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FOOTBALL MEN'S TENNIS SCHEDULE FROM THE SIDELINES ESPN was on campus The No. 11 USC men's ten- M l Baseball vs. Alabama, 7 p.m. "Confidence is a very fragThursclay to put together a sto- nis team beat Region II rival today, Tuscaloosa, Ala. ile thing." ry on football coach Lou Holtz Clemson 6-1 Wednesday at c i c and the Gamecock program. the indoor courts. The ^ u The piece is scheduled to air Gamecocks won five singles f f . V IHU ^ ^ ^ a ^ at 6:30 p.m. during ESPN's matches and the doubles I I T lT I ie "SportsCenter." point for the victory over I M T I I I J the Tigers. ?joe Montana Friday, April 2, 1999 The GameCOCk - Page 7 'Who can beat the Yankees?' , ?| "Cry havoc! And let loose the t dogs of war." I -Julius CaeHl sar, Act 3, ^ Scene "Wenches Shawn Singleton ai|d dogs, Singleton 3:16 s ?nce ? again time for the man who is always 36 flavors and then some ? USC's Most Dangerous Man, Shawn Singleton." Actually, that's 316 flavors, announcer boy. Before I begin this week's bombing, I would just like to congratulate the Connecticut Huskies for stunning Duke in Monday's championship game. They made Mr. Serv On look like a total tool, and that doesn't happen veiy often. At the end of last week's column, I posed the question: "Who can beat the New York Yankees?" I will answer that right now. ABSOLUTELY NO ONE. It's the Yankees' world, and everyone else has to pay rent to live in it. Start spreading the news because the rich have gotten richer. With the acquisition of Roger Clemens and the re-signings of Bernie Williams and Scott Brosius, who in all the circles of hell can stop them? Throw in an unhittable pitching staff and a bench that did better than most teams' starters last year, and this team may be better than the one that won 125 games in 1998. Earl Simmons has nothing on these pit bulls. Oh yeah, there are four other teams fighting for second place in this division; let's run through them quickly. Toronto is looking for a wild-card spot, and re-acquiring David Wells will help it greatly. Baltimore has become the land of overpaid senior citizens. Dan Duquette has single-handedly turned Boston into a second-division team, and the only thing to watch out for in Tampa Bay is Wade Boggs' quest for 3,000 hits. What is Tropicana Field, anyway, other than a residence for migrant farmers? The AL Central is weaker than the Gamecocks' offensive line. Once again, the Cleveland Indians will benefit from this and return to the postseason. With no pitching, the free-agent signings of Dean Palmer, Gregg Jefferies and Brad Ausmus will not help Detroit. .Tprrv Rair>cHr?T-f Vine nrmthpr tpam in Chicago to destroy. My apologies to Gene Willis, but his Royals will once again be bad, and the stripped-down Twins resemble the Capital City Bombers but aren't as good. Will Mo Vaughn help the Angels, or will their wings be clipped once again? Texas has beefed up its lineup by signing Rafael Palmeiro, but will the pitching hold up? This may be the swan song for Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez if Seattle's front office doesn't make the moves to turn them into a contender again, and it starts with the bullpen. The so-called Generation A's will struggle to generate W's in Oakland, but give this team a few years and a couple of free-agent pickups. To make a long story short, why are we even playing this season? Just give the Yankees the title now. I actually hate them, but who can beat them? I forgot ? I already answered of miocfmn uiut vj uv/kjtiuii, For all you rednecks out there who still think the Atlanta Braves can beat the Yankees, I have a special treat for you. The rest of this column will be used to list Mr. Serv On's Top 10 Greatest Choke Teams of All Time in MajorLeague Baseball. 10.1995 California Angels ? Who would have thought the season-ending injury to Gary Disarcina would make them blow an 11-game lead in late August and lose to the Seattle Mariners in a one-game playoff? 9.1993 San Francisco Giants ? They might be Giants, but that season, they I were chokers, losing a 91-2-game lead SINGLETON page 9 McKie i mMmW MB aHBlii hM S&1 - H '. ^ j? ; ^)i2| 9pt<K | *? * ^AaJ^Wr... ,?\'i P^ Bk p4 \ South Carolina's all-time leading sc named the South Carolina Amateur A New swim by Brock Vergakis Sports Editor USC's new swim coach, Don Gibb, outlined his plan for success Wednesday at the Faculty House. Gibb will be the first swim coach at Carolina to take control of both the men's and women's teams. He has had experience with this before at Florida State, where his teams broke more than 50 school records. Not only does he have experience coaching men's and women's teams as a single unit, but he has experience turning them into winners. When he took over Florida States program, they were in the cellar of the ACC. In the limited amount of time he was there, he raised the level to national prominence with a top 10 finish two years ago. Athletics Director Mike McGee is hoping that he will bring that same success to USC. "This is the best opportunity for progress. It's the best opportunity to move ahead and move ahead quickly," McGee said. Gibb has no doubts that he can raise the level of the program. The way in which he thinks this can best be achieved, is with the recruitment of high-caliber athletes. "We're going to make some serious progress in the level of the athlete we recruit," Gibb said. Maryland' by John Smallwood Knight-Ridder Newspapers PHILADELPHIA - Maryland junior sensation Steve Francis on YVeUiiCOuay ucvamc uic ill ol piUilllnent underclassmen to declare himself eligible for the NBA draft. Take it to the bank, he won't be the last. Within days, look for Connecticut junior swingman and Final Four Most Outstanding Player Richard "Rip" Hamilton, Duke sophomore forward and National Player of the Year Elton Brand, UCLA sophomore guard Baron Davis, Michigan State junior guard Mateen Cleaves and Rhode Island fifthyear sophomore swingman Lamar Odom to follow suit. Don't be surprised if Auburn junior forward Chris Porter, St. John's sophomore forward Ron Artest, Duke sophomore guard William Avery, Connecticut sophomore guard Khalid El-Amin, Georgia junior forward Jumaine Jones or others also decide they've had enough of playing basketball only for credit hours, books and dormitory space. selectee Br k // 11 Ik I^HHU^F^ // IV / W ?*^iL ^tk fll // w\ :orer, BJ McKie (right) poses with thlete of the Year by the state's Att coach brir "The No. 1 priority is to bring a higher-caliber athlete to South Carolina." Gibb admits that getting the best athletes means starting with the ones at home. Gibb said that right now, Clemorvn 10 unnninrr fV?n rnnrnitmonl xiror OW11 XO W111?I111? Ult il/U UlLillV/llt YVCXX for the best swimmers in South Carolina. If this trend continues he says it will be necessary to look outside the state. "I think we need to develop a relationship in the Southeast," Gibb said. "If they all represent Carolina, it doesn't matter where their from." Whether a coach gets the best recruits is only half of the equation to success," Gibb said. "It's a matter of getting the right peple and teaching them to work," he said. "If we have water, we can get it done." Gibb hopes that he can develop a friendly working relationship with his swimmers just as he had at FSU. "I like to be hands-on. I want them to know what's going on," he said. "I could be classified as a players coach." When Gibb takes control of swim practices, he says the swimmers will be in for a change. "They're in poor physical condition right now. I'm going to make them race a lot," he said. "I know well improve." s Francis That's just the way things are and will forever be in basketball. "I believe it is time to take the next step and take on a new challenge," said Francis, a second-team All-America. "I thought about all the honors I could've received next season, but I think the pros of me going pro outweigh those." For a player of Francis' stature, the decision is easy. He'll likely be a top-five pick in the draft, possibly first overall. Even with the NBA Players Association sacrificing rookies' rights to settle the NBA lockout, that's not a bad position for Francis to be in. If Francis is drafted first, he'll be guaranteed around $9 million over the next tnree years, it ne slips to ino. o, he'll get around $6 million. That's considerably more coins than any college degree would guarantee him. Strictly on financial considerations, a player who will be a top-five pick couldn't possibly make a mistake by entering early. But those who don't project into the top five or even the top 10 should I male < 111 #J..- ^PM! Sean Rayford Photo Editor Alex English. McKie was recently iletic Hall of Fame. Lgs experiei ^Jjjpj M #1 HH| tfS^ Mb V aWggM ^hH New men's and women's swim coac leaves col think a little harder about their dec: sion. Under the new collective bar gaining agreement, a player whos draft status leaves him in the lowe half of the first round might be bel ter off staying in school another yea to improve his stock. A first-round draft pick is still guai anteed a three-year contract, but th money ? barely $6 million lor bein the 14th pick down to less than $2 mi lion for No. 29 ? isn't nearly as er ticing. And with the new agreement, gi\ ing teams an option for a fourth yea and the right of first refusal on a firs" round pick's first free-agency offei rookies must wait half a decade to t in position to demand really bi money. It's more advantageous for a sophc more or junior who will be a mid-1 late-first-round pick to get another sea son of college experience and move u in next year's draft. Still, even with the new disincer i fives, the flood of underclassmen lea\ ing school won't stop. ithlete ( by Michael Strickland Assistant Sports Editor There are winners and there are losers in life and BJ McKie is one of the former. Throughout his collegiate career, McKie has accumulated numerous awards for his talents on the court. He's been named All-SEC (both for regular season and the tournament). All-American and SEC fresh man of the year. He led the Gamecocks to two NCAA tournaments, ending an eightyear absence by USC. McKie also took the team to an NIT berth in 1996. In high school, he was a McDonald's Ail-American and state player of the year. On April 29, McKie will receive what could be his final award as an amateur: the South Carolina Male Amateur Athlete of the Year. The award is presented by the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame McKie, USC's all-time leading scor"er with 2,119 total points, was visibly depressed throughout the year with the team's results on the court. In an 8-21 season, it can be tough to find high spots. So it makes the senior from Columbia very proud to be recognized, even if the team didn't perform as it had hoped. "Just like you have team goals, you have individual goals," McKie said. "It makes you feel real good and real proud of yourself, as far as working hard as I think I have during 1 [ice to )od a . if H ft SgS^; ft p^' / ^ft J?/ K al h Don Gibb. liege early i- And with each announcement, college coaches, administrators and fans will scream that this is ruining the cole lege game. r Some will call players selfish and disloyal for leaving schools, ir Blame the college coaches. Not that Maryland coach Garj r- Williams got what he deserved, but he e certainly didn't get any less than he g should have expected. 1- Williams knew the deal before he l- landed Francis, who had flirted with entering the NBA out of junior college r- Like Georgia Tech's Stephon Mar ir bury and Villanova's Tim Thomas t- Francis made his intentions about col r, lege obvious ? one-and-done. ip Rut in?fpaH nf sicmirnr a lpsspr nlav g er who might have stuck around foi three or four years, Williams, like Georh gia Tech coach Bobby Cremins and Vilo lanova coach Steve Lappas, rolled the l- dice on the superstar, p Each got what he asked for. Players shouldn't be criticized for l- not sticking with a program. r- Loyalty is supposed to be a twoway street. )f year the off-season to prepare me for last season. ' "It makes you feel like the hard work paid off." "BJ McKie is certainly deserving of this award, Head Coach Eddie Fogler said. He had a tremendous career at the University ot boutn Uarolina and has bpen a terrific ambassador for this basketball program and our university." McKie will be recognized at the Hall of Fame's annual banquet. The evening ceremony will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel. Former Gamecock basketball player Ronnie Collins will also be in-. ducted into the Hall of Fame that night, along with four others. Collins ranks 19th in career scoring at USC and was an All-ACC selection in 1964. Others on the induction list are former NFL players Stump Mitchell and Jeff Bostic, high school basketball coach George Glymph, and football official Grady Ray. Last year's Male Amateur Athlete of the Year was former Clemson golfer Chris War. McKie plans on attending several NBA pre-draft camps this April and June to improve his chances of being selected in the league's draft. McKie is on schedule to graduate with a degree in sport administration. it Carolina fa \ ^ '/A I \k) 9 -w *h } *1 v | Sean Rayford Photo Editor for draft Rhode Island coach Jim Harrick i spent virtually every moment during the Atlantic 10 tournament saying Odom should come back to school. I So how much loyalty did he show when he bailed out Wednesday to take a better job at Georgia? r How come nobody said Rick Piti( no or John Calipari were ruining col, lege basketball when they quit their coaching jobs at Kentucky and Mass1 achusetts, respectively, to cash in on NBA riches? ' /-i un i_ j:J_U ^unsiuenng c,oacn i^ai man i make it in two seasons as coach of the New Jersey Nets, perhaps he was as ' prepared for the NBA as Thomas. It's simple. Over the past month, everyone in the NCAA had reaped the financial rewards of the multimillion-dollar entity called March Madness except for those most responsible for making it happen ? the student-athletes. So if] Francis, or any other underclassman, has a chance to cash in on his basketball talents, why shouldn't he? Everyone else in college basketball already has.