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Gamecock Basketball Gamecocks ready for roundball by Kyle Almond The Gamecock Coach Eddie Fogler is confident his Game cocks have the depth, the chemistry and the offense to be a competitive team in the SEC. • To make it to the NCAA Tournament, howev er, Fogler stresses his team’s need to become de fensively sound. “[Defense] is what will take us up the ladder,” said Fogler, who is entering his eighth year as head coach at South Carolina. “Top defenses have the attitude that they can dominate the offense and (op ponents) can’t get a good shot.” “Bad shots lose to good shots,” Fogler said. If the Gamecocks tighten up their defense this season, they will have a good shot, all right - of mak ing it to the postseason for the first time since 1998. The 2000-01 Gamecocks return all but two play ers from last year’s squad that finished 15-17 in the regular season and advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. 80.4 percent of last season’s scoring returns, as is 77.3 percent of the rebounds. Combine that with the fact that Carolina finished last season winning six of its last nine games, and USC is clearly a team on the rise. “We have a great group,” Fogler said. “We real ly do. We have a chance to be very solid and a very competitive team in what will he one of the two best conferences in America.” The “great group” could be one of Fogler’s most versatile in years, and sophomore Chuck Eidson is the catalyst. The 6-foert-7 Eidson is the “do-it-all” player on this Carolina team. He produces on both the offen sive and defensive ends of the floor. Eidson averaged 9.1 points a game last season and led the Southeast ern Conference in steals with 2.9 per game. He has the ability to play three positions: small forward, shooting guard and point guard. _ Along with Eidson, Aaron Lucas will see play ing time at point guard. The junior captain from Co lumbia averaged 4.4 assists last season, and Fogler, Eidson and senior forward David Ross have all com mented that Lucas became the team’s most improved player in their preseason trip to Spain and the Ca nary Islands. Lucas, Ross and senior forward Antonio Grant will be tri-captains of this season’s Carolina team. Ross and.Grant are also the team’s only seniors. Ross will bring a shooting touch off the bench; he hit almost 40 percent of his shots from behind the 3-point arc last year. Grant averaged eight points a game and finished second on the team in rebounds. Grant also brings defensive intensity to the Game cocks, who was second on team in steals last season. Guards Jamel Bradley and Travis Kraft look to be the team’s top shooters. Bradley’s playing time last season increased as the year went on, as did his scoring average. The junior guard hit 43 percent of his 3-pointers in 1999-00. In the middle, the Gamecocks should be strong, and definitely tall. Sophomores Tony Kitch ings and Marius Petravicius both stand 6-foot-10. Kitchings averaged 7.6 points and five rebounds last season and Petravicius, who started every game last season, averaged 8.4 points and 4.5 rebounds. Rolando Howell, one of USC’s three freshmen along with guard Michael Boynton and forward Greg Taylor, should add depth inside when he is allowed back on the court Dec. 19. Howell was suspended for the first nine games of the season after being arrested. The 6-foot-9 How ell, rated as one of the top post players in the country coming out of high school, entered the Pre Trial Intervention program and has been practicing with the team since Oct. 14. Power forward Calvin Clemmons and walk-on guard Jo Jo Cadray fill out the roster. Clemmons has been a surprise in preseason games, scoring 33 com bined points in two contests. The Gamecocks are already 2-0 this preseason. USC easily handled BC Flowtex, a Slovenian pro fessional team, 92-63, on Nov. 4. Carolina defeated the California All-Stars 96-67 on Nov. 11. It’s so far, so good for USC. But Fogler is cau tious. “I think we have excellent chemistry,” Fogler said. “The key is what happens when you lose. Does the chemistry and leadership stay together? That’s the important issue.” The Gamecocks begin the 2000-01 regular, sea son tonight at Frank McGuire Arena against Ten nessee Tech. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Junior Jamel Bradley should be a major contributor in 2000-01. Gamecock Basketball 2000-2001 Staff Sports Editor Kyle Almond Writes: JenGesiniondo Andrew Festa Chris Foy Michael Haney Rick Jolmston Charles Tomlinson Casey White Photography: Sean Rayford Tabloid Design: David Cloninger Heartbreaker Several close losses, disappointment dominate USC's 1999-00 season by Kyle Almond The Gamecock Last season was one of heartbreak for the USC Gamecocks, but lessons learned in defeat liave created a sense of optimism for 2000-01. Carolina finished a lackluster 15-17 overall (5-11 SEC), but a run in the SEC Tournament ended die year on a liigh note. USC defeated Alabama 69-59 in the first round of the tournament, setting up a showdown with nationally-ranked Ten nessee. The Vols were heavy favorites go ing into the game, having already beaten USC twice during the regular season. Carolina, led by guard Jamel Bradley’s career-high 20 points, upset the Vols 75 68, setting,up a semifinal game against Auburn and a opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Auburn game, however, ended the way so many other games did in 2000 for the Gamecocks - in disappointment. USC took the Tigers to overtime, but fell short 77-72, ending its season. Falling short was the theme for the Gamecocks tliroughout the season, from beginning to end. In only its fourth game of the season, USC took on bio. 2 Michigan State in the Puerto Rico Shootout. Despite surging to a second half lead, the Gamecocks lost by tliree, 59-56. Four games later, playing at arch-ri val Clemson, the Gamecocks were fa vored, but couldn’t pull out the victory. USC led at halftime but sloppy second half play buried the Gamecocks. A chance for redemption came to Co lumbia in January, when undefeated Syra cuse came to Frank McGuire Arena. Leading for most of the second half, it looked as if USC was on its way to a win worthy of national spotlight. But a late rally from the Big East team sent the game into overtime, where center Etan Thomas dominated. Shell-shocked, USC lost its next eight games as well, including a hard-fought 65 61 loss at Auburn and a one-point loss to Vanderbilt at home. The Gamecocks finally got a close one to go their way Feb. 16 against Mis sissippi State. Four Carolina players broke double figures as the Gamecocks ended their losing streak, winning 68-67. Carolina then went on to win its next five of seven games before losing to Auburn in the SEC Tournament. There were bright spots, however, in USC’s tough season. Swingman Chuck Eidson set a school record for steals and also led the SEC in the category. Along with 9.1 points per game, Edson was named to the Freshman All-SEC team. Fellow freshman Marius Petravi cius became a force for Carolina at cen ter. In only his fourth year playing oiga nized basketball, the big Lithuanian averaged 8.4 points a game. With an extra year under their belt, and the experience of last season’s close games, the Gamecocks hope that this is the season they will be doing the heart breaking. The USC Coaching Staff Eddie Fogler Head Coach Led USC to three postseason appear ances in seven years; SEC Coach of the Year, 1997 Rick Callahan Associate Head Coach Has coached with I Fogler 20 yean; in charge of scouting I and recruiting John Cooper Assistant Coach Played under Fogler at Wichita State; enters sixth year at USC Barclay Radebaugh Assistant Coach Enters fifth year on USC’s coaching staff and third year with Fogler 2000-01 Schedule Nov. 4 Flowtex (exh.) W, 92-63 Nov. 11 Calif. All-Stats (exh.) W, 96-67 Nov. 17 Tennessee Tech 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 Wofford 7:30 p.m. Nov. 25 S.C. State 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29 Mercer 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at Charlotte 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at The Citadel 7:15 p.m. Dec. 9 Clemson (FSNS) 7 p.m. Dec. 19 UNC Asheville 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21 Wyoming 7:30 p.m. Dec. 28 VMI 7:30 p.m. Dec. 30 at Providence 7:30 p.m. Jan. 7 Florida* (JP) 1:30 p.m. Jan. 10 at Kentucky* (JP) 8 p.m. Jan. 13 at Tennessee* (JP) 12 p.m. Jan. 17 Vanderbilt* 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20 Auburn* 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at Florida* (JP) 3 p.m. Jan. 31 at Louisiana State* 8 p.m. Feb. 3 Kentucky* (JP) 1 p.m. Feb. 7 Georgia* (JP) 8 p.m. Feb. 10 at Vanderbilt* 8 p.m. Feb. 14 at Alabama* 8 p.m. Feb. 17 Ole Miss* 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20 Arkansas* (ESPN) 9 p.m. Feb. 24 at Georgia* (FSNS) 5 p.m. Feb. 27 Tennessee* (ESPN) 7 p.m. Mar. 3 at Mississippi State* 3 p.m. Mar. 8-11 SEC Tournament (JP/CBS) at Nashville, Tenn. *Southeastem Conference games