The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 14, 1997, Page 7, Image 7
Let the
players
decide
who's the
champion
| new world order
As I look forward to another
boring weekend of college football
games between Top 25 teams, I realize
that last week's action was
probably the last decent games before
the bowl season begins.
Judgment Day saw the No. 1
team in the country drop to third,
even though they won their game 01
one of the most unbelievable plays
in sports history.
Nevertheless, I agreed with
A what the polls say. Florida State
should be No. 1, even if they do plaj
in a conference that's cheesier than
Velveeta. Overall, they clearly
showed they are the best team in
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Now, before all the Michigan
fans, including my old roommate,
start preparing their letters to the
editor, bear with me, for there is on*
thing I don't agree with about this
system.
? Michigan, who is in the Big 10,
will not win the national championship
because of the politics of the
NCAA. Since their conference is not
a part of the Bowl Alliance, they wil
ultimately lose out to Florida State
or Nebraska. Thus, they will suffer
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years ago and Ohio State did last
year, making them the latest winner
of the "Nuts and Bolts" Award.
The national title picture has
tv become painfully reminiscent of the
Student Government elections on
this campus. Not only do these
teams have to come from a conference
that's in the Alliance, but they
have to come from the right conference.
In 1993 Texas A&M went 120,
yet wasn't even considered for the
title. Last year, BYU managed to
win 14 games, losing only to Wash
ington, but had no chance at a national
title
Then comes the possible, but
not likely, option of a split national
champion for the third time this
decade. However, controversy has
come even then with the selections.
personally, 1 thought lieorgia lech
should have won it all by themselves
in 1990 and not shared it
with Colorado, who lost one game
^ and had two games in which an ex49
tra down and a phantom clipping
penalty gave them two wins.
There is only one real solution
to this mess the NCAA makes every
year? have a single-elimination
playoff. Last team standing wins.
Use the bowl games as playoff
games. That way, the sponsors still
make money, the schools still make
money and the fans will see the
coronation of a real national cham4k
pion that won its way there and
didn't ride the coattails of the press.
The Alliance has caused more
problems than it has solved. How
many more controversial crownings
do we have to see before the NCAA
finally decides to take the national
championship out of the hands of
the press and into the hands of the
players?
Speaking of crownings, it's time
again for induction of another loser
into the Singletonian Hall of Shame
with the "U Suck" Award. This
week's award goes to a man who
epitomizes the word "loser."
Chris Simon of the Washington
Capitals committed an act of true
stupidity in a game by calling Mike
Grier of the Edmonton Oilers (who,
l ii a n a i \
Dy tne way, is an Amcan-zuiieritaui;
the one name you don't call AfricanAmericans
anytime or anyplace.
What makes this incident even
more disgusting is that Chris Simon
is not a Southerner or an Italian
from Benson-Hurst, but a native
North American.
You would think since he's of
that particular ethnic group, he
would understand what racism and
discrimination are.
As an African-American, and a
hockey fan, I'm sickened by this incident,
and I think the three-game
suspension the NHL gave him was
too lenient for the offense committed.
I would have given him at least
a 10-game suspension and a $50,000
fine.
The NHL needs to hand out
stiff penalties to show these racists
this will not be tolerated.
I can't wait for Edmonton to
come to Greensboro for a game
^ against the Hurricanes.
1
Seniors rea
BRYAN JOHNSTON Sports Editor AndaJ
ular seasor
Senior volleyball players ^ey wiU ^
Heather Larkin, Lori Drost and ^ie"' fQur J
Shani Abshier have been through a Abshi<
lot in their four years at USC. things to sa
They remember when they ai01" teamn
didn't have it so nice. They also re- "[Lori
member what it was like to be at the wonderful,1
bottom of the conference looking up. been truly;
"We can say we were builders Drost
of this program," Larkin said. "We to say aboi
all have stories of when there was "Heath
no locker room, when we played at through a
the P.E. Center and when there was Drost said
nn nnn. fomlih. ?
wj lie** lavuibjr. us have sta;
But, now if s different. The three acquired a
are proven winners and have their have for th<
team on the verge of being invited
to the NCAA Tournament. AbshiBf
! But, before any postseason travel
plans are made, these three have . 7"^.1
one more match to play at home, a "1Jur^
match thafs very important and an- .
ticipated to be very emotional. Junior
r Senior Day for the three is at 2 told of the t
p.m. Sunday when USC plays UGA. ^eir P^s
11
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The class of (1-r) Shani Abshier, Lori Drost an
go down as one of the most successful classes in
Pait winding <j
KELLY MAGUIRE Senior Writer
In any sport, if s always refreshing to encounter
a player who is not only extremely talented, but a
humble person as well. These characteristics describe
senior forward soccer player Robbie Pait.
Paif s career began at an early age, when he
became intrigued with soccer. His father had tak- '
en him to some college soccer games and from there
a passion developed.
During high school, Pait excelled, being selected
to the Region III Olympic Development Program
squad that toured France. This accomplish
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mem came aitei ius uuwsumiuujg piay m uie uur, (
"It was just great representing my country,
and it was an experience that can't be replaced,"
Pait said.
Pait's other pre-college accomplishments include
being selected to the Puma/Corner Kick Top 1
50 list his sophomore, junior and senior years. He
helped lead Middleton High to two straight AAA
Lower State Championships, was a member of '
the Olympic Development Program for six years
and was selected as the AAA State Player of the I
Year his junior and senior seasons. 1
As Fait's high school career came to a close, he
decided Carolina was the place for him.
"Carolina had in it's history a lot of good teams
in the past, and I wanted to carry on the tradition
at South Carolina of good, quality players," Pait
said.
Being a part of the Carolina soccer team means i
feeling elated, but also tested, he said. i
The best and the hardest [aspects] go hand in
hand, because when you chose to come to Carolina, 1
you knew you were going to be stacked up against 1
the best teams in the country on a weekly basis," (
rait said. Each game, you were going to be play- !
ing one of the top teams in the country, and that's
the best attribute, as well as the hardest." ]
Despite Pait's success on the field, like being \
the leading scorer on last year's team, he's most ^
proud of his soccer experience.
"I'm most proud of the friends and the people ;
that I've met," he said. "I'm really proud of all the i
players and the coaching staff.
"he Gamecock RjjtHijHCI Friday, November 1
dy for last hom
[though it's the last reg- "We walked in to get our
1 home match for them, physicals and everybody's got their
[ways have memories of little medical folders," Edlund said.
rears in Columbia. "Shani pulls her's out and it's like
ir had nothing but good encyclopedia."
y about her two other se- Abshier has had surgeries on
iates. her shoulder and wrist, sprained anand
Heather] have been kles and is nursing a lower-back in'
Abshier said. "They've jury, just to name a few of her ailgreat
people." ments.
also had positive things Teammate Stacy Donham is Ablt
Larkin and Abshier. shieris roommate and has plenty of
ier, Shani and I have been stories to tell about her roomie,
tot the last four years," "She's a slob," Donham said emTogether,
the three of phatically. "You walk into her room
yed strong. I think we've and you can't walk because you don't
kind of friendship we'll even see a floor. She's a mess."
e rest of our lives. Edlund also told of the time Abshier
balled up her jersey and threw
it in the bottom of her bag after a
h?a match- it time for their
. v i . i next match, Abshier s jersey was
is throughout her career . ,, , , ,. . ? , ? ,
b wrinkled and dirty. But Hudson
made Abshier wear it anyway.
setter Ashley Edlund , , ? ?,
ime the team had te get " 3ttu"k re^ bad' Edh">d
icals in the preseason. ^ "But it washilanous to see her
out there m that jersey.
Despite the good laughs she
^ fk provides for all, Abshier has been a
valuable part in building the Car&
** olina program.
|% The Tucson, Ariz., native has
seen lifted action this year due to
p w1 injuries. In 18 matches played, Abr
AflHl shier has recorded 119 kills.
I Despite her on-court troubles,
f Abshier has it going in the classj^^B^^B
room. She's double-majoring in history
and art history in the Honors
College.
If that isn't impressive enough,
she boasts 3.95 GPA heading into
B this year. She has made the PresiB
dent's List (a 4.0 GPA) three times
B and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa
Honor Society.
B "Shani is so intelligent,"
HMQ|B freshman Mandy Quarterman said.
"All of her comments are just so far
B fup there."
Abshier said the realization of
Sunday's match being her final home
match hasn't hit her yet.
"I don't think itH hit me until
after the season's over," Abshier said.
"I'm totally in denial. I think it'll
be real emotional."
fDrost
Lori Drost's teammates characterize
her as having a "dry sense
of humor."
"She doesn't do anything dumb,
but she always makes funny comments,"
Edlund said.
"Her cynical attitude is part of
her dry humor," added Donham.
"She'll say something off the wall."
d Heather Larkin will "And you can't help but laugh,"
USC history. finished Quarterman.
lown successful U
"Scoring goals is great and all that, but a bet- to the state
ter feeling is having a team that's on the upside of gram, and i
things, and last year we weren't on the upside of been able to
things. Even though the goals were there, my a pleasure t
feelings weren't going to be too positive
with the way our season went. I'm much e]
more satisfied with the way our season's Jjjripil^fck 01
going this way. Goals are the greatest feel- ^ sj
ing in the world, but a better feeling is win- * 7 fa
ning out there as a team." T* ^ | ^
"Rnhhip Pail's rnreer Viqq Kapti rvno nf +r
? w ^ , j | "1 ^
steady progress," Head Coach Mark Berson Lgflk J - j
said. "I mean, he really stepped forward J g,
last year, in a year where we really need- ^??
ed it the most. Not only was it the fact that PAIT
he was the leading scorer, but he scored
big goals in big games. That was really a huge step ?PP?rtumtn
forward in his career. He really took responsibility Pait wi
and created some wonderful opportunities and scored cocks,
good goals for us last year." "This i
Pait was slowed by a hamstring injury this ever been a
spring, though, but came back right where he left place that."
"This season he's done a IEK1111 Ul| |Tfll
great job," Berson said. "He's
come in for us and played a
major role in nearly every
match this fall. He's a threat
to score at any moment." Bryan JohnStOfl Gal
T"l *i.J 1 ^ ~ ^
rail s auimy is oniy sur- fat sajax 34-10
passed by his attitude.
"Robbie is a very genuine
and sincere person, and I jhink Achim Hunt Gami
that s the main thing that I Bob Barker 32.ig
would cite in his personality,"
Berson said. "He looks out
after his teammates and he's ... _
a 1.11 ? n.? /> _j
a pleasure to work with be- IMdinau DrOWN Udl
cause he is that type of a per- Ray Combs 35-15
son.
"He has that quality in
him of a humble person, a per- Kelly Magulre Garni
3on that goes out and does his Alex Trabek 30-20
iob, and doesn't expect a lot in
return. He's the type of playRosalind
Harvey Gal
Carolina product and he's come Bob Eubanks ?""
14, 1997
ie match
The 6-foot-one-inch outside hitter
has seen her game come on of
late as the season has started to wind
down. She had a season-high 17 kills
against Kentucky Sunday. She has
176 kills on the season.
Drost said her senior season
is becoming what she wanted it to
be.
"I think it's ending up to be that
way," Drost said. "I'm kind of disappointed
because at first we had
a lot of team things going on that
prevented us from clicking. Now,
we're all working hard and realize
that this is the end of it and we're 1
trying to make the steps to get into
the NCAA Tournament." 1
Last season, Drost was named
to the SEC All-Tournament team
and was first on the team in total
blocks (111). She also had 240 kills
and 21 service aces.
The Muskegon, Mich., native
said she's trying not to think about .
Sunday's match, knowing how emo
tional it will be. I
"It's going to be pretty sad," 1
Drost said. "I haven't thought about i
it that much because I don't want to
get too upset about it. Hopefully they
won't make too big a deal about it
until afterwards."
Larkin [
Heather Larkin's nickname in
Spanish class explains it all: "La Loca,"
translating to "the crazy one."
"She is verv Daranoid about
everything," junior Cindy Robarge
said. "When we go shopping with
her, she'll say Do you think I should ,
buy this? No, I shouldn't buy this. 1
Do you think I should buy this? Nah.' j
She'll ask 20 million people if she
should buy it before she buys it.
"And then once she buys it, she'll
say 'I don't want this anymore, can I
1 take it back?" i
Indecisive off the court, Larkin
knows exactly what to do on the f
court. She recently moved up to No. t
2 on the USC all-time kills list and s
is shooting for a three-time spot on
the first-team All-SEC squad.
(
So far this season, the Lake El- j
mo, Minn., native leads the team in
kills (321) and total blocks (90). J
"Heather is always a person you
can look at and she'll just make you
laugh," Robarge said. "She has a
great personality and I always have 1
a lot of fun with her on and off the t
court." j
mi p?/? i *
ine o-ioowi-incn L.ariun (
said Sunday will be a mixed bag of i
emotions.
"It'll be weird," Larkin said. "It ?
doesn't seem like it should be my ,
VOLLEYBALL page 8 .
fSC career
(
university to help us develop our pro- s
ve can't ask any more than what he's ?
i deliver here in his four years. It's been ^
o work with him." y
"I think he's a tremendous play- \
r with the ball, as far as taking players
le-on-one, and he's got an unbelievable
iot," teammate Clint Mathis said. "As s
ir as off the' field, he's pretty much my ?
3st friend. I mean, he's just a great friend c
) have, great sense of humor.
"He's just an all-around good \
ay." ?
As Pait's career at Carolina is ?
inding down, he's looking at several job s
es in the marketing field. t
ill miss his experience with the Game- j
s definitely one of the best teams I've
ssociated with," he said. "You can't re- '
1
1 fjf I
tors 'Heels 'Dawg:
scocks Tigers Tigers
tors 'Heels 'Dawg
ecocks 'Heels 'Dawg
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7
USC set to
open with
Maryland
NATHAN BROWN Asst. Sports Editor
With the temperature around 80 degrees,
the Gamecocks started off their season last
year in the Maui Invitational with a 23-point
loss to the Virginia Cavaliers.
But today in the cool, brisk weather of
Minneapolis Minn., USC will face another
ACC opponent to kick off their year. The Gamecocks
look to turn up the heat and change roles
from loser to winner by making the Maryland
Terrapins sweat in the cold temperatures of
the North.
Head Coach Eddie Fogler sees a couple
of advantages in playing Maryland this ear
ly in the year.
"This game gives us a greater picture earlier
in the season of just where this team is,"
he said. "It is also an advantage as far as this
game.helps our strength-of-schedule at the
end of the year. Last year, Virginia was a measuring
stick for us, as is Maryland this
year."
The Gamecocks hope to measure up to
Maryland better than they did to Virginia.
But. Carolina is heading into fhp cramp
mi a three-game losing streak that started last
year against Georgia and includes Coppin St.
and Marathon Oil.
Junior guard Bj Mckie says the team has
rebounded from the Marathon Oil loss.
"We came out flat against Marathon Oil,
and we didn't play that well," McKie said. "But
ve have regrouped over the past week, and
ve are going to be ready to go against Maryland."
The Gamecocks will have to be ready since
Maryland returns all their players from last
year, save one. The Terps also have the 10th?ated
backcourt in the nation, according to
Dick Vitale's College Preview Magazine. Among
die returnees is All-ACC guard Laron Profit
md Maiyland's record-holder for the most assists
in a game, guard Terrell Stokes.
The Maryland backcourt sits opposite
)f the Gamecocks' All-SEC backcourt of selior
guard Melvin Watson and McKie. McKe
is well aware of the capabilities of the two
rerp guards.
"[Maryland] is very good," he said. "They
lave two great guards in Terrell Stokes and
l<aron Profit. I know them both, not only in
jasketball but on a personal level as well. I
jlayed with them at different camps through>ut
the vears. and it will be exciting to nlav
igainst those guys."
Another key position to watch is center,
is Gamecock junior center Bud Johnson will
lave his hands full with the Terps' 6-foot10-inch,
260-pound center, Obinna Ekezie.
With the presence of Ekezie down low,
rogler sees Maryland resembling the other
op teams of the ACC.
"Playing Maryland will be like playing
}lemson or Duke this early in the year," Fogler
laid. "They are physical inside like those teams
ire. Their center, Obinna Ekezie, is probably
foing to be the most improved player in the
i nn A.\^: J MI i riL.
\\jKj mis year anu cerianuy win ue one 01 me
>est centers that we face this year."
With at least 28 games in the regular seaion
to go, Fogler recognizes a win would be
jreat, but the season won't be ruined if Car>lina
loses.
"If we do lose, it is not the end of the world,
rnt it will be a good win if we get it," Fogler
;aid. "If we go up there and not play well
tnd without enthusiasm and lose, I will be upiet.
But if we go and play well and with enhusiasm,
then we will be pretty good this
mor"
The Gamecocks'first test of the year starts
it 7:07 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
Maryland leads the series 31-25.
s Huskies Lions
; Bruins Boilermakers
s Huskies Lions
s Huskies Lions
s Bruins Lions