The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 25, 1996, Page 7, Image 7
I
Monday, November 25,1996
Staley, Haml
Carolina fans run onto the field afti
CLEMSON continued from page 1
no Clemson timeouts left as Padgett
missed the 37-yard field goal attempt
that sent the Tigers into the locker room
left to ponder next year.
"For our football team, that was a
tremendous win," coach Brad Scott said.
"For our players to come into this
environment with a lot of things going
against us and for (them) to respond and
come back and win a football game, says
a lot about our team."
Coach Scott and his team hopes the
win will take them to the Independence
Gamecocks:
LARRY WILLIAMS Staff Writer I
The Maui Invitational has a ?
reputation as being one of the toughest \
preseason tournaments in college ?
basketball, and there appears to be no ?
reason the 1996 edition will fall short of c
the billing. g
Here's a rating of the teams, followed ]
by our predictions on who will come back t
to the mainland on top. \
Ratings (1-8):
1. Kansas Jayhawks: It's hard to ]
disagree with the many who pick this ?
team to be on top when the Final Four i
> concludes in Indianapolis March 31.
The Jayhawks are seeking redemption 5
for last season's disappointing West v
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BRYAN JOHNSTON The Gamecock
?r the Gamecocks' 34-31 victory.
Bowl in Shreveport, La. Th$ Carolina
win did not assure the Gamecocks a bowl
birth, but bowl officials made it known
Carolina was near the top of their list.
Asked how he liked his bowl hopes,
Darren Hambrick responded, "I like
them pretty good. I don't know what's
going on with it... I hope they pick us,
and I pray to God that they pick us.
But if they don't, then this is a positive
note for us to go into next season."
Aside from the possible bowl
invitation, the win over Clemson did
several things for the Gamecocks and
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face tough f
Regional loss to Syracuse in the NCAA
rournament.
Strengths: The Jayhawks have perhaps
he most skill players returning than
myone. Forward Raef LaFrentz is veiy
ithletic up front, and center Scot Pollard
:an move better than his 6-10 frame
suggests. In the backcourt, guard Jerod
lasse is as tough a defensive player as
hey come.
Weaknesses: They'll miss all-eveiything
joint guard Jacque Vaughn, who is out
intil January with a hand injury. Coach
\oy Williams needs consistent shooting
ind more power inside if his team is to
ive up to preseason expectations.
5. UMass Minutemen: John Calipari,
vho transformed the Minutemen from
collegiate 3 o
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For coach Scott, his team finished
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time in three seasons as USC head coach.
The Carolina win also kept the six-game
visiting-team winning streak going.
In this win, the offensive stoiy of the
game would have to be that of Duce
Stale/s, with Troy Hambrick's running
a close second. For Staley, his return
after a month away from the game could,
not have been any better, if it had been
choreographed.
After missing most of the Vanderbilt
game in which he was injured, Staley
also missed the Tennessee and the Florida
games. Staley hobbled his way to 133
yards on 22 carries and surpassed the
1,000-yard mark.
"Coming into the game, Coach Scott
recommended that I start the game and
that made me feel good and showed me
how much respect that he had for me."
Staley said. "I decided to just go out and
give my all since this was my last game
as a senior."
Not to be outdone, freshman tailback
Troy Hambrick ran his way to 135rushing
yards on 14 carries, including
a 75-yard TD trot in the fourth quarter.
"Coach called this play we call lisa',
and the line blocked well, and it just
happened to bust open. All I had to do
was make one guy miss and go for the
races," Troy Hambrick said.
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against Clemson, analysts speculated
before this season's game whether or not
USC would be able to stop the Tiger
ield in Maui
Atlantic-10 laughingstock to perennial
championship contenders, ran for the
money when he left UMass to coach the
NBA's New Jersey Nets. Also smelling
the green was NCAA Player of the Year
Marcus Camby, who bolted from Amheist
for the NBA a year early. DidCabpafi
and Camby take the Minutemen's
powerhouse-status with them? Not quite.
Strengths: First-year coach Bruiser
Flint won't have to wony about production
in his backcourt. Carmelo Travieso and
Edgar Padilla comprise what is likely
the best one-two guard combination in
basketball.
Weaknesses: Losing the production of
Camby, Donta Bright and Dana Dingle
in the paint will hurt. The pressure will
be on sophomore center Lari Ketner,
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ground attack.
In the first quarter, it appeared that
once again the Clemson rushing game
would have its way with the USC defense
as Raymond Priester had 91 yards on
only five carries by the quarter's end.
But in the second half, Priester could
only muster 24 yards.
The difference between last year's
defense and this year's?
"We play with more heart," defensive
back Arturo Freeman said. "We play
with more character"
On the one day out of the year the
entire state remains divided, South
Carolina made their point at the expense
of the Clemson Tigers.
And like it or not, every Sandlapper
heard it loud and clear.
BRYAN JOHNSTON The Gamecock
Freshman Troy Hambrlck breaks
away for his 75-yard TD run.
Invitational
senior Tyrone Weeks, and Inus Norville
to pick up where Camby and Bright left off.
3. South Carolina Gamecocks; Superb
backcourts will rule the roost in Maui,
and USCs guards are no exception. The
guard trio of BJ McKie, Lany Davis and
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speed, snooting and poise that often go
unsurpassed, and it's likely they still
haven't reached their full potential.
Strengths: Besides having a stellar
backcourt, USC lost only one player to
graduation (Malik Russell), and there
aren't many doubting it will improve on
last year's 19-12 record.
MAUI page 8
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I BRYAN JOHNSJON |
Friday was a sad day for the USC
students who tiy to show school spirit.
Friday night, during the second
round of the SEC Volleyball
Tournament, in a match between USC
and Ole Miss, the Carolina Ballheads
were ejected from the game for
"harassing the referee."
For those of you who do not know
about the evolution of the Ballheads,
let me fill you in.
Volleyball coach Kim Hudson
. approached a group of guys at a
basketball game and asked them to
come out and support her team by
weaiing volleyballs cut in half on their
heads, thus the name Ballheads.
Over the past season the group has
gotten so popular they have become a
sideshow at the matches.
Known as much for their abilities
to dance and lead cheers, The Ballheads
are also famous for heckling the
opposing players and referees.
Friday night, the group was given
the boot for their antics.
Many of you were there and are
probably still wondering what happened,
but many of you were not in attendance.
So, for everyone who is curious, let
me tell you what transpired the fateful
night of Nov. 22.
First of all, let me tell you I am
one of The Ballheads, and many
consider me to be the head Ballhead.
After winning the first game against
the Rebels, Carolina proceeded to drop
the next two games and were one game
away from elimination.
From that point on, it was all
downhill.
It all started when the line judge
made a questionable judgement, and
we let her have it Each time she walked
by our seats during a timeout, we booed
her like there was no tomorrow.
After a while, she seemed to get a
little irritated and complained to the
head referee about us. He thai, in turn,
told an administrativie intern for the
atletics department, Kelly Lewis, to
warn us.
She came over and told us to stop
using profanity towards the referee
and to stop "harassing the'referee."
Let me state that not one profane
word was uttered towards the line
judge. We also had done nothing Fiiday
night we had not done all year.
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et the boot
We continued to boo the ref and
were told by Lewis, who has no real
authority in my opinion, to get out of
the gym. We were never given an official
yellow card before we were ejected.
As we left, we were escorted out by
the boos directed towards Lewis from
our supporting fans.
We decided to sit in the lounge of
the complex so we could listen to the
fifth and deciding game.
The next thing we saw were two
USC police officers coming up the stairs,
twilling their handcuffs and threatening
to arrest us. As we were leaving the
building, we were called "a--holes" by
use officer P.A. Weed.
All I have to say is that it is a sad
day when you get ejected from a '
volleyball match for showing too much
school spirit.
Heckling the referees is part of the
game, and they know that when they
go into the profession. I have never
seen any of the infamous "Cameron
Crazies" at Duke basketball games get
tossed from a game for being too rowdy.
As we stood outside, we were given
nothing but support from fans leaving
the match, and I'd like to take this
opportunity to thank everyone, especially
coach Hudson and her Lady Gamecock
volleyball squad for all of their support
this past season.
It is not their fault we were thrown
out, and we do not hold it against them.
But it is sad we were thrown out and
couldn't help the Lady Gamecocks
Saturday as they took on Arkansas in
the semifinals.
They lost the match in five games,
and I believe if we had been there, we
could've helped.
One man told us as he was leaving
that he had graduated in 1956,.had
been coming to athletic events since
and had never seen anyone get thrown
out of any sporting event.
He said it was ridiculous and he
was going to call Athletics Director
Mike McGee today to let him know
how much he disapproved of our
dismissal.
Two years ago, no one attended the
matches, but Friday night, the place
was packed. You would think the
Athletic Depaitment would be thankful
that people are attending the matches,
but instead they throw them out of the
match.
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