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The good, ^ M W6 %9B It | Well, all those classes that we thought we'd ace in August are coming to a close, and that means the sports that have given us a much-needed break from those classes are also wrapping up. Whether your favorite pastime was watching Brad Scott's troops battle the best in the SEC or watching Kim Hudson keep the leashes on her "Ballheads" as her volleyball team oared to new heights, you definitely saw some good things, bad things and some downright ugly things. So, BJ and myself have compiled the first-ever Gamecock Sports Good, Bad and Ugly Awards. We're hear to praise the good in Gamecock athletics, remember the bad, and hope to God we can forget the ugly. And we all know as fiamernek fans, you have to put up with the bad ^nd ugly as much as the good. First, the good news. The best thing to report from the fall is that both the volleyball team and the men's soccer team advanced to the NCAA tournament in their respective sports. The volleyball team finished a best-ever 11-3 in the SEC, while the soccer team had success throughout the entire year. Another good thing for our school this fall was the lofty preseason rankings for our men's basketball team. The "Dynamic Duo" of Melvin Watson and Bj Mckie have the nation's heads turning the Gamecocks' way given they're currently No. 5 in the nation. A big test for the Gamecocks looms Dec. 17 when they must travel to "The John" to play Clemson. The football team didn't have the greatest of seasons, but it was a good ^ noment when they shut down East Carolina and running back Scott Harley after the Pirates ran all over the Gamecocks the last three times they played. T'Vita fimo fkn riomannnlro nrnnf infn x iuo buuvy uig u aixiu vuvno yt vii v uiiu their purple haze and came away as 26-0 winners. Volleyball also received a couple of other awards that fall into the good category. Head Coach Kim Hudson fcvon the SEC Coach of the Year Award, tnd senior Heather Larkin became only the second USC athlete to be named f <_k STCnnou tv\ 9 Cut He si Call t "IL w m ] We will help you ^jSSk OTPS' Ca bad, ugly o: to the All-SEC team four straight seasons. The men's golf team also showed some signs of a bright future when they won the Palmetto Classic led by true freshman Kyle Thompson. The Gamecock golf program has been rejuvenated by the coaching of Puggy Blackmon, who coached greats like David Duval while at Georgia Tech. The equestrian team also did some good, beating Clemson at their own game four times this year. But, I guess it's easier to jump over those fences with horses than with cows, like Clem auii was using. The greatest thing to come to Columbia and USC this semester happened way back on August 25 at the Carolina Coliseum. That's when WCW Monday NITRO came to Columbia, and the great "Enforcer" Arn Anderson retired right in the Frank McGuire Arena. Also, Sting solidified his position as a member of WCW, and Scott Hall started conducting his famous surveys on the same floor that John Roche and Alex English played. But for all the good there was some bad at USC, too. One bad thing would have to be the situation that redshirt freshman Vic Penn was put in. Penn was thrown into the fire at Tennessee and had to lead the Gamecocks against Florida and Clemson. Needless to say, he really didn't have a chance this year, considering how little expenence he had. And on that same note, another bad would have to be just the whole football season in general. A season that started with such promise started with a blocked punt and ended with the two offensive coaches resigning from Scott's staff. Needless to say, Scott and his new staff have some big decisions to make, especially if Anthony Wright can't return for his senior year. Another bad thing would be the soccer team's loss to Clemson... twice. The first came in the regular season and then again last weekend in the NCAA tournament. And one of the more emotional days of the year, Senior Day at volleyball, ended with a disappointing loss to Georgia. It was sad to see such a great senior class of Heather Larkin, Lori Drost and Shani Abshier Tcnvw Mote jicing tfie opening vo-room Jacuzzi S 2. blocks from HSC Ming size bed Jvticrowave oven SMini Refrigerator 'olina's 'Full serv laurant and Zou, oday and enjoy a week oj \ouite 1 ureams . Clarion Town SHouse I^IS Serva^s Columbia, S.C. 2.92.01 771-8711 800-277-87 e make matchi Let us match you up find a roommate that will Whale 21 irter-Haston Properties ^ I The Gamecock Kim f semester end their regular season career with a loss. And our personal bad moment of the year is when sophomore varsity cheerleader Laura Bokesch was sidelined due to stress fractures in both shins. Cheerleading coach Sylvester "Sly" Culler expects the beauty from Augusta, Ga., to return for the SEC basketball season. 4.1 1 1 J )1 3 4.1 T4_ dui me Daa aoesn i ena mere. 11 gets worse ? now let's look at the ugly. The ugliest scene of the fall is when Anthony Wright went down with torn knee ligaments at Neyland Stadium against the Tennessee Volunteers. When he went down to the turf he couldn't get up, and neither could the Gamecock offense the rest of the year. Another ugly moment would be the Clemson football game. After starting with such promise when Troy Hambrick led the Gamecocks to a 14-3 lead, the Tigers scored 44 unanswered points on their way to a 47-21 win. The incident involving Zola Davis was also another ugly moment for USC +Vna fall TVio Thnrcrlau Kofnro VAilU 1U11. A11V X liUX UUUJ WlUi V WX1V Auburn game, Davis allegedly assaulted another USC student and was suspended for the Auburn game. Incidents like these are not needed at USC, otherwise this football program will start to resemble other football programs that have more arrests than team sacks in a season. The final ugly moment of the year occurred about three weeks ago when I was minding my own business, watching SportsCenter, when I see Cocky get drilled by NFL star Drew Bledsoe in a commercial. Well, I don't guess it was all that ugly, more funny actually. But, if you cheer for the Game cocks, the best thing to do is take all the ugly and laugh because if you don't, you won't be a very happy person. We all know those good times just don't come around as often as we would like. OUST. I of our uites. ice nge lend J js! I I fit your lifestyle. :y's Mill Apts. 1 Main St. >54-7801 L M Friday, December 5,191 Hoops tean WILLIAMS continued from page 8 egregious monsters of the early-season flop that did them in against Georgia in Memphis, then Coppin St. in Pittsburgh. Cold shooting and uninspired defense led to the CSU and UNC-Asheville debacles. Same form of self-destruction against UGA and Coppin St. Mo doubt it could have happened again Monday, when USC fell behind Belmont in the first half. The Belmont that's playing its first season of Division I-A basketball. The Belmont that lost to MTSU, Oral Roberts and Murray St. by an average of 18 points. The Bruins took an early 29-22 lead Monday. Their UNC-Asheville costumes fit, all right. It followed the 1996-97 script nicely, save for one thing?the Gamecocks had been there before, and they weren't going to let it happen again. Not on this night. Watching the second half, you got the sense the fear of last year's losses alone was fuel enough to beat Belmont by 11 points. But fear won't carry the Gamecocks far. Thev need to Dlav funda mental basketball to avoid any mindboggling losses this month. Dribbling with the left hand is fundamental. Correct follow-through is Bryan Johnston Tigers Easter Bunny 39-21 Achim Hunt Vols Santa Claus 36-24 Nathan Brown Vols Scrooge 40-20 Kelly Maguire Vols Tiny Tim 36-24 Bj Mckle Vols TheGrinch 39-21 ; '% ' w ' .. m 'M Ani?l>. A w'w<:,00oyi Discover what Chr As Dr. Jim Augustine CELL BIOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Dr. Robert Best OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY Dr. James C. Carper EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY r\ vx i rk ur. uaniei is. lux MATHEMATICS Dr. Bert Ely BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Dr. Kirk Dean Fiedler MANAGEMENT SCIENCE Dr. Albert C. Goodyear ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY 17 n must watt fundamental. Making free throws is fundamental. But USC can't make its free ihrows this year, and that's uncharacteristic for an Eddie Fogler-coached team. USC shot 70 percent last season and even won a few games from the stripe. They made 19 of 20 at Vanderbilt. In the first UK win, they shot 72 percent. They made 32 of 40 at Cincinnati. Monday, they made only 13 of 25 r ? a rm_ j~i i.i ueeuies. /\gamst iue v>iiayt;i, mey missed 16 of 23 attempts. Those lack of fundamentals allow ?he no-account squads to stay close, and enable the reputable teams to kick your butt. Meantime, though, Ryan Stack is finally showing why the pro scouts like him so much. At 6-feet-ll-inches and a "beefed up" 215 pounds, the senior is throwing his weight around on the blocks, doing away with the passive label he's worn often during his three years here. Stack scored 12 points in the A J i- i__i_ T rni^ i nrst nan Monday to neip uot out 01 its early-game funk. He was 5 of 8 from the field, pulled down five rebounds and dished out two assists. With Stack helping William Gallman, USC might actually be a force this season in the low post, sojnething they weren't last season. So far, Gallman is averaging 9.3 rebounds a game ? no surprise from the junior who exMBSQTQ Huskers Rams Huskers Rams Huskers Rams ? ?????????? Huskers Rams Huskers Rams. ?!: B t,j _ ~ ^f ^ *1 rOd w- > ears Go<^ istmas is all about. And why it's r k one of us-we'd be glad to tell y< Dr. Sam Hilborn ELECTRICAL & COMPU.ENGINEERING Dr. Richard C. Hohn PHYSICAL EDUCATION Dr. Chuck C.Y.Kwok INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Dr. Earl W. Lingle PHARMACY Dr. Garret Mandeville EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY Dr. Richard B. Pool CIVIL ENGINEERING Dr. Charles P. Poole, Jr. PHYSICS Sponsored by the USC Christian Faculty Forum 9 ?h its back celled last year in the shadow of Bj Mckie and Melvin Watson. Bud Johnson showed flashes Monday of shirking whatever it was that plagued him so last season. The junior scored 11 points on 4 of 6 shooting, the best numbers he's posted since his freshman year. So its really no surprise USC is 30, even when considering last year. They'll just need to keep taking care of this early-season business and patiently await the big ones that come later. A team might show its true muscle against the heavyweights. But it's often when the recipient of a lesser team's most valiant punch that a team must respond with a fight-like-mad determination to win. A second-half scrap with the most nondescript foe isn't so bad. It's something the great ones encounter every now and then. Ask Duke, UNC or Kentucky. They've had their share. Taking everyone's most fearsome shot, that's what comes with the Top-10 territory. Qn fV?nir fko morlr n-f o rrrwl Kjsjy uicj ouuyvcu uic iiicuA ui a gwu team by finding the means to win Monday, the wherewithal that was nowhere to be found this time last year. They'll need more of the same in the coming weeks when the schedule offers little in terms of competition, but much in terms of victories for USC. Victories that can mean something later. Herd Middies Herd Middies Herd Cadets Herd Cadets Rockets Middies ? . <-':X r::. ;^ v x ^*< ^ ?fj| -'' ' X ' X > *Wt " .* '* W> iS*^m Ife 'i^V -1 I I .'"i * * K L W^^mm , 'WfM* [ ieo^sWhy? elevant to your life. ou. Dr. George Rekers NEUROPSYCHIATRY/ BEHAVIORAL SCI. \ Mr. Glen Rice ENGLISH PROGRAMS/ INTERNATIONALS Dr. William R. Sandberg MANAGEMENT Dr. Rosamond K. Sprague PHILOSOPHY Dr. James Tour CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY Dr. Jon Werner MANAGEMENT Dr. Ralph White CHEMICAL ENGINEERING