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Friday, January 26,1996 Gamecoc Hell froze over Wednesday in tl i * press conference following the Universi of South Carolina men's basketball tean 77-69 victory over the Mississippi Sta Bulldogs. Grab a cold one and brace yourselv because - GASP! - USC head coach Edc Fogler complimented his team after the record fifth SEC victory of the seaso All joking aside, most know Fogl is never one to sugarcoat things. His te it-like-it-is style of doing business nev leaves one guessing about where 1 stands on matters. That's why what 1 said Wednesday was out of the ordinal Tm starting to believe we can be pretty darn good team," Fogler said aft the game. "We're coming together, we'; playing with a lot of enthusiasm. Ox ^ guys like winning," And now, for the main course: "I dor want to go overboard here, but I thir we made a statement here tonight thi we can be a very good, very competith team." After beating three straight legitimai SEC foes by an average score of 84-7 and establishing an overall record of 1 4, it appears this basketball team i indeed good, as Fogler says; with th N. C 21 \ Bud Johnson 6-10 230 ^ i\ F 5 |! Malik Russell 6-7 220 ^ % E ^5 lil o c5 |-J S ? ^ 11 4 iks finding i lie definite potential ity of being very I's good. te If we rewind to earlier in the es season to the Clemson game, if s obvious lie something the Gamecocks were lacking ;ir then is firmly in place now. Fast-forward n. to the game at Florida a few weeks ago er and the same thing was missing. 11- So what, exactly was the missing er link in the chain? Well, there's no one le thing to pinpoint, but after speaking le with the players, it appears to be a mix y. of the following: a T-E-A-M 1 iL.i ?UL i-U - 5* uvcijruiie dgiceu mm wii/ii nit; re blockbuster recruiting dass Fogler brought it in last season, it would only be a matter of time before this team started winning, it It's obvious the team is becoming ik more adjusted to each others' weaknesses it and strengths. Now, instead of just re playing, they're playing together. "We're coming together as a team te more than ever," freshman center Leonard 3 "Bud" Johnson said. "We're playing with L- confidence. If s just great to be winning is like this. As a team, the chemistry is ie good and everything is going just fine." G 4 F 33 Larry Davis Ron Mercer 6-3190 6-7208 G10 G oo /lelvin Watson Tony Delk 6-2195 6-1 193 J I V ?7 rr 7 Y \ G 3 G25 BJ McKie Anthony Epps 6-2185 6-2180 k So what...; if \ passed exa : I The Adverti resume tha F While your P more subst ? "5-minute" I I 1 I I I I I I I k SPC confideno Unlike early in the season when USC showed only flashes of brilliance, they are exhibiting their full potential for almost 40 minutes a game with 11 games left in the regular season. Veteran Leadership If there is any difference in this team, it's the stepping up of the two "older" guys on the squad, junior Larry Davis and senior Malik Russell. Davis, who was named USCs first-ever SEC Player of the Week last week, has averaged 24 points in the three game win streak. Russell has steDned un his nlav r L -r r ?j considerably as of late. Tve improved a lot as far as attitude... I know what it takes to win," Russell said. Tve been with Coach (Fogler) for a while and I know what he expects." Melvin Watson might be a sophomore, but don't tell that to the rest of the team. Watson has led by example this season, averaging 14 points and 4 assists per game. His uncanny speed has wowed fans and opponents. On two separate fast breaks by Alabama last week, Watson raced down the court to steal the ball back from dumfounded Tide players. The Columbia Connection / C 41 / Mark Pope ' 6-10 235 ; . * * V P Fan ^ I Walter McCartyh^" /ou've spent about" ms? What else will; sing Department @ t has more than jusl competition is busy antial, you will have interview. Student Mi Applications i 4th Floor, Rus For more infoi 777.1184 >RTS e, unity ! It's no coincidence the top two freshmen from last year's recruiting class, Johnson and guard BJ McKie, are coming up big for USC this year. McKie koo pUrtttm flnokno nf ? ? J I*-* li.cio oiiuwn uaoiiCO ui glcauilCSS, OIIU Iil2> 17-point performance against Alabama was no exception. Johnson is quickly becoming dominant in the paint. Nowhere was this more apparent than against Mississippi State, when he contained All-Everything center Erick Dampier. Considering that a year ago Johnson was in high school, if s safe to say the big man has exceeded expectations. "I can't say enough about Bud's progress," Davis said. "He's doing a great job, he's playing well, and he's not trying to do too much." "He's a great talent," Russell said of Johnson. "He's very strong inside, especially for a freshman. Bud's not gonna be intimidated by anybody. Thafs just the kind of guy he is." Attitude Instead of wondering whether they'll win, it appears every time they take the floor, this group now really believes they'll win. "The difference is believing ip coach Fogler's philosophy and that it takes hard work night in and night out," Watson said. "The difference is also being consistent and having the mental toughness defensively." Looking at the USC basketball team now, it's difficult to believe it's been less than two weeks since the loss at Florida. In that game, USC led by four at halftime, only to be beaten soundly, 81-69. "Off the loss in Florida, (one that) we shouldn't have lost, we sat down and watched the tape, and had a team meeting," Johnson said of USC's gut check. "Everybody was saying, hey, we're a good team, we can be good, so we need to go out and do the things that are necessary to win' and that's what we're doing now." Next Game: USC will go for their sixth conference win tomorrow at Kentucky's Rupp Arena The game, which will be televised by SportSouth, will begin at 8 p.m. 120 hours sitting in cla: /ou have to show for th The Gamecock offers v : fluff. using the thesaurus to a solid track record an edia Adverti: available: sell House rmation, ? SPORTS BRIEFSASsgq FOOTBALL AUSTIN, Texas - The NCAA is investigating whether Oklahoma coach John Blake improperly used his ties to the Dallas Cowboys to recruit players for the Sooners, the Austin American-Statesman reported today. Bob Oliver, director of NCAA Legislative services, saia nis omce has received information that Cowboys coach Barry Switzer was involved with recruiting athletes last weekend at the campus in Norman, Okla., and some Cowboys players allegedly have been calling prospects at their homes on behalf of Blake, the former Dallas defensive line coach. PHOENIX ? The New York Jets and Washington Redskins have discussed a trade involving the top overall pick in this year's draft, a source told The Associated Press. The Jets were interested in swapping the No. 1 choice to Washington for the sixth pick in the first round and "other considerations,'' e said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Those considerations would include quarterback Gus Frerotte. The Jets also would want another starter, while the Redskins are most interested in two players ? linebacker u J? tii: _ i i-- -i-i _ xvcviu naiuy ui iimiuis uuu taciue Jonathan Ogden of UCLA ? if they get the first pick. TEMPE, Ariz. ? Charles Haley, who had back surgery seven weeks ago and has been battling the flu, practiced with the Dallas Cowboys' first-team defense and was upgraded to probable for the Super Bowl. The defensive end had been listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Pittsburgh. BALTIMORE ? The Grey Cup champion Baltimore Stallions will be moving to Montreal for next season, according to broadcast reports. Owner Jim Speros reportedly was in Montreal to complete the deal. The CFL also is expected to announce >ses, done several lese four (or so) ye rou the opportunity make their part-tir d something to sa^ sing Depai W fl h '4 "* * 5 ATED PRESS that several U.S. teams will fold and a dispersal draft will be held to distribute their players. BASKETBALL NEW YORK ? Simon Gourdine, the executive director of the NBA players' association who turned back an attempt to decertify the union last summer, has been ousted by player representatives. Last month, the union announced its executive board had given Gourdine, 55, a two-year contract, but some players, unhappy with the way Gourdine handled negotiations J : 1.1 1- 1-1 A. 'r uuriug uie summer s lauor stnie, forced a vote on the contract. A vote of player representatives was held earlier this week to dismiss Gourdine, who had taken over leadership of the union following the forced resignation of Charles Grantham last year. Doug West, Minnesota's player rep, said 18 of 20 representatives voted in favor of the ouster. Player reps wiH meet during the All-Star break to appoint a replacement. BASEBALL DETROIT ? Alan Trammell, a longtime Detroit shortstop, will return for his 20th season with the Tigers, as a utility infielder. Trammell, who turns 38 next month, also has been guaranteed an. unspecified role with the club when he retires. He declined to say how much he will be paid5 but acknowledged it will Hp 1p?S fHfln fHo millinn Ho made last year when he hit .269 with two homers and 23 RBIs. MILWAUKEE ? Dave Nilsson and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed to a one-year, $1.05 million contract. The 26-year-old catcher, who was eligible for arbitration, hit .278 last year, but was limited to 81 games after contracting Ross River Fever, a mosquito-born virus indigenous to his native Australia. projects and iars or your life? to build a Tie jobs sound i in that rtment e're looking irward to earing from 1^1