The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 26, 2002, Page 8, Image 8
I
8 GAMECOCK DEBUTS
WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Birmingham Southern, 4:30 p.m. Friday
fTlNTAfT TTS5 MEN’S SOCCER vs. Charleston Southern, 7 p.m. Friday
11 v - 1 uu CROSS COUNTRY at Charleston Southern, Friday
Story ideas? Questions? Comments? VOLLEYBALL at Michigan State tournament, Friday-Saturday
E-mail us at gamecocksports@hotmail.com FOOTBALL vs. New Mexico State, 7 p.m. Saturday
Odom frustrated by scheduling process
Temple matchup
highlights weak
home schedule
BY KYLE ALMOND
THE GAMECOCK
Forget about beating Kentucky
or making it to the NCAA Tourn
ament. Just putting together a
schedule for this season was hard
enough for Dave Odom, head
coach of the USC men’s basketball
team.
“If you were to go back and tal
ly up the time that I’ve spent
putting schedules together in my
other years as head coach, I don’t
think it would come up to one-half
the amount of time that I’ve spent
trying to get this schedule fin
ished,” Odom said Friday at a
news conference in the Carolina
Coliseum.
The second-year coach cited
several reasons why working out a
schedule was especially hard this
year. One was the uncertain com
pletion date of the Carolina
Center, the 18,000-seat arena
scheduled to open in November.
“My guess is that we’re going to
be painting the floors going out the
back doors while the spectators
are coming in the front,” Odom
said. “It’s going to come down that
close.
“But I do think that it’s realis
tic that the arena will be ready for
our first game against East
Tennessee State (Nov. 24) and for
the women’s game just prior to
that (versus
Clemson on Nov.
22).”
Exempted tour
naments, such as
the preseason NIT
and the Great
Alaska Shootout,
also made it hard
for Odom to get Odom
teams to play in
Columbia early in the season.
“It’s been a really hard, long,
difficult road,” he said. “And while
I’m very pleased with the sched
ule that we have — the quality of
the opponents that we have — I
hope that I never have to go
through another year like we went
through this year in terms of
scheduling.”
USC will open with a pair of ex
hibition games in the old
Carolina Coliseum before it starts
the regular season in its new
home against the Buccaneers.
The Gamecocks will follow that
up with home games against
South Carolina State and
Appalachian State before their
first big test of the season: a home
matchup with national power
Temple on Dec. 2.
Odom said he called many of
the nation’s best college basketball
teams to get them to come to
Columbia, but only Temple,
coached by John Chaney, was will
ing to make the trip.
“All I want to do right now is
say how appreciative I am and
how thankful I am that there’s a
John Chaney in college basket
ball,” Odom said. “He fears no one.
He’s willing to play anyone any
time, any place. He’s a Hall of
Fame coach — nobody can ques
tion that.”
After Temple, the Gamecocks
will play two more tough noncon
ference opponents, on the road at
Georgetown and North Carolina
State.
Odom said his ideal schedule,
not counting Clemson, would have
featured at least four national-cal
“It’s been a really hard,
long, difficult road.... I
hope that I never have to
go through another year
like we went through
this year in terms of
scheduling.”
DAVE ODOM
USC MEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH
iber nonconference opponents,
with two at home and two on the
road. But he was unable to accom
plish that goal this season. USC’s
other nonconference games will
♦ SCHEDULE, SEE PAGE 9
FOOTBALL 2002
Jenkins jolts life
into new-look offense
BY KYLE ALMOND
THE GAMECOCK
In 1999, the year it went 0-11, USC’s football
team had the worst offense in Division 1-A.
The Gamecocks scored a measly 87 points all
season.
As the offense improved during the next
two seasons, so did the team’s record. But still,
no one confused the Gamecocks with a scor
ing machine.
That could change this season. Despite los
ing his starting quarterback, tailback and go
to wide receiver, head coach Lou Holtz is
more pumped than ever about the potential
of his offensive unit.
“Offensively, for the first time, we have tal
ent in place that we would like to have in our
offense,” Holtz said.
For most teams, losing a starting quarter
back would be a major blow to their champi
onship hopes. But because of talented new
starter Corey Jenkins, Holtz is thinking im
piuvcuiciu.
“He’s a bit of a question mark, but I’m anx
ious to see him,” Holtz said of Jenkins, a se
nior who came to Carolina last season after
two years in junior college and four years in
minor league baseball. “Corey not only has
maturity, but he has a love for the game. He
has an enthusiasm.”
And Jenkins also has more physical talent
than Phil Petty, who was an efficient leader
in his three years as starter but not exactly a
dominating force. At 6-2,220 pounds, Jenkins
is a powerful runner with a cannon for an
arm.
“He’s a great leader—toughest young man
I’ve ever coached,” Holtz said. “He was on
kickoff teams when I allowed him last year. I
Countdown to Kickoff 2002
Leading up to USC's season opener Aug. 31
against New Mexico State, The Gamecock will
keep you up to date on how the team is
shaping up.
Every issue, you’ll have the latest news out of
practice, in addition to these special features:
LAST THURSDAY: An overview of the
Gamecocks and their expectations for the
upcoming season.
TODAY: An in-depth look at quarterback
Corey Jenkins and the USC offense.
WEDNESDAY: A glance at the rebuilding
Carolina defense along with our annual
“Opponents’* pull-out section detailing all
the Gamecocks' 12 foes in 2002.
FRIDAY: A preview of the game and a look at
the special teams unit.
Past stories can be read on The Gamecock’s
Web site, www.dailygamecock.com.
don’t think he’ll play in the NFL as a quarter
back, but he will as a free safety. He has a
strong arm. He’s quicker than I thought. He
has a lot of the qualities that Tony Rice had.”
Tony Rice was the quarterback on Holtz’s
Notre Dame team that won the national cham
pionship in 1988.
Jenkins, who turned 26 yesterday, was
mainly used last season as a change of pace
from Petty. He rushed for 313 yards and three
touchdowns, the last of which was the game
winner against Clemson.
While his mobility and strength as a run
ner are unquestioned, Jenkins will need to
show that he can be a reliable passer if the of
fense is to flourish.
Offensive coordinator fl|
Skip Holtz said this past JH
week, however, that ■
Jenkins has made V
progress in that area. ^
“Corey has really im d
proved mentally,” Skip J
Holtz said. “He’s throw- ■
ing the ball consistently, ■
and his arm is a weapon |
for us.”
One thing is for sure: ■
Jenkins isn’t thinking v
like a first-year starter. Tb ’
Columbia native, who grs
ated from Dreher High S'
has high expectations ou
self and his team.
“If we win nine, 10 ga
win the SEC title game, tb
a huge disappointment,’
“That’s why we came her
Jenkins isn’t the on
coaching staff is expectii
out of the offense. The ]
Jenkins, including runni
Pinnock and a talented off
be solid, dependable perf<
Pinnock, a 255-pound si
get most of the carries
Derek Watson has been <
team. With 20 career tou<
12 last season, Pinnock hi
zone and a penchant foi
tacklers. Like Jenkins, L
Pinnock to another formi
Jerome Bettis.
♦ OFFENSE, SEE PAGE 9
Corey Jenkins, a 26-year
old senior, takes over this
season as starting
quarterback for USC. His
presence is Just one of the
reasons why head coach
Lou Holtz says this offense
is the most talented he has
had In Columbia.
PHOTO BY AARON HARK/THE
GAMECOCK
Men’s soccer team to rely on youth
USC introduces
9 new players in
scrimmage win
BY KYLE ALMOND
THE GAMECOCK
The USC men’s soccer team
scored three second-half goals
Friday night to defeat
Appalachian State in a scrimmage
at The Graveyard.
For many of the Gamecocks, it
was their first taste of Division I
soccer. Nine newcomers, five of
whom started the game, received
playing time in the 3-0 Carolina
win, and head coach Mark Berson
was encouraged at the debuts.
“It was a good start,” said
Berson, who will coach the
Gamecocks for the 25th season
this year. “I thought that we
played well defensively. I think
that we put some pretty good pres
sure on the ball. Our movements
in the final third of the field were
not as sharp as we would like, but,
to be fair, we hadn’t really focused
a lot on that in preseason.”
With all the new faces — the
Gamecocks have 11 in all —
Berson isn’t expecting fast results.
“With this team, it will be one
step at a time because it’s a group
we have a lot of ground to cover
with,” he said.
The Gamecocks, ranked No. 16
in the preseason NCSAA/Adidas
poll, took a successful first step
Friday night. Senior Jordan Quinn
opened the scoring with a header
in the 53rd minute, and junior
Robert Rosenberg added a second
PHOTO BY TRAVIS LYNN/THE GAMECOCK
Ricky Quest, one of USC’s new players, reaches for the ball
Friday night during Carolina's 3-0 scrimmage win over
Appalachian State. Quest Is a junior college transfer.
in the 70th minute with a header
off a corner kick. Senior Dave
Moore assisted on both goals.
Ryan Deter was the first USC
newcomer to get on the scoring
sheet. At the 83:31 mark, the fresh
man forward from Raleigh, N.C.,
stuck his foot out and deflected the
ASU goalkeeper’s clearance to in
crease the lead to 3-0.
“Now, it’s just a matter of ev
eryone getting comfortable with
each other, knowing how each oth
er plays,” Berson said. “And it’s
kind of a crash course in presea
son trying to get ready.”
Despite the inexperienced ros
ter, the goals still remain the same
for a team that has been seeded the
last two seasons in the NCAA
Tournament.
“Our goals are to finish as the
No. 1 team in the South Region, to
have an opportunity to go to the
NCAA Tournament, and to ad
vance and win the tournament,”
Berson said.
Until the newcomers get settled,
there is plenty of veteran talent to
lead the way for USC, which fin
ished 12-5-2 last season.
Up front, Quinn will be the of
fensive focal point. The forward
from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has led
the Gamecocks in scoring the past
two seasons. Last season, he had
13 goals, five of which were game
winners,'and five assists.
“Jordan is a senior who has ex
perience in so many big games
that he has to be counted on to be
the guy to lead us right from the
start,” Berson said.
Sophomore Anthony Stovall
will compete with newcomers
Ricky Quest, Ben Link, Deter and
J.C. Desriac for a spot next to
Quinn. Quest, a two-time Junior
College Player of the Year, comes
to Carolina from Brooklyn, N.Y.
In the midfield, Moore joins fel
low junior Jack Cummings as re
turning starters.
Moore “is a tireless worker who
has the ability to score as well as
doing a lot of the defensive dirty
work in the middle of the field,”
Berson said. “He is a tenacious
player for us.”
The defense looks to be the most
♦ MEN, SEE PAGE 9
Women’s soccer
looking to build
on last season
BY J. KEITH ALLEN
THE.GAMECOCK
With the USC women’s soccer
team finishing above .500 (8-7-3)
last season for the first time
since 1999, head coach Shelley
Smith is poised to take her squad
to the next level in 2002. Carolina
finished the season ranked No.
10 in the Southeast Region, its
highest ranking since 1999.
Smith’s team can look back to
positive experiences from 2001
dliu uac uiciii iu
mount a success
ful campaign this
year. Smith is
renowned for
turning around
the moribund
women’s soccer
program at
Smith Rhode Island.
Her abilities
were already visible in 2001 dur
ing her first year as head coach
at Carolina.
The Gamecocks return to The
Graveyard this Friday in their
season opener against
Birmingham Southern. The early
portion of this year’s schedule is
also highlighted with a visit from
in-state rival Clemson on Sept. 11.
The Tigers finished the season
ranked 11th in the country and
won last year’s meeting 3-0.
The Gamecocks open SEC play
against a tough Florida squad
Sept. 29. The Gators won 1-0 in a
thrilling game last season in
Gainesville. The loss was espe
cially tough to take for USC, be
cause it snapped a program-best
winning streak of seven games.
Carolina wraps up its regular
season slate with a home game
against Wofford on Oct. 29. The
next week, the SEC Tournament
♦ WOMEN, SEE PAGE 9