The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, July 24, 2002, Page 10, Image 10
10 - THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, July 24,2002
THIS WEEK IN use SPORTS HISTORY
CON TAG I l S I ^ I I I 1981: Ex-football coach Jim Carlen settles his breach-of
E-mail us at gamecocksports@hotmail.com JL _L I_L k_y contract lawsuit against USC out of court.
. .. ■ ■ —
Odom plans for 2003
BY J. KEITH ALLEN
THE GAMECOCK
After leading the USC Men's
Basketball team through the longest
season in school history (37 games)
Head Coach Dave Odom is on the
eve of assembling the squad for his
second season in Columbia. Odom
participated in an SEC summer tele
conference call onThursday and
spoke about his returning players,
new signees and the benefits of last
season's postseason appearance.
Odom senses a change in his
team, as they make its off-season
preparations for the 2002-2003 cam
paign. "The difference this year is
the players’ attitudes," said Odom.
He continued, "We didn't have to
search them out and encourage
them this season, and our run to the
NIT finals helped."
After losing to Memphis in the
NIT finals in March, Odom believes
the team is using the defeat as off
season motivation.
"They tasted it and wanted more,
they made themselves available to
the strength coach and played a lot
of pickup ball.” Odom added, "Plus,
our players have worked on their
skills as well. Last year at this time,
it was more difficult for the players
to see why these types of things are
necessary."
Odom feels confident about his
1 returning players, and is especially
buoyed by the late season heroics of
1 Tony Kitchings and Rolando
Howell. Kitchings has kept in shape
over the summer months, but Odom
said the rising senior has focused
on things beyond basketball.
"He's been working hard aca
demically and wants to put himself
in place for graduation, plus he's
getting married August 3, so it’s a
big summer for Tony," Odom com
mented.
The Gamecocks will have to
make up for the leadership and out
side shooting supplied by the de
parted Jamel Bradley and Aaron
Lucas. Odom looks to rising senior
Chuck Eidson to assume more of a
pivotal role, after coming back from
a knee injury last season. "Chuck is
stronger, has more confidence and
his knee is just fine and getting
stronger," Odom said. "He is going
to assume me roie oi leauersnip
that Lucas had last year."
While Odom believes Eidson will
—develop into a floor leader for
Carolina, he was reluctant to dub
him starting "point-forward", a po
sition Odom experimented with last
year. "Playing Chuck at the point is a
fail-safe option, [but] I'm not con
vinced putting him at the point will
help the team by putting a ceiling
on everyone else," Odom said.
In an effort to replace Bradley,
USC's all-time leader in three-point
shooting, Odom signed guards
Jarod Gerald and Terance Kinsey.
Gerald may split time with Michael
Boynton at the point guard position,
while Kinsey is looked at as more of
a pure scorer.
Odom closed his teleconference
with a reflection on the differences
between this offseason at Carolina
as opposed to his days at Wake
Forest. "In the ACC, they'd recite re
cruiting classes, and report when a
coach sneezed, and that was a prod
uct of the proximity of the schools,”
Odom laughed. "I like it the way it
is now, because I don't worry about
the other teams.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@hotma il. com
use Head
Coach Dave
Odom is looking
forward to his
second year at
Carolina. In his
first year,
Odom’s team
advanced to the
finals of the NIT
Tournament.
The team’s 22
victory season
was the third
highest in
school history.
Odom feels his
team’s success
last season has
already
contributed to
their
preparations for
their upcoming
campaign.
PHOTO BY ROBERT
GRUEN/THE
GAMECOCK
Gamecocks earn gold in World Junior relay
STAFF REPORTS
I In the final two events of the
World Junior Track Championships
in Kingston. Jamaica, Sunday night,
three Gamecocks and two
Gamecock signees each won gold
medals with their respective 4x400m
relays.
The crowd of over 34,000 - many
in standing room only - cheered
their hearts out.
USC brought home six medals (9
total with relay golds included) - the
best showing ever for USC at an in
ternational competition. In fact, if
USC was competing as a country,
they would have finished sixth in
the team medal standing. All told,
USC came home with a world junior
record, an American junior record,
a world best in 2002 and a suitcase
full of great memories.
The USA gold medal-winning
women's 4x400m relay was paced by
USC's Tiffany Ross and Lashinda
Demus, who ran the third and
fourth legs respectively. The team's
time of 3:29.95 was an American ju
nior record.
"For it to be the last race, it felt
good. I could have gone faster, but I
got boxed in. I can't ask for more
than a gold medal with this relay
though," said Demus, who, earlier
in the competition, set a world ju
nior record in winning the 400m
hurdles. On getting the baton from
USC teammate Ross: "When I looked
at her face coming in, I knew I had
to run good. She worked hard. The
crowd was so exciting. They were
going crazy. I couldn't have written
it better - this week was perfect."
"I was happy I got to contribute
to the team tonight. I wanted to get
the stick around to Lashinda. We all
wanted it," said Ross. "I was going
on what Coach Frye told me - not to
bust my tail too hard (because of
her injured hamstring) but to get
the stick in good position so
Lashinda could go for the win. I ran
the best I could. It was exciting to
get the hand-off to Lashinda. It was
a great moment for all of us. I thank
God for that. I had a good freshman
year -1 improved tremendously, and j
I thank Coach Frye. I am a world
champion, and I thank God for that."
The USA gold medal-winning
men's 4x400m relay team was paced
by USC's Jon Fortenberry, who ran
♦ TRACK, SEE PAGE 11
Red Sox still
suffering from
famous curse
J. KEITH ALLEN .
GAMECOCKSPORTS@HOTMAIL.COM
The Red Sox lost two of three
games to the Yankees last weekend.
They sit four games behind New
York in the standings and are tied
for the lead in the AL Wild Card
race. They won't win the World
Series this year and may not even
reach the playoffs. And whether
they'll admit it or not, the proud cit
izens of Red Sox Nation wouldn’t
have it any other way
The Sox have'not captured a
World Series crown since 1918,
when a pitcher named Babe Ruth
carried them to the title. Sox own
er Harry Frazee needed quick cash
to finance his Broadway production
of "No, No Nanette." So after the
1920 season he sold Ruth to the
Yankees for $125,000 and a $300,000
loan, and the Babe never forgave
him. Ruth allegedly cursed the fran
chise, put on the pinstripes and
went on to belt 714 home runs. He
also put the Yankees on the fast
track to success, which has pro
duced 26 world championships
since his arrival.
Whether or not you believe in
curses is immaterial, but the in
ability to win it all has become the
central characteristic of the Red
Sox and their long-suffering fans
for the last 84 years.
Indeed, futility has become an in
dustry in Beantown, and tales of
the curse have become almost as fa
mous as Paul Revere's ride. Dan
Shaughnessy's "The Curse of the
Bambino" has become a best seller
and even transformed into an off
Broadway musical. Before the 2002
season commenced, Sox fans sal
vaged a piano Ruth allegedly tossed
into a lake outside Boston, all in an
effort to exorcise the curse.
What would happen if they did
win? Don't trouble yourself; it won't
happen. But if it did, it might actu
♦ALLEN, SEE PAGE 11