The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 28, 2001, Page 9, Image 9
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Around the SEC
Berlin’s big spring might be the start
♦ of QB controversy for SEC champs
by Kyle Almond
The Gamecock
Steve Spurrier has proven throughout
his career that he isn’t afraid of quarterback
controversies. If a player is having trouble
getting the job done, Spurrier doesn’t
hesitate in replacing him to keep the
Gators’ high-powered offense running
smoothly.
This year might
be more of the same.
Rex Grossman
returns as the
Gators’ starting
^ quarterback, but
heralded sophomore
Brock Berlin has
Spurrier keeping his BERLIN
options open. Berlin
threw for two
touchdowns in the offense’s 35-34 win
over the defense in a scrimmage Saturday,
and finished 12-of-18 for 149 yards.
“Brock had a very good scrimmage,”
Spurrier told the Gainesville Sun.
“Obviously; he is a lot further along than
he was as a true freshman last year. He’s
right there, ready to play.
“We pretty much know what Rex
Grossman can do. It looks like Brock is
right there ready to compete. So, they’re
right in there together.”
While Berlin excelled in Saturday’s
scrimmage, Grossman struggled, throwing
two interceptions and failing to get the
Gator offense in the end zone.
The redshirt sophomore says he’s up
to the challenge.
“I love competing,” Grossman said.
“It’s a long haul, and I really don’t have
a comment on how I feel day-to-day. I
know what I can do. I don’t feel any
pressure at all.”
Elsewhere around the SEC:
Ole Miss: Taking the Rebels to a
27-7 regular season record, and winning
the SEC Wfest title earned men’s basketball
head coach, Rod Barnes, the 2001
Naismith National Men’s Coach of the
Year award last week from the Atlanta
Tipoff Club.
Barnes was one of three coaches from
the SEC up for the award. Florida’s Billy
Donovan and Alabama’s Mark Gottfried
were the others. Barnes also beat out 17
other finalists from around the country
for the honor.
“I would like to thank God for the
opportunity to coach this great game and
to coach these fine young men at Ole
Miss,” said Barnes, who was also
named SEC Coach of the Year by the
league’s coaches and The Associated Press.
“This is a tremendous honor,” he said.
“Across the country, there are many
outstanding coaches who are doing
incredible jobs with their teams and
pregrams, and for me to receive this award
is truly humbling,” he added. “This award
also reflects on everybody associated with
the Ole Miss basketball program — the
players, assistant coaches and staff. I would
like to thank them, because without all
of their hard work and dedication, we
would not have had the successful season
we have enjoyed.”
Tennessee: Ole Miss and Kentucky
weren’t the only schools to have basketball
teams lose in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA
Tournament.
Tennessee’s women’s basketball team,
the top-ranked team in the nation going
into the tournament, was upset by Xavier,
the fourth seed in the Mideast region, 80
65 on Saturday. The loss was the Lady
Vols’ earliest defeat in the NCAA
Tournament in seven years.
“I am upset with this team and
disappointed in this team,” Tennessee
head coach Pat Summitt said. “This team
did not deserve anything other than the
outcome they got.”
——— i —
conference]
Summitt and the Lady Vols agreed
that the problem was on the defensive
end of the court. Xavier had five players
score in double figures.
“When you play a team like that, you
can’t have breakdowns on defense,”
Summitt said. “They made us pay every
time we had a mental breakdown.”
Tennessee’s Ashley Robinson agreed.
“You can score, but if you don’t stop
your opponent from scoring, you won’t
win,” Robinson said. “Regardless of
whether we were hitting our shots, if we
would have stopped them on defense, we
probably would have won this game.”
Tennessee had made five Final Four
trips in the past six years and won three
national titles.
The sports desk can be reached at
gamecocksports@hotmail.com
Search
from page 8
*
questions: Who is still on McGee’s short list? Is Fogler’s
replacement going to come from the NR\? Will McGee
seek a high profile “big-name” coach, as he has been
known to do in the past, or select a young, eneigetic Billy
Donovan clone like Winthrop’s Gregg Marshall? If McGee
has his way, fans will not know who will lead the
Gamecocks until the new coach is introduced.
McGee’s close-to-the-vest approach has produced a
dizzying array of potential candidates, forcing Gamecock
i
fans to follow the coaching search on the Internet, where
numerous rumors have been propagated.
McGee’s hiring of Lou Holtz is regarded as masterful,
as well as his having lured Ray Tanner away from N.C.
State to rebuild Gamecock baseball. Only time will tell
as to whether McGee can attract the same type of
successful leader for the USC basketball team. Presently,
he is not showing his hand and is not likely to until the
new coach is in place.
All one can say now with any certainty is that Fogler’s
successor will not be Bobby Knight.
McGee wouldn’t have it any other way.
The sports desk can be reached at
gamecocksports@hotmail.com
Johnson
from page 8
showing those capabilities today against the
Georgia Lady Bulldogs (20-17,2-9 SEC) in the
second game of a doubleheader in Athens, Ga.
The teams will face off again on Thursday for
the last game of a three-game set.
The sports desk can be reached at
gamecocksports@hotmail.com
-1 .
Sports Briefs
■ USC football
game to'be shown
on ESPN Thursday
USC’s football game against
Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss,
has been moved to Thursday, Sept.
20, and will be nationally televised.
by ESPN. The game was originally
scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 22 in
Starkville. Kickoff time is tentative
ly set for 8 p.m.-ET.
This will mark USC’s third
appearance on ESPN’s Thursday night
primetime national telecast. Carolina’s
games with West Virginia (1990) and
Kentucky (1993) were also Thursday
night games on ESPN, with both games
played in Columbia. -
■ Carolina to host
spring football game,
memorabilia gala
USC concludes spring football
practice this Saturday with the annual
spring game. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
at Williams-Brice Stadium, and tickets
are on sale at the USC Ticket Office on
Rosewood Drive. Tickets are also
available by calling 7774274 or 1-800
4SC-FANS.
Tickets will be on sale at the stadium
box office on Saturday. Tickets are $5
for adults, $2 for youth and $10 for a
family. USC students, faculty and staff
will be admitted free by showing their
ID cards. Seating will be general
admission and will be on the west
side of the stadium only.
The Gamecock coaching staff will
divide up the squad later this week.
Members of the Gamecock squad will
be available for autographs prior to the
game, from 11 am. to noon, underneath
the west stands.
In conjunction with the Spring
Game and the USC Bicentennial
Celebration, USC will also host a
Gamecock Athletics Memorabilia Gala
this Saturday at the Lettermen’s Lounge
at the stadium. Doors will open at 10
a.m.
The gala will feature memorabilia
and trophies from virtually all Carolina
sports, as well as the collection of Mike
Safran, who has a large inventory of
USC memorabilia.
In addition, former USC standouts
such as George Rogers, Harold Green,
Corey Miller and Brad Edwards will
be.on hand to sign autographs and visit
with fans.
■ Gamecocks to
take on ACC teams
in volleyball tourney
Taking on five teams from the
Atlantic Coast Conference, the
Gamecock volleyball team will host its
annual spring tournament on Saturday,
March 31, at the \blleyball Competition
Facility.
USC will host in-state rival
Clemson at 9 a.m. to kick off the
tournament. Matches will run
throughout the day. Clemson, North
Carolina, North Carolina State, Wake
Forest and Duke will also be here.
Admission is free.
Hitting the road for its first spring
tournament of 2001, the Gamecock
volleyball team competed against the
Florida Gators and the South Florida
Bulls last weekend.
USC head coach Kim Christopher
was most impressed with the play of
redshirt freshman Niece Curry.
“Niece was impressive in her debut
against Florida,” Christopher said.
“Florida has two of the best middles in
the country, and it was exciting to see
Niece compete with the best. As a team,
we did many good things and will
continue to work on controlling the
unforced errors.
“It was a good start for us. We had
a chance to play a variety of line-ups,
and that is one advantage to spring
tournaments. A coach can see how
various lineups look against competition
and players gain experience without
the stress of working to win a
championship.”
Apply Yourself.
% Attend the Spring Scholarship
Workshop series
If you don't apply you won't win. Attending a Scholarship Workshop is the first step in
the application process for national scholarships, grants, and fellowships. Faculty and
staff will explain the merits and requirements of individual competitions. Applicants
must be U.S. Citizens. First year students and sophomores are encouraged to attend
workshops to begin the process of becoming a scholar.
Plan to attend and Apply Yourself, Literally.
Truman Scholarship
(attention juniors - for graduate work in public service or government)
Monday, April 9,4 p.m.
Harper College Conference Room, first floor
*! Fulbright Scholarship
(research & study abroad for graduating seniors and graduate students)
Tuesday, April 17,4 p.m.
Gressette Room, Harper College
The Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs
Helping students apply themselves for national fellowships and scholarships
Harper College, Room 101 on the USC Horseshoe
(803) 777-0958 • www.sc.edu/ofsp
USC Fellowships@gwm.sc.edu
Career Fair 20QI
Hosted by the USC College of Hospitality, Retail,"and Sport Management
--
TUESDAY WED-THU FRI-SAT SUNDAY
8:30pm 8:30pm 8 & 10:30pm 8:00pm
Non-Smoking Shows: Wednesday & Friday @ 8:00pm ■
_Erotic Hypnotic Revue: Friday & Saturday @ 10:30pm_I