The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 23, 1998, Page 7, Image 7
Friday, January 23, 1998
Two go
for Car
tarry WILLIAMS
scoop soots
The men's basketball team is ha1
ing one of those weeks. One of thos
weeks it had last year, when everythir
is just fine. One of those weeks we ha\
come to expect from the Gamecock
Nothing's perfect, but nothing's ba<
ly wrong, either. Most importantly, US
got everything it could have ever wan
ed this week: a convincing, 68-60 vi
tory Sunday at Georgia ? its first i
Athens since the early 1960s and a
especially satisfying 81-51 bludgeoi
ing of the upstart Tennessee Voluntee:
on Wednesday.
The Gamecocks' record now stan<
at 12-3,4-2 in the Southeastern Coi
ference. Their three losses were j
the hands of ranked opponents. (
course, USC was drilled, more or les
in those defeats. But in the end, let
call them what they're worth: Thr<
victories.
So Tennessee came to Columb
fresh off college basketball's late
"shocker" over No. 11 Ole Miss. No ma
ter, said the Gamecocks emphatica
ly. Whatever happened in Knoxvill
i however implausible it might hai
seemed, was going to remain i
Knoxville.
In his post-game press conferen
Wednesday, a flu-ridden Eddie Fogl
said Tennessee's lack of depth was i
killer. Once the Vols got in foul tro
ble, they were toast.
'I'UfttT ItTAWA A OQ flltmAtfAl
illCJ WC1C lUItCU UiUU AU bUX UUVC1
Shot 29 percent from the field. We
disposed of by halftime.
For USC, though, a 30-point w
f can hide a few things. At least four fa
break opportunities fell victim to po
decision making. Tennessee outr
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~J bounded USC, 46-39. Bud Johnson was,
well. Bud Johnson.
J But if you look at the bigger picture,
you see what this past week means for
e USC basketball.
? They're winning the games they're
re supposed to win. Which, of course, is
s all you can really expect of them. Come
March, these victories get you into the
q NCAA Tournament.
Maybe the most important thing
c_ we've gleaned from the past two games
n is the knowledge that zone defenses
don't scare the Gamecocks anymore, at
a. least not in Athens, Ga.
re At Georgia, Bulldogs first-year coach
Ron Jirsa, perhaps relying on the ad1s
vice of his old mentor Tubby Smith,
Q. or benefiting from the wonders of caat
ble television, switched to a zone de)f
fense early in the first half after USC
iS) had staked itself to an early lead.
AnH fnr fViP first Vinlf thp RnllHncrs'
Je zone worked as planned, reducing USCs
offense to a discombobulated, sputteria
ing mess.
st Come the second half, though, someit
thing magical happened for the visid
tors. For the first time in this middlee,
aged season, the Gamecocks looked like
,re the defending SEC Champions they
in are. Crisp picks. Deft passes. High-perrontacro
aVinfa ATorJo oVinto
ce Simply and effectively, USC scored
er on five of six possessions to wipe out a
ts six-point deficit early in the second half,
u- Promptly and predictably, Georgia
reverted back to its man-to-man de s.
fense. Jirsa to Fogler. Message received,
re Maybe USC's feats against the zone
weren't as stunning as the fervor and
in resiliency they showed down the stretch
st against Georgia, a volatility and zeal
or that took us back a year, to what it used
e- to be like to watch these Gamecocks.
ege Bowl Don
cs smart, intelligent, witty:
of the mind. Must be into
any other trivia games. IV
be a team player. Must pos
licker intellect. Must posse
ver difficult questions at th
lfident you know more ab<
e on campus. Underarad
you feel you are the right
! (see below)
x>
?j
irsity Sport of
ioin USC's smartest ar
ts in this "Super Bow]
COLLEGE BOWL i;
tition of mental wits.
Russell House Univei
Saturday - January 3
- 12:00 noon - 6:00 pm
itration
adline: Wednesday- Janu
i materials can be pickec
rersity Union Informat]
nation, call 777-7130.
The Game
one goo
sketball i
In the final 9:59 Sunday, USC
outscored the Bulldogs 22-11, held the
home team to 2-of-ll shooting during
that stretch. The Gamecocks out-rebounded
the Bulldogs by 38-31.
Then, in perhaps the one, most emblematic
moment of the week, Bud
Johnson lived up to his expectations.
A brief moment it was, but when you've
done what Bud has ? or hasn't ? a
simple moment has got to be worth
something.
There was Johnson, exclusive, Shaqlike
streak of terror in his eyes with the
game on the line. He leaped high into
the air with ? gasp! ? authority to
pull down an offensive rebound and
score in one, smooth motion. He drew
a foul to boot.
Then, perhaps astonished by his
own acumen, Johnson missed the ensuing
free throw. Of course, nothing
crnnH fnrever Tn .TnVinsnn's cahp
on UbC s trontcourt.
Wednesday, LeRon Williams and
William Gallman played exceptionally,
pulling down rebound after rebound.
Williams and Gallman combined for 35
points and 16 rebounds against Tennessee,
easily their most productive
game this season.
Williams proved that, when given
the minutes, he can excel. He poured
II
linators
students for
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lust be competitive,
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[ Battle of the
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1 up at the Russell
inn Penfer For
?cock
d week
team
in a career-tying 25 points in 21 minutes
on the floor.
The six-foot-10-inch Johnson's numbers
in 11 minutes of play? One rebound,
three fouls, zero points.
In Williams and Gallman, we could
be witnessing the birth of a formidable
tandem. But without career nights by
the two. the Gamecocks' offense might
not even for one game.
Bud was his old, panicky self again
Wednesday, making futile attempts at
rebounds and shooting wayward shots
he had no business shooting. Perhaps
his most ignominious moment came in
the second half, after a Tennessee shot
glanced off the rim.
There was Johnson's game ? offensively
and defensively ? in shambles.
Has been since he got here. But
now, it's proving an exceptional burden
be imperiled against their more daunting
opponents.
Still, the Gamecocks took care of
business against Georgia and Tennessee.
Which is what they were supposed
to do.
Anyone who believes the Gamecocks
are among the top five nationally right
now is deluded. Are they the 14th-best
team.' mat s aeoataDie.
Specific rankings aside, it is clear
the Gamecocks are one of the best teams
in the SEC, and one of the better teams
in the nation at home.
That says a lot, especially when you
go back a few years. The records from
1991 to 1995 look like this: 11-17; 9-18;"
9-19; 10-17. Remember? It
wasn't that long ago when everyone
from Florida to LSU would stroll
into Columbia and dispatch the Gamecocks
with sinful ease. In those days,
the Gamecocks would be lucky to play
in front of 6,000 on a weeknight.
The other 4,000 or 5,000 were in the
warmth of their homes, listening on
their radios to USC being annihilated
by a weak-at-best team.
Nowadays, the arena is 95 percent
full when USC plays, even on
weeknights. Even when USC hosts the
no-account teams, at least 6,000 come.
Wednesday, 10,605 showed.
That's why they pack the place, for
weeks like this. For a team like this.
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Gamecock
BASKETBALL
continued from page six
much tougher, as'No. 11 Ole Miss
found out. ^
The Tigers return four starters
from last season but lose their two
leading scorers, Pat Burke and Wes
Flanigan, to graduation. Filling the
vnifl loft Kv Rnrlro nnrl THanitron ic fnr
"I fell in love with the idea," said
Davies, who enjoyed the thought of road
tripping while gaining experience in
the corporate world.
As an Oscar Mayer Hotdogger,
Davies must travel the U.S. in a Wienermobile
for one year.
"We are goodwill ambassadors for
the company," Davies said.
The Wienermobile made its first appearance
in 1936 as the "wiener wagEarn
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ward Bryant Smith. Smith is averaging
15.3 points (sixth in the SEC),
54.3 percent from the field (thirdun
the SEC), 2.9 steals (first in the SEC)
and 8.3 rebounds (third in the SEC)
per game.
Smith, however, isn't the sole
rebounding force on the team. Center
Mamadou N'diaye grabs 6.8 boards
per game, and forward Randy
Hughes averages 5.8. N'diaye also
leads the SEC in blocks with 2.5 bpg
while Hughes ranks sixth with 2.
In the assist category, guard Doc
Robinson dishes off the ball an averEx-Stanforc
player love
COLLEGE PRESS EXCHANGE
While the rest of last spring's graduating
class performed the "Wacky
Walk" through commencement ceremonies,
Brad Davies opted to hit the
road.
Davies, an American Studies major
and former captain of the Stanford
varsity soccer team, had convinced his
professors to let him take his exams
early in order to criss-cross the country
in a giant hot dog en wheels, otherwise
known as the Oscar Mayer
\A/ionor*mr?V\ilo
Page 7
,s rip Vols
age of 4.8 per contest, which is good
enough for fifth place in the conference.
As a team, the Tigers rank first in
the conference in blocks (6.1 bpg), in
opponent's field goal percentage (37.2
percent) and in opponent's 3-point field
goal percentage (28.4 percent). This
means that Auburn's competition usually
hits only 37.2 percent of its shots
and 28.4 percent of 3-pointers.
Overall, the Tigers lead the series
9-8 and post a better record at home
r?fR-9 Thp Inst. Hmp t.hpsp t"wn tpflms
met, the Gamecocks won 66-56 in Columbia.
But winning on the road
has been a difficult task for Carolina,
whose only losses have been away this
year.
"A lot of teams and players don't
play well on the road," Fogler said.
"It's called the environment. It's different.
It's harder."
The game will be televised on Jef
ferson Pilot Sports.
1 soccer
is wieners
on." It traveled the streets of Chicago
carrying musicians to attract attention..
A typical work day can range anywhere
between three to 12 hours, and
sometimes Davies is required to travel
every day. "Traveling is the hardest
l ? n : : j ?n..4 i '4
part, lyavies saiu. duu can t turnplain."
Davies' responsibilities include
everything from making promotional
appearances at football games to assisting
charity events and helping grocery
stores with hurting profits.
This past summer, the Hotdoggers
conducted a nationwide talent search
for Oscar Mayer commercials. More
than 50,000 children participated in
the auditions.
"I heard the Oscar Mayer baloney
song about 200 times a dgty," Davies s
Although Davies is content with his
present j od, nis plans ior next year are
undetermined. "My life has become one
big parade. All I do is honk and wave."
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