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Odom faces new challenges in 3rd year FILE PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK Senior Kerbrell Brown has fought off injuries since joining the Gamecocks from the junior college ranks last season and averaged of 8.9 points per game. BY WES WOLFE THE GAMECOCK In Dave Odom’s first year with USC, the Gamecocks reached the National Invitational Tournament championship game and expectations were high for the 2002-2003 squad. Unfortunately for Carolina, injuries and losses piled up and the team ended the season 12-16 with a 5-11 mark in the SEC and a first-found exit from the SEC Tournament. The Gamecocks were short-handed in playing their opponents, with center Marius Petravicius, forward Chris Warren, guard Tarence Kinsey, forward Kerbrell Brown and guard Jon Land each missing games because of injury. Also, illness claimed guard Jarod Gerald for two games. Whatever the circumstances were for the sub-par result, at the end of last season, Odom was ready to get back on the court to work hard and make sure the same thing doesn’t happen this year. Several Gamecocks will be returning this year to the program around. Carolina has four seniors coming back, including Brown, guard Mike Boynton, forward Ivan Howell and forward-center Rolando Howell. Boynton, whom Odom expects to be one of the leaders of the team this season, is showing the results of a strong off-season program. Boynton dropped his body fat per centage and has shown a marked improve ment in the weight room. He did not have exceptional stats last season, with 2.8 points, one rebound and one steal per game. Boynton will be expected to contribute more this season. Last season s scoring leader, forward Carlos Powell, also will be returning. The junior from Florence averaged 12.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game last season. Even with last year’s performance, Odom thinks Powell will improve this season. “We asked him to do things last year that maybe were not in his best interest,” Odom said. “We might have used him wrong, so we have greatly tweaked our offense to put him in the right place. Still, he has enor mous skills and I think his play-making will be better because he has improved through his off-season work.” Howell, a former McDonald’s High School All-American, averaged 6.3 rebounds a game to lead Carolina on the boards. He also averaged 10 points and 1.4 steals a game. However, the senior from Columbia will be out of action for 12 games because of a sus pension resulting from a criminal domes tic violence conviction earlier this year. Carolina will be depending on its re turning players, as well as the five new comers, to compete against this season’s opponents. The Gamecocks will have four freshmen coming in, Paulius Joneliunas from Lithuania, Tre Kelley from Washington, D.C., Brandon Wallace from Silver Bluff High School in Jackson, S.C., and native Renaldo Balkman from Tampa, Fla. In his preseason press conference, Odom said that he would play the freshmen this year but did not have exact plans drawn up as of yet. However, in USC’s exhibition game with Inter Hoop, a Lithuanian team, Balkman played 25 minutes, went four-of-six from the field, three-of-four from the free throw, line and hit a three-pointer. Balkman’s minutes were the third-highest on the team in the game, which could point to the amount of minutes he would see during the regular season. In addition to the four freshmen, com munity college transfer Josh Gonner will be playing for Carolina. Gonner started at guard for USC against Inter Hoop and had 18 points and three rebounds in the win. Carolina opens the season with two games in the Guardians Classic and will play seven other home games before open ing the SEC season at home against Florida on Jan. 7. The Gamecocks will also play host to Tennessee, LSU, Alabama, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Kentucky in SEC play this season. Two home games, the Dec. 20 contest against N.C. State and the matchup with Tennessee on Jan. 17, will be broadcast on SEC-TV. The Kentucky game on March 3, the final home game of the season, will be broadcast on Jefferson Pilot Sports. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocksports@hotmail. com 2003-2004 Basketball Preview Jr 3^_^ Cover photos by Johnny Haynes « Cover designed by Shawn Rourk / Jj|PMT 2 Preview designed by Brad Senkiw, Staci Jordan, Shawn Rourk 3 Edited by Adam Beam, Brad Senkiw, Steven Van Haren, Jessica Foster j