The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 27, 1991, Page 3, Image 3
Mistake?
Basketball coach not deserving
of multi-year contract extension
In an article in yesterday's edition of The State newspaper, it
was reported that USC officials are negotiating a multi-year contract
for men's head basketball coach George Felton. In light of
the Gamecocks' annual late season collapse, not to mention obvious
widespread player dissatisfaction with their coach, a new contract
seems a definite move in the wrong direction.
On paper, the basketball team appears to have enjoyed reasonable
success. The 1988-89 season, Felton's third, brought the
Gamecocks their first NCAA Tournament bid in 15 years and the
team finished with a good (but not great) 19-11 record. Unfortu- -m
nately, it has been all downhill since. I
First, the Gamecocks' best player, guard Brent Price, transferred
to Oklahoma, citing philosophical differences with Felton. The
bottom line was that Price found it increasingly difficult to get
along with Felton, and he was disenchanted with Felton's refusal w
faom nlotr on im r\r\ otiflo Knot eill tin ft tVl T aKiliflAC Wl
IU I^/l U1& IW/CUII yj\a J ail Oljiv L/VJI juiuu^ iaavaa uumuvu.
Second, the 1989-90 season saw the Gamecocks drop eight of
their last 12 games, finishing the season 14-14. Although the team ^
was hit hard by injuries, why did the team's best player down the
stretch, Eric Sykes, only see substantial playing time when these
injuries made it a necessity? w.
Finally, there is the utter collapse of this year's team. This Va
squad obviously had plenty of talent, evidenced by their 11-2 start an
and No. 12 national ranking. Then the roof fell in. The Gamecocks
lost eight of their final 10 games, finishing a lowly seventh in an
unusually weak Metro Conference. For the fourth time in Felton's
five years, the team failed to post a winning record in Metro play.
Despite an NIT bid, the season was hardly a success.
The'most disturbing aspect of the Gamecocks' late-season collapse
is the apparent lack of respect held by the players for their
coach. Although the Felton-Jo Jo English confrontation during the
Siena game received the most publicity, it is becoming increasinniv
common that nlavpr Hissatisfar.tinn runs dftp.n
UlglJ VVilUllVll niivnivu^v ?*?% ??~? r.
Whether or not rumors of Jamie Watson and Edmund Wilson's
transferring to another school are true, it is obvious that something
is not right between the coach and the players. foi
As we prepare to enter the Southeastern Conference, the USC
Athletic Efcpartment should look hard at the current state of affairs ga
concerning USC basketball. It is difficult to believe a multi-yearcontract
for George Felton is a positive move toward our goal of *nl
athletic excellence. 0
"Htm OVER YOUR HEAPS MP FORM A LIME?
YOU WILL BE WELL TREATEP" 1
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News: 777-7726 Advertising: 777-4249 ^
Kathy Blackwell robyn Thompson
Editor in Chief Managing Editor ' .
Chris Silvestri David Bowden th<
Copy Desk Chief Viewpoint Editor Pa
ni;
Lucy Soto Kathy Heberger ho
News Editor Carolina Life Editor
Stevf. Johnson Renef. Meyer
Sports Editor Photography Editor
Cli
Aaron Sheinin Tige Watts ?"
Assistant News Editor Assistant News Editor m
Oct a via Wright Patrick Vellegas b:
, Assistant Carolina Life Editor Assistant Sports Editor
jennifer jablonski julie bouchillon ^
Assistant Copy Desk Chief Assistant Photography Editor
Eric Glenn Wayne Williams ^
Darkroom Lab Technician Comics Editor
Ed Bonza Erik Collins an
Director of Student Media Faculty Adviser pc
Laura S. Day Ray Burgos all
Production Manager Assistant Production Manager ne
Renee Gibson Kyle Berry ag
Advertising Manager Assistant Advertising Manager yc
Carolyn Griffin
Business Manager
. ... . " P
Letters Policy: The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should
be, at maximum, 250 to 300 words long. The writer must include full name, professional
title if a USC employee or South Carolina resident, or year and major if
a student. An address and phone number are required with all letters sent. The
Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible libel or in case of T<
space limitations. The newspaper will not withhold names under any
circumstance. ?s
?II?111 MMI1 i ilium mi 11mi .m Ill?11?II m mil mi
C hiCtyTriUne.
Ignorance, n(
Last week was Gay and Lesbian Awareness
eek... lots of seminars, condom give-aways, the
lole show. No big deal. I didn't go to any of the
ents, probably because I consider myself "aware"
their existence. But I didn't mind them doing
sir own thing, et cetera.
Monday morning, walking to class, I spotted a
rer informing me that the week of March 25 - 29
is "Anti-Homo Week." Sounds like a popular
cation spot to me, but the flyer went on to say,
d I quote:
'"We don't like you -10 billion who
wear blue jeans
Show your disgust of gays and lesbians
by wearing blue jeans or shorts this
week!!! (Count 'em, three exclamation
points)
Homo sexuality (yep, two words on the
flyer... someone better notify Webster's)
is an abomination to God. Please read
Romans Chapter 1-24
'who changed the truth of God into a
lie' 1:25 Romans"
Pretty deep. You have to stop and think about it
r a second to get the full force of this message.
BUT, instead of showing my disgust at all the
ys and lesbians running amok in our Christian
ciety, I decided to print my disgust at whatever
bred, Bible-thumpin' redneck(s) formed a
>liday committee and declared this "Anti-Homo
Explanation g
There is an amazing amount of confusion abt
the Viewpoint section's letters to the editor,
let me clear this up right now. Several letters
ve accused the Viewpoint editor (i.e., me) of
hlichintr lAttArc that orA nartiAiilarU/ AAntrrwfAr.
1/liOlllU^ Hv* O uiui CUV pcu UVU1CU1J VV11U V ? VI
I and weird.
To answer this charge, I would direct all poitial
letter-writers to the box marked "letter
licy" in the lower left corner of this page. It
/s, in the Queen's English, "The Gamecock
II try to print all letters received."
For those who don't comprende, we do NOT
:k which letters to run. Almost without exDtion,
I have run every letter that we have reved
and verified. The policy says we "try" to
nt all letters because sometimes people forget
leave a current phone number, and we cannot
sure that the person who wrote the letter is
: person whose name is on it We confirm let?
1?TT1?DC? TA T
LIS I 1 LKo IU 1
a a a a i Citadel (is)
.etter attacks ?? ow:
# argue is a
mother's view "e 01
idential moi
i the editor: As a pr<
My apologies to you Mr. Sutton take issue \
Miss Freeman's letter offended of knowled
u or if this letter does. I hope College of!
it you see why I'm writing this not a unive
a wtiy you are coming under women nav
e. military anc
t m f ? , well. In ii
I am grateful that you are one of rqtC instr
i students that are willing to use
?ir option to write to a news- To state
per editor. I am glad you recog- lowed to g
le its value "... of what we the knowlc
Id dear for instance, the freedom two things.
express ourselves in editorials." to researcl
But it pains me to see you, espe- fee| y<?ur 1
ally a graduate student, to be set- ..catc , y0
ig a double standard by expous- f?,we ,?
g your own opinion while lam- 0 , ^ra 1
isting someone else who su en r
ercises the same right. It lightens aJ?*'lty ^
>u as a bigot (yes, I looked it up es;'
Webster's, p. 149 in my diction- . f. .
y) and a close-minded reactiony
(p.979). jj- a y0U1
I read Miss Freeman's article can^cr'
id I found it articulate, to the purs"e heI
lint, supported by facts and over- would inc
[, executed in an intelligent man- Py?gram 0
>r. Yours is a poor diatribe are.1
ainst someone who didn't share ,goa s
?ur personal views. versely, a 3
Thomas C. Kelly ratlons .
Art studio senior ?PPortunitl(
While thi
^ale schools
it*A no^accarv ?y adnV"
** ^ "vvvjuiti j uorps 01 i
effect is ai
3 the editor: system for
In your recent editorial entitled men of an
iexism," it seems the only correct experience,
formation printed was that "The As you p
)t gays, harmfi
k
DAN BARABAS
V
g
Guest Columnist J
f
Week."
One word comes to mind: ignorant (and if you v
look in the thesaurus, you might find 'dumb,' b
'feeble-minded,' 'moronic,' 'thick,' and y
'unintelligent,' all of which seem to fit as well). y
So let's start at the top. Ten billion who wear blue v
jeans? Last time I heard, the earth had just passed
the six billion mark, and who, exactly, empowered tl
our mystery flyer-makers to speak for the entire o
population and then some/
Whoa, and what a sacrifice for all the anti-homo- d
ers to wear blue jeans or shorts this week, p
considering it's gonna be 90? F. Real disgust g
would demand at the very least a sweatshirt. r<
Abomination-shenomination. Who's the real i:
abomination to man as a race? p
And then, he/she/they ask us, the reader/admirer
of this crudely-done flyer, to "please read I
Romans..So I dug around in my desk, pulled out c
my copy of the Holy Bible, blew the dust off, and v
read Romans. And damned if they weren't right... 1
this is anti-homo week and has been for 2,000 ? ji
;iven of arcane
00^ DAVID BOWDEN ;
ters to make sure no one is playing a practical <
joke on someone else by signing their name to a <
stupid letter.
The only other times I will not run a letter is <
when 1) they are obscene or so crazy as to be 1
incoherent, 2) the letter is on an issue that other i
letter writers have just beat to death (for exam- l
pie blasting Spiros Papleacos) and 3) the letter <
attacks a candidate for student office rieht be- <
fore an election. I
Yes, some letter writers express unusual posi- 1
HE EDITOR
a bastion of conserva- does have a long traditior
South' values." This I one of corruption, scanda
much better reputation cles in Sports Illustrated.
f steroid abuse or pres- The Citadel boasts a pro
aey scandals. tion of loyal, well-rounde
^ a n-tnA i i ?, * t tic graduates, who make t
3ud Citadel alumni, I , , , ' A
.. . . school and state proud,
vith your apparent lack v Chuck
fee about The Military USC medica
iouth Carolina (no, it is
rsity). All would agree
e a rightful place in the Kacism cai
1 serve their community #
.ct one serves as an ||| QnC S HI
uctor at The Citadel.
that women are not al- To the editor:
0 to The Citadel shows I am writing in respon:
>dgeable reader one of editorials (letters, ed.)
Either you are too lazy peared in the March 20 (
1 your opinion or you The Gamecock which a
eaders are too ignorant isSues that I feel need to 1
ur mistakes. Women are ated on.
attend The Citadel as First, in reading the a
late and undergraduate titled "Racism should ski
i fact, the overwhelming i had to ask myself this
f graduate students are if the events had been as
he only thing females of the article had percei
Dwed to do is live with to be, except for her si
inside of the barracks. partner had been black, \
, , , ... wnter have labeled the
ig lady chooses a mill- radst? M answcr wouId
she has every right to not. Instead she wc
dreams. Her options ^ shru cd it off (if t
lude a co-ed military Jhad thc wriler ,
r a women s college. eted ^ w ^
nany institutions where , wou|d make lhe asse
may be attained. Con- the evenls the wrUer des
toung man of like aspi- ^ radst were nol in .
should have like ity ^ way. The class s.
;s* that was the focal point o
ere are a number of co- understanding, was an a
/ programs, there are play the roles of member
1-male military schools. gress. Just as would occi
ing females into the ity, the people who pi
Cadets, the bottom line Congressional member*
lother co-ed education have time to consult wi
women and a denial of one. They barely had tin
i all-male educational among themselves bef<
had to be made,
lointed out, The Citadel In so far that the write
Ill to use
;idding.
But they were right, there it was in black and
zhite, "They are filled with every kind of
/ickedness... ill will... bickering... They are
ossips and slanderers... insolent..." (Romans
:29-30). But wait a minute, are we talking about
lie "homo sexuals" or our decidedly anonymous
lyer-makers?
And now I'm asking them to read Romans 2:1,
irtually on the same page as their quote. It's pretty
asic and fairly clear, "That is why everyone of
ou who judges another is inexcusable." So I guess
ou'll be joining all the 'homo sexuals' in Hell,
/on't you? But who am I to judge...
And that's the thing about the Bible... you can
hurow verses back and forth all day, piss each other
ff, and end up no nearer to a conclusion.
This flyer is only one example of the just plain
umbness which is sweeping the nation like a
lague. It's just the tip of the iceberg... abortion,
un control, sex ed in schools, censorship of music
ock groups? Come on, give me a break, folks, this
5 the '90s, not the '50s. I thought the idea was to
rogress, not regress.
Finally, correct me if I'm wrong, this is the
Jnited States of America, is it not? You know, that
ountry where people can basically do what they
/ant to as long as it doesn't hurt anybody else?
he country of free choice, free speech... or is it all
jst a bunch of baloney?
letter section
dons on issues and no, I don't always agree
with them. But I have never published a letter
for the sole purpose of pissing off the student
body. That's what we have Dennis Shealy for.
A couple of other points for would-be letter
writers: we call them letters, not editorials or
:olumns. Also, each person is limited to two
letters per semester. This is so one person
doesn't dominate the letters section with his^e^
opinion.
I hope this clears up any confusion about The
Gamecock's letter policy. Call me pretentious,
but I like to think of the letters section as a
necessary forum for USC opinions. It is one of
he more important parts of the paper, in my
~>nininn for showincr what I JSP stnrlpnfc fa
; did not have been printed. The last thing
ith every- this campus or this country needs
ne to talk is to add more fuel to a fire that is
jre votes raging out of control.
Kim Coker
:r said her The girl from GINT
:ulty and administration think. I invite any out
[here to write a letter and say how much they
think we're full of it.
i' '
*
l, but not partner "rejected" all of her input
1 or arti- and only addressed her "in a rude,
Instead, despicable, annoying manner," I
ud tradi- would say that would be an overly
d, patrio- exaggerated description of what
>oth their took place. The writer let her own
prejudices, which were a result of
Morrow past experiences, distort her perI
student ceptions and became hysterical to
the point that her partner was not
% rv mvpn Q tn pynkin
I maji 5* ? VII w VilUlIW WW
^ It is my opinion that the Civil
War ended approximately 140
l?vl years ago, yet die white population
cannot be the only ones accused of
living in the past There is poverty,
se to two struggling and prejudice against all
that ap- races of society ? not just the
edition of black race. Until people, like the
ddressed writer, learn to overcome fear and
>e elabor- suspicion they have for others,
there will always be
rticle en- discrimination,
p school" Please understand that I am not
question, placing blame on the writer alone
the writer for she is the victim of her own soved
them cialization process. However, we
imulation each hold the responsibility of recvould
the ognizing what is irrational and
events as false about that process,
be prob- Finally, I would like to respond
>uld have to the article "Paper prints dumb
he events letters" which ironically appeared
tad inter- after the one I just discussed. I
think the writer of this article hit
:rtion that the nail on the head when he said
icribed as "the editor prints editorials on the
all actual- basis of their sensationalism and
imulation, bias, and not on the quality of the "
f the mis- subject or the content of
ttempt to information."
s of Con- Otherwise, I do not see how the
tr in real- former article, which was merely a
ayed the ooint of personal dispute, could