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^ The first USC men's/women's b doubleheader will be held this Sa at the Frank McGuire Arena. The game against LSU is scheduled fo and the men's game against Missi State for 6 p.m. Page 8 William In UCf staff writer WILLIAM FOLKS It wasn't exactly forgetfulness. Just call it a temporary suspension of reason. LeRon Williams knew that if he transferred to South Carolina from the University of Florida, he would have to play his former Gator teammates four times in the next two years. That's just not what he was thinking about when he made his decision in December 1996. T 1_ T1 .1 ? x was uiiniung mat xi coacn r ogier had a scholarship open. I was coming without a doubt," Williams said. "When he let me know that he had one, I decided to come right then and there." And what of his ex-teammates down in Gatorland? 'Yeah, I guess I really wasn't thinking of playing against them," he said. "I knew it in the back of my mind but. when I sat down and looked at the schedule that's when it hit me, 'Man, I've got to play those guys again." Williams, a 6-foot-seven, 225-pound power (and we do mean power) forward, has started his career at Carolina playing a lot harder than most people expected. When you sit out for a year, you see, time has a way of slowing you down. It isn't easy to hop right back into the lineup like nothing happened. But since his Gamecock debut Dec. 17 against Clemson, Williams' rusty wheels have inafan/) el>ina/I iirif V* nn ir\ rr uuicau oiiiiicu nivii an liiYigui ating brightness. Through his first five games, Williams was averaging 7.6 points, 3.8 boards and shooting a very respectable 48 percent from the floor. He also has added a physical presence to USC's defense, flexing his considerable muscle in the paint and wearing Carolina opponents down with solid defense. "It was difficult," Williams said of his time spent waiting last season and early this year. '1 would practice with the guys all week and get up to that lev I * T3 I^mR JB Call your Gs Equipment otter valid while supplies last "$10 paging activation lee required Otl asketball iturday womens r 2 p.m. issippi is bring basketb el where I'was feeling good about m; game. Then I had to sit on the bench watching in street-clothes and didn' have the opportunity to show what could do. Now that I'm playing again i feels good. I've paid my dues, I guess. At Florida, Williams paid plent; of dues as he learned the ropes of thi SEC from current Illinois head coach Lon Kruger. His sophomore year ii Gainesville, he averaged 10.0 points and 4.8 rebounds a game, while lead ing the team with a 51.7 percent shoot ing percentage. Carolina head coacl Eddie Fogler saw firsthand the kind o talent he possessed, as Williams scorched the Gamecocks for 20 points in Columbia. "LeRon is a very strong rebounde: who can block shots, and he's an ex cellent shooter facing the basket," Foglei said. "They have a lot of similar traits, Williams said of his college coaches. think I've learned a lot from both o them. Coach Fogler is a little bit mon open-minded when it comes to my styli of play, I think. He works me pretty hard, and he knows I'm a smart play er and what I'm capable of contribut ing." What Williams has attributed t< the USC lineup thus far has been i much needed spark; a crowd-pleasing dunker who isn't afraid to mix thing! up inside with the big boys (or tell then about it, either). "People might say that I'm i spark because I've got that sort of'saj anything' kind of attitude," Williams said. "But people that know me knov I'm a team player and want to do any thing I can to make this a better bas ketball program. I know that I have i role to fulfill on this team and hopefully I can fulfill it." No i in T.'m/i Cittr 'U I IffIC7 l/HC ll imecock sales re[ Activation fee required. Annual contract required Subject to er available at participating locations only Certain restriction Sports The Gamecock s Gator chomp all program 1 SEAN RAYFORD The Gamecock Since arriving on the scene here in Columbia in time for the loss to Clemson earlier this season, junior power forward Leron Williams 1 has had immediate impact on the Gamecocks inside play. Williams ' and fellow junior William Gallman are complimenting the Gamecocks nicely as they continue to defend the SEC title. aoaming cha the Carolina >rJ ) at(803)608-2625. credit approval. 30 minutes must be used in local coverage area, s apply See store lor details. c Na ba rar AF fo\ 19 We Even during Day some at no love for c p=?n Af" ter a couple of IP weeks of < >.; ":f ? 'being deprived . of my duties . ''' J as own er/operator of ' ^ :'.'V " the shawn SINGLETON liquor ?? ?? store, I Singleton 3.16 . turned with a clean head and a cleaner liver. Saturday is that meaningless day of the year in which trivial people spend tons of money on meaningless gifts for otherwise meaningless people. Love is in the air, right? You must be kidding. This ain't that type of column and I'm not that stupid. So for this installment of Singleton 3:16,1 will instead prove how showing no love pays dividends in the world of sports. My first example is the sport of hockey. This is a sport where love is displayed through checking your opponent and knocking him senseless. Eric Lindros and Claude Lemieux are the key senders of love and Pat LaFontaine is the key recipient. Annthpr PYnmnle* ia in th<? NRA where Charles Barkley shows his love by throwing you through a plate glass window and Latrell Sprewell massages your throat with his loving hands. Professional football really hits a soft spot in my heart. Tears well up in my eyes every time I see Steve Atwater, Jessie Armstead, or Jason Sehom deliver love to wide receivers and runnine backs. Mv heart reallv lit ud with joy when Bill Romanoski showered his amorous affections all over J. J. Stokes' face. rges asL Ik piiillii'iilm I gj te says South Carolina basket11 has never finished the season iked higher than sixth in the ' poll. They have finished No. 6 jr times: 1970, 1971, 1972, and 97. dnesday, February 11, 1998 I Valentine's Metes have >pponents r? i _ i it vi ii aome people snow meir love in ail the wrong ways, however. Take the case of Andre Agassi. At one time, he was the number one tennis player in the world. That is, until he married Brooke Shields. Now he can't buy a win. Henry Rollins put this best when he said that, "All men are stupid and all women are evil." If Andre had listened to this advice, he'd still have some game. Another example of how showing love in the wrong way can seriously put a dent in your career is the case of Albert Belle. As a Cleveland Indian, he was baseball's bad boy, showing all kinds of love to umpires and one poor second baseman. However, last year, with the Chicago White Sox, we saw a nicer Albert Belle, and with it, the worst numbers of his career. Go back to being a bad boy, Albert, your numbers were better. El The one sport, if one can call it that, that shows the most love has got to be professional wrestling. Tell me, how many sports out there are so awesome that guys like Kevin Nash show their love through jackknife power bombs? The rest of the NWO shows its affections by snagging their loved ones with a dragnet and beating them senseless. Nevertheless, there are two wrestlers out there that show more love than anvona?Rill Goldherer and the Nature Boy. Ric Flair, on the other hand, is the king of hearts in this game. No one has done it better or longer. Whether he's showing love to fellow wrestlers with the Figure-4 Leglock or taking the ladies on that ride up Space Mountain, he's always full of affection. This is a true humanitarian, folks.