The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 26, 2005, Page 9, Image 9
Smith touts teamwork
as new season kicks off
Uliquel Jacobs
STAFF WRITER
Shelley Smith expects her fifth
season in Columbia to be her most
exciting and fulfilling season yet —
on and off the field.
The former women’s soccer
coach at University of Rhode
Island and Dartmouth College has
been at Carolina for a full
recruiting cycle and can see the
makings of a program back on the
I rise.
“This will be our fifth season,
and this year’s graduating players
will have been our first recruiting
class,” Smith said. “We’re really
excited 'about this year for them.
We’ve seen how far they’ve come as
players. They’ve improved a
program and brought so many
great memories in the past couple
of years.”
The Gamecocks have one
NCAA Tournament appearance in
their brief 10-year history, a 0-2
loss to Charlotte. Last season, with
a roster of 13 freshmen, was
Smith’s worst since coming to
Carolina in 2001, but the coach
I said she believes she’s finally found
the talent and recipe for the
program’s second trip to the
tournament.
“We’ve been really close, and I
think that this year it’s really a goal
of ours to make it to that next
step,” Smith said. “I feel that this
year we’re more prepared than ever
to do that. The players came back
more fit than I’ve ever seen. There’s
excitement going into the season
knowing that we don’t have to
worry about fitness level.”
Another important piece to the
puzzle involves teamwork, an
aspect Smith acknowledged as the
young team’s strength. Senior
captain Kimmy Criss’ optimism in
a great season mirrors that
statement regarding the difference
between last year and this year’s
teams.
“This year’s been a year where
there really hasn’t been a gap
between each class as far as
freshmen, sophomores, juniors ind
seniors,” Criss said. “We are a very
unified team. This year we know
that with each game we’re playing,
we’re reaching for the NCAA
Tournament. From the freshmen
to the four seniors, we all know the
goal that we want, and it’s a
common goal throughout the 25
players that we have.”
One main reason the team has
bonded so well is that
upperclassmen were quick to
embrace freshmen and keep a
close-knit atmosphere.
“Each player really bonded with
the freshmen, and we really got to
know them — who they are, their
personalities, and how we mesh
well as a team,” Criss said. “Even
before starting preseason, we all
knew each other and had that
common bond of going into
preseason together and knowing
each other.”
That teamwork and unity is
what Smith said she believes will
help Carolina take the leap from a
team with opportunities to a team
that executes. The Gamecocks have
already shown promise after an
undefeated preseason, including a
2-0 victory against No. 9 Duke.
Last season, games against that
type of competition remained
close, but the Gamecocks’ inability
to capitalize on opportunities left
them one game from the SEC
Tournament. Given the depth of
the SEC, making that tournament
means finishing in the top eight in
the conference, which speaks
volumes about a team’s resume.
“The SEC is very competitive,”
Smith said. “We ought to finish in
the top five or six in the
conference, that’s our goal. We
want to be at the SEC’s, and if we
can get there, anything can
happen. If you’re in the SEC’s and
you’re (a higher seed), you should
have a chance of going to the
NCAAs.”
While Smith said the NCAA
Tournament might sound like a
stretch when comparing USC’s
roster individually, she stands
strong on her belief that as a team,
the Gamecocks can compete with
any team any day. Having already
backed that up with a convincing
win against Duke, the Gamecocks
will have two non-conference
matches against tournament teams
from last year before starting SEC
play. The recruitment of skilled
offensive players at the moment
might be a solution to last year’s
scoring problems.
“This year, adding more
offensive players to the attack has
been a big help,” Smith said,
referring to newcomers Darcel
Motion, Felicia Schroeder and Alex
Mouton. “Last year we struggled to
find the net. We played hard, we
had lots of chances, we just
couldn’t finish.”
Even if the offensive attack
doesn’t end up as strong as
anticipated in the early games,
Criss pointed out an observation
about her teammates she believes is
a sign 2005 will indeed be the start
of something exciting.
“The work rate at practices has
been a lot better than previous
years,” Criss said. “Each day that we
go out there is to get better, it’s not
just to go out and practice. We want
to work as hard as we can for those
two hours to make it in November
to the NCAA Tournament.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports @gwm. sc. edu
Katie Kirkland/JHF, GAMEGOCK
Sophomore Courtney Cobbs streaks past a Clemson defender en route to USC’s win last season.
NickEsaraWm (lAMliCOCK
This No. 2 jersey, hanging in Safran’s shop, is the last existing
uniform worn in a game by Sterling Sharpe, USC's receiving leader.
STASH • COnnnUED FROIA8
or something related to it.
Some of the highlights of his
collection include Gamecock
football jerseys from stars such as
Harold Green, Clarence Williams,
| Robert Brooks and Todd Ellis. His
hardwood jerseys don the names of
Mike Dunleavy, Ronnie
Collinsand, until recently, the
jersey given to commemorate
Frank McGuire’s 500th victory. He
even has a baseball and football
jersey from two-sport standout
Rob DeBoer.
Safran also features a variety of
former Gamecocks’ professional
jerseys, including Mookie Wilson,
Bobby Bryant, Brian Winters and
John LeHeup.
Other items that showcase the
variety in Safran’s collection
include ticket stubs to games such
as USC’s win against Michigan at
Ann Arbor in 1984 and the final
| Big Thursday match-up between
^ Carolina and Clemson in 1959.
Safran has also seen his share of
gold come through the door,
selling rings from the 1984 Black
Magic season, the 1971 ACC
Basketball Championship a ring
from USC’s 2001 Outback Bowl
victory.
His walls feature signed pictures
from some of USC’s brightest stars,
including USC’s lone Heisman
winner George Rogers, Jeff Grantz,
Dan Reeves, Alex English and
Grady Wallace.
But the kicker to the collection
might be the item the general
public doesn’t get to see. Hanging
on Safran’s wall in a side room is
the only known game jersey worn
by all-time leading receiver Sterling
Sharpe. The trophy case at USC
features a Sharpe jersey — only it’s
a recently made throwback.
While his collection is enough
to make a fan speechless, Safran’s
pride hasn’t come from what he has
gained physically. It’s the
knowledge he has gained from his
association with USC sports.
On any given day, you can step
into Safran’s shop and have a talk
with former radio announcer Bob
Fulton or one of USC’s oldest
living lettermen, Dom Fusci.
Collins frequently stops in to see
what is going on, while Ryan
Brewer has been known to make
an appearance. A phone call from
Rogers isn’t uncommon, while
1,000-point-club-member Terry
Dozier recently became a visitor to
the unofficial hall of fame.
One of Safran’s most treasured
friendships came from one of
USC’s all-time greatest graduates
in Tatum Gressette. Gressette’s
athletics on the field included a
drop-kick in 1920 to beat
Clemson 3-0. He was also famous
for his work throughout the state
in government as well as other
athletic teams, earning spots in
USC’s and the Citadel’s halls of
fame as well as the S.C. Golf Hall
of Fame. What’s even more
impressive is that Gressette
started the BAM Club (Buck A
Month) in an effort to show up
Clemson’s athletic booster IPTAY
(I Pay Ten A Year). Today, the
BAM is known as the Gamecock
Club.
“All in one lifetime, this person
was able to do all this and squeeze
in starting the athletic program at
the Citadel and hunting, fishing
and golfing with Ty Cobb,”
Safran said. “It’s almost mind
boggling.”
Safran’s collection has allowed
him the opportunity to do more
than give fans a chance to own a
piece of Gamecock history — it
has allowed him to share history
with fans. Over the years, Safran
has been the man behind the
scenes on events such as
numerous Gamecock Galas,
which featured memorabilia from
his collection tagged with
appearances from players who
made the memories. He has also
been a figure behind the South
Carolina Athletic Hall of Fames
yearly banquets and even helps
Rogers with his annual
fundraising events.
“Simply by collecting this stuff
has opened up doors that have led
to places you wouldn’t expect them
to lead,” Safran said. “You’ve met
people that in some cases you
would have only read about in a
book or just heard legend of in the
past.
“To be able to meet these people
and hear their stories, and hear
them retell the tales and to some
extent bring you into their
confidence is extremely gratifying
just to hear this stuff. You can’t
really put a price on it. And it all
came about by just collecting
stuff.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm. sc. edu
RILEY# COnnnUED FROm 8
banquets and dinners promoting
the school he holds dearest. He
even introduces his longtime
friend and Heisman winning
running back George Rogers at
gatherings, doing such as
recently as Saturday.
When Fulton wrote his
autobiography “Hello
Everybody! This is Bob Fulton,”
many thought some of the
actions behind closed doors
would come out into the open.
Instead,-Fulton shared his stories
and remembrances of seasons and
people he’d met from a positive
perspective, all while keeping
some of the stuff he’d probably
seen away from the public.
And this is how you repay
him?
Bob Fulton is the definition of
a great sports journalist. His
character and work ethic have set
him apart from others since he
stepped behind a microphone. He
lived out .every sporting
professional’s dream, staying in a
community that loved and
embraced him for years and going
out as a winner (his final football
game was Carolina’s CarQuest
Bowl victory against West Virginia
in 1995). Fulton has more
integrity in his thumb than many
involved in sports today have in
their entire being. To throw him
aside like this should mortify fans
of the garnet and black beyond
anything that has come out of
USC camp since last November.
When it was all said and done,
Fulton provided me with a hint
of hope, saying that Hyman
requested to have lunch with
him before the season opener
against UCF. His hopes were that
Hyman would see what an asset
he would be to the program and
that he might be able to resume
his duties with the department.
Coming from a friend of
Fulton, the man' who is the
definition of the ultimate
gentleman and sportsman, this is
my advice to Hyman: Don’t, cut
your ties with USC’s shining
representation of integrity,
something this university needs
now more than ever.
In Brief
Veteran announcer Fulton
released by athletics office
Bob Fulton, longtime play-by
play commentator for Gamecock
sports, has been released from
USCs athletics department.
Fulton, who had been on as a i
consultant, said he was told by :
athletics department officials that i
his services would no longer be |
needed because of the department
having to “cut expenses.”
After serving as “The Voice of f
he Gamecocks” for 43 years,
■•ulton was asked to remain on 1
raff as a consultant to the i
miversity upon his retirement in (
1995 by then-Athletics Director e
vfike McGee. His work included c
raveling to Gamecock sports i
unctions and assisting with USC r
ports broadcasting. More e
ecently, Fulton worked with new
>lay-by-play commentator Todd c
illis as he prepared to take over t
>lay calling duties for USC
Dotball.
Fulton received numerous
onors throughout his career,
lcluding being named South
'arolina Sportscaster of the Year
ight times. He is also a member
f the USC and South Carolina
ithletic halls of fame, the first
on-athlete or coach to go into
ach.
Repeated calls to the athletics
epartment office Thursday were
nreturned.
— Alex Riley
. ~ use vs. UCF THURSDAY SEPT. 1 ~
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