ] J Lobby mce i i I ] ence Room LL BE HELD i j 777-2654. baseball ned to their AA club in Jackson, ss. After a solid season in which batted .292, had 145 hits and le 38 bases, Wilson was promd to the Mets' AAA club in lewater, Va. After batting .267 Tidewater, Wilson got his first :e of the big leagues in 1980. iVilson was used sparingly, but reasingly over the span of the ;t two seasons and played well >ugh to convince New York nager Davey Johnson to give i a starting position in the Mets' field in 1982. Wilson was not a appointment. [n just his first season as a reguplayer, Wilson recorded some nbers that still stand as personal its for him. In 1982 the speedy fielder set bests in stolen bases, hits, 179; and runs batted in, rwo years later, Wilson reached sonal highs in triples and home amecock* 16 on a wild tip-in basket at counted as a team goal for Eagles) with 5:00 left in the ;t half. Then, after trading sev1 baskets, the Gamecocks held to a 23-22 halftime lead, rhe second half got better, ii Jeff Roulston scoring the it basket of the half after going or 4 in the first Slowly the mecocks pulled away by putl the pressure on the Eagles, ^n, around the middle of the ond half, USC broke away h one of its best scoring runs some time. fhe Gamecocks were ignited G Come fir Interir I Sign up in the C between S ' This program The Kog V< .??* S HI ...JBHHBBI i. The best band ii Rivftr flitv Rra Called the Boston Pops c \merican brass band tradit rom familiar folk tunes to t JSC Symphonic Band will c Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. $6 adult Kc On sale at the Carolina Colise Sounds Familiar, Williams Ml All concerts presented in i $5 c USC students may pi vents for $5 starting ter. One ticket pc I standout runs, with 10 in each category ttu season. Perhaps the highlight of Wil son's career came during the 198< season. Wilson's steady play th? year helped lead the New Yorl Mets to one of the most excitinj World Series in baseball history. Wilson hit .269, had seven hit and scored three runs as the Met defeated the Red Sox in a dramati seven game series, four games t three. The following season Wilsoi eluded the magical "300" mark b; only one point. His .299 battinj average in 1987 still stands as Wil son's personal best Wilson joined former college ri val, and then teammate, Brooks a they were dealt to a new leagui and a new land in 1989. The for mer Gamecock star took off t< "the great, white north" of CanacL to play ball for the Toronto Blu< Jays. > make Ea by Watson, who had a slam foli u.. .1 iuwcu uy an ciigusii uucc-puim attempt that bounced high and was. tipped in by Watson. The two power moves brought everyone in Carolina Coliseum to their feet for the first time in the game. With 3:11 remaining, the game got physical with Roulston hitting the floor after an Eagle layup, and Manning receiving a hard foul on a layup. The final scoring of the night for Roulston was a dunk with only seconds left. However, one of the highlights of the evening \ROLINA PROGRAM U1N Ideas and Issues Committe id out what's in stc at The USC! featuring n President, Dr. Arthur ] Friday, February 22, l! 8:00 a.m. The Golden Spur Free Admission Carolina Program Union Ofi >:00 a.m.and 5:00 p.m., or c is paid for, in part, by Stud* ;er Center 1 The lion of tl I Jose Carlos Winner of the 1990 \ Cocarelli is hailed as a t H He matches his technic: ished interpretations. H stand why Claudio Arra piano." Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. $12.! n the land! ss Band with USC if brass. River City puts the fur ion, the 22-member band perfc >allads, classical transcriptions >pen this toe-tapping pops cone s, $4 students iger Center Event um box office and all SCAT outlets isic-Orangeburg and Seaco Musicthe Koger Center for the Arts at th< arolina Student archase the next best av 30 minutes before show ;r student limit with val n lypdf s Wilson s As the Mets slid, the Blue Jays c benefited greatly from their Amerio can imports and captured the American League East pennant for n only the second time in franchise y history. The Blue Jays lost the ? t A.L. championship to the eventual World Champion Oakland Athletics, but Wilson recorded his best piayott statistics. Through five s games Wilson batted .263, had five - hits, two runs batted in and scored two runs. 3 Though his athletic career at a USC lasted only one season, his - play on the baseball diamond will never be forgotten. gles 'sore' o was a three-pointer by seldomused forward Obrad Ignjatovic at the buzzer to cap off the Gamecocks run. "I'm not disappointed we won," USC head coach George Felton said. "In the second half, when the pressure was applied, we played better. Also helping out was Barry Manning, who was all over the place, and a bench that came in and took over when it was called on * USC's next game is Saturday against Metro Conference foe Memphis State at 3 p.m. in Carolina Coliseum. noN ;e >re for you fC. Smith 990 ice, RH Room 209 all 777-7130. znt Activity fees. Presents: ie piano Cocarelli ^an Cliburn Silver Medal, hinking and a feeling musician. il brilliance with mature, polear his performance to underu calls him "the lion of the 50 Symphonic Band 1 back into music. Reviving the >rms a repertory that ranges to marches. The outstanding :ert. Tickets i, including Taylor Street Pharmacy, Sumter. Call 777-SCAT to charge, e University of South Carolina. Rush! ailable ticket to these time at the Koger CenId USC Student I.D.