The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 28, 2004, Page 15, Image 15
SEC.News.and.Notes |
SEC teams move to
middle of schedule
In what has been a wild start
to the SEC season, many sur
prises have arisen. Another
week in the SEC begins with
chances for even more upsets.
Tonight, Ole Miss will travel to
fifth-ranked Kentucky at 8 p.m.,
televised by JP Sports. Georgia
will look to snap out of its two
game conference losing streak
at LSU, who is looking to break a
three game losing streak of its
own. Mississippi State, ranked
Cllth in this week's AP poll, will
play host Tennessee, and the
Eastern division-leading USC
will travel to Vanderbilt.
On Saturday, Kentucky will
go to Vanderbilt, televised at
noon on ESPN2; Ole Miss will
play host USC at 1 p.m. on JP
i ■_
Sports; Florida travels to
Tennessee at 3 p.m. on JP
Sports; Auburn defends its home
court against Mississippi State;
Georgia hosts Arkansas; and
LSU goes to Alabama.
Summitt receives
contract extension
The AP learned on Monday
night that the Tennessee
Volunteers have come to terms
on a contract extension with
women's basketball head coach
Pat Summitt.
The contract, which was ap
parently signed back in
November, raises Summitt's ex
isting contract by $74,500 a year
to an annual salary of $824,500.
The extension will keep
Summitt in Knoxville for two
more years than her previous
contract] securing her job
through the end of the 2007-2008
season.
Summitt has won six national
titles and recorded 837 wins in
her 30 seasons as coach in
Tennessee and received a $70,000
bonus for taking last year's team
to the Final Four.
Behind football head coach
Phillip Fulmer, Summitt's guar
anteed contract is the second
highest at Tennessee. It also sur
passes head men's basketball
coach Buzz Peterson's contract
by over $50,000 per season.
Summitt's Vols moved to No.
1 in this week's rankings for the
first time since the 2000-2001 sea
son by defeating the No. 1
ranked Duke Blue Devils in
Cameron Indoor Stadium on
Saturday.
Briefly
Track teams boast
wins at Fla. meet
The USC track and field
teams had solid performances
at Sunday's SEC Invitational
held at the University of
Florida.
For jhe men's team, junior
Rodney Martin Jr. topped the
field in the 200-meter race with
a time of 21.07 seconds. In the
800-meter race, sophomore
Shawn Cunningham posted a
time of 1:55.29 that was good
enough for a victory.
On the women’s side, junior
Lashinda Demus, won the 400
meter race with a time of 53.49
seconds. The race was all USC
as the Gamecocks swept the top
four with Stephanie Smith,
Shevon Stoddart and Tawana
Watkins rounding out the top.
The women also won a pair
of field events on Sunday.
Sophomore Cheryl Terrio won
the pole vault event for the first
time this season, boasting a
personal-best height of 12 feet, 4
inches. Sophomore Kemesha
Whitmire was also victorious
in the triple jump field with a
length of 40 feet, 1.5 inches.
--—-1
Men’s
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
the emotional center of the team.
Offensively, Carolina will have
to improve its shooting percentage
if it hopes to keep up with Vandy’s
offense; The Gamecocks will look
to Powell, who has scored in dou
ble-digits every game this season,
to put up points in the paint and
guards Mike Boynton and Josh
SEC Standings
All statistics are current as of Jan.
28,2004.
EASTERN CONF. OVERALL
South Carolina 4-1_17-2
Kentucky_3-1 13-2
Florida 4-2 13-4
Vanderbilt 2-3 13-3
Tennessee2-310-5
Georgia 1-4 9-7
WESTERN CONF. OVERALL
Mississippi State 5-1_16-1
Alabama _3-3_11-6
Louisiana State 2-3 12-4
Pie Miss 2-3 10-6
Auburn 2-4 11-6
Arkansas 2-4 10-7
Gonner to hit shots outside the
key. A week before the LSU game,
the team shot the lights out, hit
ting 64 percent of their attempts.
Coming off the bench for the
Gamecocks, senior center Rolando
Howell and freshman forward
Renaldo Balkman could play large
roles in the game. Howell has the
size to dominate the boards on both
ends. Balkman has been the team’s
energy reserve and seems to al
ways come up with the big play.
Historically, Carolina has the
advantage, as it leads the series 17
15, including a 9-7 record at
Vandy. The Gamecocks also won
the last time the two teams played
in a convincing 12-point win.
Wednesday’s game could be a
springboard for USC. With 11
games remaining in the season,
head coach Dave Odom’s team
will, in five games, face four oppo
nents that were ranked at one
time during the season. Winning
on the road against Vanderbilt
will not only go a long way in com
peting for the SEC East title but
also in gaining confidence and si
lencing the critics.
USC will tipoff against
Vanderbilt at 8 p.rn. at Memorial
Gym in Nashville, Tenn.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecocksporis@gwm.sc.edu
■a i 1111 "" I
Louisville head coach begins
treatment for pain problems
BY CHRIS DUNCAN
TIIK A-SKUCIATKO I'liKSS
LOUISVILLE, KY. - Rick Pitino
arrived at a clinic Tuesday to be
gin treatment for severe pain that
forced him to take an indefinite
leave from his Louisville coach
ing job.
The 51-year-old coach request
ed that no other information
about his condition be released to
the media, Cleveland Clinic
spokeswoman Marion Moseley
said.
“I’m a very positive person,”
Pitino said Monday. “We’re go
ing to hope for the best in every
situation.”
Pitino said his undetermined
condition has caused him pain
for months. He did not know how
many games he’d miss but hoped
to return before the end of the
season.
He said the pain was “urologi
cal related,” and doctors have
ruled out prostate cancer.
“Most men my age-have these
types of problems. We’ll get
through this in a positive way,”
he said. “We’ll come back and
hopefully have a good run in the
tournament.”
Pitino first noticed the pain in
his left side during a golf outing
late last summer. Doctors at
Louisville’s Jewish Hospital first
treated it as a muscle tear, but'
when it didn’t heal, they began
looking for another cause.,
“It’s gotten to the point where
It’s gotten a little too painful to
lead the type of coaching lifestyle
I lead,” Pitino said. “We’ll take it
from there.”
This season-had already been
emotionally draining for Pitino.
He’s dealt with the deaths of a for
mer player, his mother’s care
taker and his former nanny’s 3
month-old daughter.
In December, sophomore for
ward Francisco Garcia’s brother
was shot and killed in New York
and senior forward Ellis Myles’
father died in California. Myles
is redshirting this season.
In 2001, Pitino lost two broth-.
ers-in-law—one in a car accident
and another in the Sept. 11 ter
rorist attacks on the-World Trade
Center.
“All of us have been through a
lot, and they know how fo react
positively,” Pitino said of his
team.
Pitino’s announcement came
the same day the Cardinals (15-1)
reached No. 4 in The Associated
Press Top 25, their highest rank
ing of the season. Louisville had
won 15 consecutive games head
ing into Wednesday’s home game
with Houston.
The Cardinals defeated
Tennessee 65-62 in Knoxville on
Sunday night. Pitino said when
he returned home early.Monday
morning, the discomfort was un
bearable.
“I have been in excruciating
pain the last three or four
games,” Pitino said. “It’s getting
worse day by day.”
Kevin Willard, Pitino’s top as
sistant, will coach the team in
Pitino’s absence. Willard was ar
rested Jan. 18 and pleaded guilty
two days later to driving under
the influence of alcohol.
Pitino said he disciplined
Willard internally alter his arrest.
He had no reservations about
turning the team over to Willard,
who also worked as Pitino’s assis
tant with the Boston Celtics.
“My confidence level in him is
off the charts,” Pitino said.
-Pitino wasn’t the only key
member of the team expected to
miss Wednesday’s game. He said
Garcia, the team’s leading scor
er, was doubtful with an injured
ankle, and sophomore Taquan
Dean, the team’s top three-point
shooter, will siPout with a groin
injury.
“It’s up to our players, the rest
of them, to rise to the occasion,”
Pitino said.
Two years ago, Pitino spent a
night in a hospital undergoing
tests for an undisclosed illness.
He said at the time tests revealed
nothing seriously wrong, and he
was quickly back on the side
lines.
Kentucky coach Tubby Smith,
Pitino’s assistant at Kentucky
from 1989-91, called Pitino “a spe
cial person” during his weekly
1 radio show Monday night.
Pitino, who won a national
Championship with Kentucky in
1996 and led Providence to the
Final Four in 1987, is among the
top 10 active college coaches in
winning percentage.
He arrived in Louisville in
March 2001 after 3.1/2 disap
pointing seasons in the NBA with
the Celtics. He succeeded retired
•Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum
at Louisville.
Interested in taking The Gamecock Challenge?
If you can beat the editors, you'll win a free Gamecock T-shirt. Send
your picks to gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu by 2 p.m. Thursday. We’ll
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This week’s games:
IUPUI at Centenary 22 Florida at Tennessee
13 Texas Tech at 18 Okla. St. 11 Miss. State at Auburn
1 Duke at 14 Georgia Tech Arkansas at Georgia
12 UNC at Clemson LSU at Alabama
5 Kentucky at Vanderbilt 24 USC at Ole Miss
♦ FOR TIE-BREAKING PURPOSES, PLEASE INCLUDE Y3UR SCORE FOR THE USC OLE
MISS GAME. AND DON'T FORGET YOUR NAME!
Columbia’s Adult Soccer
League is now registering
teams or individuals for the
Spring '04 season.
Registration deadline is
February 3rd.
Call 781-6468 or email
columbiasoccer@aol.com.
v >
Gamecock
Baseball
Bash
.
i
When: January 31,2004
Where: Sarge Frye Field
Q 1:15 pm. Scrimmage
Q 3:45 pm. CWS Pennant Presentation
Q 3:50 pm. Bulls Eye Competition
© 4:05 pm. Celebrity Softball Contest
Q.) 4:20 pm. Home Run Derby
Q) 4:45 pm. Autographs / Video Presentation
(which will be held at the Indoor Practice Facility)
FREE FOR ALL STUDENTS
Come out and support your ranked Gamecocks!
Sponsored by the Student Gamecock Club
• *
V V f