The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 14, 2005, Page 10, Image 10
GAME SCHEDULE
t, WOMEN’S TENNIS at Las Vegas Tournament, TBA
rage 1U SWIMMING vs. Kentucky, Saturday 11 a.m.
Friday, January 14, 2005 MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Tennessee, Saturday 7 p.m.
Women’s basketball overpowers Charleston
By ALEX RILEY
STAFF WRITER
The USC women’s basketball squad
showed no ill effects from its lackluster
performance against Vanderbilt last
weekend as the Gamecocks took care of
business against in-state rival College of
Charleston, 67-37.
Carolina fell behind 2-0 early in the
game, but an Ilona Burgrova layup tied
things on the following possession. The
Cougars managed one more tie at 4-4,
before USC went on an 8-0 run to begin
spelling the end.
The closest it got the rest of the game
was at the 12:04 mark in the first period
when Charleston pulled within three at
12-9, but USC proved to be too much.
The Gamecocks used a huge height
advantage to post five first-half blocks
and a stunning 24-8 advantage on
points in the paint, allowing Carolina to
go into the second half with a 32-16
lead.
The first half was just the beginning
for sophomore Melanie Johnson, as she
went into the locker room with 12
points, seven rebounds and three
blocks.
USC continued its dominance in the
second frame, holding Charleston to
under 20 points for almost the opening
five minutes.
USC continued to build on its lead,
which hit 32 on a Stacy Booker three
with less than four minutes left.
The most inspirational moment of
the game came when reserve Ebony
Jones entered the game for the first time
this season. Jones, who was an All-State
player in high school, began the season
as the team’s manager but now is a
regular in uniform.
Jones got the moment she had hoped
for, as a Lakesha Tolliver rebound and
Kulcsar pass ended up as a fast-break
layup, her first career points.
“She’s really worked hard,” coach
Susan Walvius said about Jones. “She is
fearless. She’s the voice of this team.
She’s the spiritual leader.”
Johnson, who had been in a bit of a
slump lately, got a new career high
with 19 points and earned her sixth
double-double of the season with 15
rebounds. She also set a new career
high in blocks, leading the team with
five on the night.
“It always feels good to get back on
track, especially after a drought,” *
Johnson said.
USC finished with a 40-12 advantage
on points in the paint and a Colonial
Center record of 11 blocked shots. The
women also set Colonial Center records
by holding the Cougars to a 20.6
percent shooting average and by
grabbing 55 rebounds.
“We’ve got tremendous height
advantage,” Walvius said. “We need to
take advantage of that. We still have a
ways to go.”
The Charleston game closes out non
conference play for the Gamecocks, who
host the Florida Gators on Sunday at 2
p.m.
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Gamecocks
to face Vols
in vital game
By STEPHEN FASTENAU
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
After nearly knocking off Kentucky
and blowing out the Georgia Bulldogs,
USC (9-5, 1-2 SEC) stumbled on the
road, losing to LSU, 79-64. The
Gamecocks hope home is where the
heartache ends when they return to the
Colonial Center on Saturday to take on
Tennessee.
USC fell to LSU on Wednesday in
a game in which no Gamecock player
recorded more than (hree rebounds.
Senior Carlos Powell continued his
recent strong play with 16 points, but
in the end Tiger freshman Glen Davis
was too much for Dave Odom’s team.
Davis scored 28 points and grabbed
14 rebounds as LSU avenged last year’s
SEC Tournament loss at the hands of
the Gamecocks.
At halftime the score stood at 41-29,
and USC was never able to make a run at
the lead. The Tigers led by as many as 23.
LSU had lost four out of its previous
five games and had not played at home
in a month. The Tigers bounced back to
hand USC its second SEC loss, both
coming on the road.
Powell and company now turn their
attention to the Volunteers, who upset
No. 11 Mississippi State 64-63 on
Wednesday. UT built a 16-point lead at
halftime and held on to break the
nation’s longest road winning streak.
UT is led by 6-foot-5-inch senior
Scooter McFadgon, who averages 15.7
points per game. McFadgon put up 14
points against the Bulldogs, all coming
in the first half. C.J. Watson, the
Volunteers’ team leader in assists, had
nine to go with nine points. MSU’s 16
game road winning streak started after a
loss to Tennessee and also ended with
one.
For the Gamecocks to win Saturday’s
match-up, they will look to replicate the
fast-paced transition game that helped to
run Georgia out of the Colonial Center.
USC was only able to produce 14 points
out of 12 turnovers.
Odom’s team came into the game
forcing nearly 18 turnovers per game,
fourth in the SEC.
Tre’ Kelley has continued to emerge
as a solid point guard in his first season
running the offense. Kelley had 11
points and five assists against LSU after
coming off a career-high eight assists
against Georgia.
Six-foot-7-inch Tarence Kinsey will
likely match up against McFadgon, while
Antoine Tisby will have the first shot at
limiting 6-foot-10-inch, 250-pound senior
Brandon Crump. Crump comes into
Saturday’s SEC East contest averaging
11.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Odom will also use defensive help
from John Chappell and Brandon
Wallace ofF the bench. Chappell had
four blocks and Wallace added three
against Georgia.
Volunteer freshman Chris Lofton is
one of four UT starters averaging double
figures in points at 11.7 per game. Lofton
also leads the nation in three-point
percentage, converting 53 percent of his
shots beyond the arc.
Tennessee plays five of its next six
games on the road. USC does not take
the court again for a week following
Saturday’s game, taking on Mississippi
State in Starkville.
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KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK
Junior Antoine Tisby shoots a hook shot over a Georgia defender in
USC’s win over the Bulldogs on Saturday in the Colonial Center.
------—
Baseball alumni thrive in minors
FILE PHOTO/THE GAMECOCK
Tprmer catcher Landon Powell and fornyer infielder Kevin Melillo
ire now playing in the Oakland Athletics minor league system.
By BRIAN SAAL
THE GAMECOCK
Many times players star for the USC
baseball team, then draft day comes
along and theit futures are determined
but undocumented. General Managers
take chances on high school and college
players with each of their goals being
“playing in the majors.” So the question
is what happened to these numerous
Carolina players after their collegiate
careers? The past three seasons Ray
Tanner’s club has gone a total 57-32
with all three seasons ending in a top 10
tanking. Nineteen teams decided to
draft a Gamecock player during that
three year stretch. Four in 2002, Seven
in 2003, and Eight in 2004.
In 2004, with a record of 17-13
Carolina stormed the College World
Series with their conference
championship rings and survived all the
way to the CWS final four. The news
came to eight USC players on June 7 and
8 that they were drafted and given a
minor league team to report to. After they
ended their career at USC many players
quickly reported to their respective teams.
Three players had Idaho Falls listed on
their plane tickets as the Kansas City
Royals drafted two Gamecocks with their
top four picks. In the first round the
Royals drafted pitcher Matthew Campbell;
in the second they drafted pitcher Billy
Buckner and took closer Chad Blackwell
in the fifth. The three played a key role in
leading the Chukars into the playoffs of
the Pioneer league. Blackwell split the
closer role with 27th round pick Zane
Carlson, jin 21 games Blackwell saved
seven and finished the season with a 1-1
record and a 3.27 ERA. Buckner started
five games and went 2-1 with a 3.30 ERA.
Campbell did not have good luck in his
rookie season however. In just 10.2
innings of pitching he went 0-2 with an
8.44 ERA. This season, if the three players
prove themselves in the advanced rookie
league, they may move themselves up the
ladder into the AA Midwest League and
play for the Burlington (IA) Bees. All three
are high rated pitchers in the Royals farm
system and one of them could be the first
Gamecock called up to the majors since
Brian Roberts got called up by the
Baltimore Orioles in 2003.
Those were not the only Gamecock
players to enjoy the company of their
former teammates on their new minor
league team. Oakland’s famous general
manager Billy Beane liked what he saw
in two Gamecock players. He drafted
Landon Powell in the first round 24th
overall. He then drafted Kevin Melillo
in the fifth round despite playing in
only 54 games due to an injury. Both
players reported north of the border to
Vancouver to play for the Canadians of
the Northwest (A) League. In leading
the Canadians to the finals, Melillo hit a
powerful .340 in a short 22 game
season. Melillo is believed to be a sleeper
pick by his front office and has a very
promising future. Teammate Powell hit
just .250 but pleased his general
manager with a .374 OBP, a statistic
that Beane believes is the most
important. Powell will have a tough
road to the majors because of their
recent addition of Jason Kendall. He
also must battle behind the bright lights
f
♦ Please see BASEBALL, page 11
• CHARLIE DAVENPORT/THE GAMECOCK
Sophomore Melanie Johnson blocks a Cougar shot Thursday in the -
Gamecock victory. Johnson led Carolina in scoring with 19 points. -
*
— — ^
Commitments
roll in for USC
■ Recruiting enters
crucial weekend as
prospects take visits
By ALEX RILEY
STAFF WRITER
The Gamecock football program
continues to bag some of the top
recruits in the south. According to
Gamecockcentral.com, USC had
already garnered two four-star players
and many highly touted -three-star
recruits.
The list is topped by the
Gamecock’s earliest signee, four-star
defensive back Mike West of Butler
Community College. West, who is
considered one of the top defensive
backs in the nation, was redshirted his
first season at Butler but put up
stunning numbers last fall. The 6- ....
foot-l-inch, 215-pounder had 67
tackles, three interceptions, five
fumble recoveries and 11 pass
breakups last fall.
West was a true early
commitment under former
Carolina coach Lou Holtz.
However, new coach Steve
Spurrier decided that West was
still welcome to, play for the
Gamecocks this fall, and West
recently signed his letter of intent.
While his numbers were
impressive, West received" very
little attention and only received
offers from Kansas, Memphis and
TCU.
Carolina’s other four-star
pickup is safety Brandon Isaac of
Georgia Military College. Isaac,
who is originally from Blackville,
S.C., chose his home team over
some of the country’s premier
programs in Georgia, Louisville
and Utah.
Little has been discussed of Isaac’s
numbers while at college, but he was
a stand-out player at Blackville-Hilda
High School, where he rushed for
more than 1,000 yards and 20 scores
during his senior season, earning him
Shrine Bowl honors. However,
because of academics, Isaac slipped
off the radar screen and decided to
pursue the junior college route in
order to catch a bigger program s
eye.
USC’s most recent commitment
comes from Tallahassee, Fla., from
three-star defensive end Kerry Bonds.
Bonds had been one of the most
talked-about defensive front men in
the country, coming in at No. 38 in
the nation for strongside defensive
ends. He received offers from the likes
of Clemson, Tennessee and Maryland,
and visited Texas and Oklahoma.
In the end, Bonds left the Sunshine
State for the Palmetto State. Bonds’ 6
foot-3-inch frame is imposing, and his
4.6 time in the 40 gives him quickness
up and down the line.
Spurrier also picked up someone to
help fill the shoes in the receiving core,
as the Gamecocks got a commitment
from three-star wide out Freddie
Brown of Byrnes High. Brown
received decent offers across the board
from major schools like Kentucky,
N.C. State and Virginia. But it’s
Brown’s playmaking ability that will
allow him to fit nicely into the “fun
and-gun” offense, as indicated by his
1,459 yards receiving on 86 catches
with 12 touchdowns.
USC also managed to keep three
star Greenville defensive end Nathan
Pepper in-state. Pepper was
considered one of the quickest
defensive ends in the state, and it
shows as he received offers from
schools like border-ffc'al North
Carolina and Georgia Tech. His nine
sacks last fall and play in the North
South All-Star Game made Pepper a
hot commodity. Pepper’s final
decision came between the
Gamecocks and the Tar Heels, but he
chose the in-state route in the end.
Carolina managed another early in
state commitment in three-star
safety/wide receiver Damien Wright of*
Crestwood High. Wright had a list of
impressive schools, headlined by
Vanderbilt and Duke because of his
3.3 GPA. But with 165 tackles, 10 for
a loss, five sacks and four fumble
recoveries, one for a score, Wright was
looking for a big-time school and got it
in USC. Wright was also on numerous
honor lists, including the Shrine Bowl
last fall.
Dorman High School two-star
defensive back Mychal Belcher’s
recruitment has flown under the radar.
He was a member of the Shrine Bowl
squad last fall, and was getting looks
from some top-name schools including
Tennessee and Maryland. But he chose
to remain in-state with the
Gamecocks. Belcher is listed by
Rivals.com as an “Athlete/Dual-Threat
Quarterback.”
USC’s long-distance signee is three
star safety/running back Taylor Rank
of Evergreen High School in
Washington. Rank, who grew up in
Atlanta, had only two offers, one on
each coast. His home state of
Washington made an offer to the two
sided player, but he chose to come
back to the Southland. Rank rushed
for 2020 yards and 36 touchdowns
while leading his team to a state title.
For his work, Rank earned Associated
Press Player of the Year Award for 4A
from the Seattle Times.
One commitment comes from'
Ryan Succop, a kicker, which is a
position that USC hasn’t offered a
scholarship to in years. Holtz never
signed a true “scholarship kicker”
during his era, but Coach Spurrier
already has in three-star kicker Succop
of Hickory, N.C. Succop, at 6-foot-3
inches, has a large frame that drew “
attention from all over the South,
including Auburn, Tennessee and
North Carolina. Succop’s numbers
were nothing short of stunning, as he
went 44-of-44 on PAT’s and 12-of-14 ,
on field goals with a long of 41. His
career long was 53 as a junior and 97
percent of his kickoffs resulted in
touchbacks.
The Gamecocks have another big '
weekend scheduled as four-star
receivers Carlos Thomas and O.J.
Murdock headline a stellar roster of
visitors.
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West, who is
considered one of
the top defensive
backs in the nation,
was redshirted his
first season at Butler
but put up stunning
numbers last fall.
The 6-foot-1-inch,
215-pounder had 67
tackles, three
interceptions, five
fumble recoveries
and 11 pass
breakups last fall.