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10 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday,July 10, 2002 "DAT) HP O THIS WEEK IN use SPORTS HISTORY CONTACT US III I 1990 Skeets Thomas, MVP of the 1990 USC baseball E-mail us at gamecocksports@hotmail.com JL V^/ _L \—L team signs with the St. Louis Cardinals. USC Basketball loses player to NC program STAFF REPORTS South Carolina forward Issa Konare has decided to transfer to High Point University, which is lo cated in N.C., Gamecock head coach Dave Odom announced Monday. "Issa sacrificed so much in leaving Senegal and his family to come over to the United States," said Odom. "I have a special kinship with Issa and in talking with him, we de cided that relocation and a new op portunity formore meaningful play ing time would be in Issa's best in terest," Odom said."I feel really good that he's going to High Point and to play for my college coach, Jerry Steele. I think it's the right move for Issa," Odom said. Konare played in 17 games last season as a freshman for the Gamecocks, averaging 3.4 minutes of play time per game. He averaged 1.0 point and 0.8 rebounds per con test, making 6-of-20 field goal at tempts, including 4-of-15 from three point range. Forward Issa Konare follows Greg Taylor as the second Carolina player to transfer during the offseason. Konare will attend High Point University in North Carolina next fall. PHOTO BY ROBERT GRUEN/THE GAMECOCK “I think it’s the right move forIssa” DAVE ODOM use MENS BASKETBALL HEAD COACH Konarebythe numbers ♦ Konare played in 17 games last season ♦ He averaged 3.4 minutes per game ♦ He grabbed 0.8 rebounds per contest ♦ He made 6 of 20 field goal attempts ♦ He connected on 4 of 15 from three-point range ♦ Konare averaged 1.0 point per game ♦ He scored a season-high six points against Kentucky on February 2nd USC catcher to play for U.S. National team BY MATT ROTHENBERG THE GAMECOCK Days after the College World Series, Carolina's Landon Powell traded in his garnet and black for red, white, and blue. As one of the top college freshmen and sopho mores in the country, Powell was se lected, along with 21 others, to play for the United States National Team in a summer-long tour. Powell, who plays catcher and is a rising junior, is particularly ex cited about playing baseball this summer. "It’s awesome. One of the main "easons I came to play here instead if in [the] Cape Cod [summer eague] was that I'd have the chance o represent my hometown and my miversity," Powell said. "It’s exciting to have the chance o play with some of the greatest col ege players in the country." “The guys here are unbelievable litchers; they're going to be in the iig leagues someday. It's good to leet these guys.” Powell continued, "Their styles lay be a little different than I'm sed to, but it's cool getting tha di versity on this team." The U.S. National Team defeated the Japan Collegiate All-Stars on July 4th, in a game where the catcher powered his team to a 2-1 victory. Powell went 2 for 3 with a run scored and one RBI. His sacrifice fly tied the game while he crossed home with the eventual winning run. Behind the plate, he caught Houstona pitcher Brad Sullivan's magnificent one-hit performance. Powell has had much success at the plate so far this summer, even while hitting with a wooden bat, as op posed to metal. ueiensiveiy, i maae some im provement over the season, but with wood [bats], you've got to be disci plined and learn to pick the right pitch," Powell acknowledged. "Japanese pitchers, once the ball leaves their hand, are similar to Americans, but they try to fool you into their release. They hit their spots better than American pitch ers, " Powell remarked. Lelo Prado, head coach of the U.S. National Team, says Powell is the real deal. "He’s definitely done a great job for us and brings a lot to the table," said Prado. "I spoke to a lot of people about him and he's everything they'd said he'd be. There's no question he's our number one catcher." Powell has fond memories of the Gamecocks’ season, capped by an appearance in the national champi onship game in Omaha. "[The experience] was unbeliev able. We were almost overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Wewere nervous in that first game, but I'm proud of my teammates for bouncing back," he said. "[Not making the College World Series] has been one of the curses in Coach Tanner's career, and I felt so good for him. This one was for him." a „ c_ooon t»_j— X x\_/x uvvUf x u»ivxx uvvuii x xvi v see a drop-off in USC’s success. "It will be difficult to reload, but I know the coaches do a great job recruit ing and bringing new players in, so I'm optimistic about next season," he said. Powell will play with the U.S. National Team on their Red, White, and Blue Tour, traveling to The Netherlands for Haarlem BasebaU Week, followed by the FISU World Championships in Messina, Italy. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail.com — PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK j USC catcher Landon Powell is starting on the USA squad. Baseball owns you and the Expos too J. KEITH ALLEN C.\MECOCKSP()RTS@m)TM.UL.('.OM Commissioner Selig isn’t “letting the kids play”or the Expos, either. To quote Bob Watson from "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training," "Let the kids play!" In the world of Major League Baseball, $5 million is not a lot of money. Heck, you can probably find $6 or $7 million under the couch cushions in George Steinbrenner's office. But that amount looks like it will stand in the way of the Montreal Expos making a serious playoff push in what will probably be their final season. me txpos ana Marlins nave hammered out a deal that would send outfielder Cliff Floyd and pitcher Ryan Dempster to Montreal in exchange for pitchers Masato Yoshii and Graeme Lloyd. But there is a catch. The Expos would in crease their payroll by $5 million with the deal and, since MLB owns and operates the team, Commissioner Bud Selig must sign off on any transaction. Selig has been adamant that the Expos can not add to their payroll in any "sig nificant” way, even if it significant ly improves the team. At the All-Star break, the Expos stand a distant nine games behind Atlanta in the NL East but only five games behind Arizona in the wild card race. After almost stealing pitching ace Bartolo Colon from Cleveland two weeks ago, Expos GM Omar Minaya now has his sights set on Floyd and Dempster. ♦ALLEN, SEE PAGE 11