The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 17, 2005, Page 8, Image 8
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1 l±U^5STjrLLVlU YJUVJ1Y WOMEN’S TENNIS at ITA Southeast Regional, Today
a m u ^~^s.A MEN'S TENNIS at ITA Southeast Regional, Thursday
f I A X \ I 1 ri ] L 1 EQUESTRIAN vs. Georgia, 2 p.m. Saturday
Page8 Ky —1— Vy J— —L rS' y Monday, Oct. 17,2005
Iverson, Duncan
headline stars as NBA
takes over Columbia
Laura-Joyce Gough /THE GAMECOCK
RlexRiley
THE GAMECOCK
The scoreboard above
center court read 100, a
first in Colonial Center history
as the Philadelphia 76ers (1-1
preseason) beat the defending
world champion San Antonio
Spurs (0-2 preseason) 100-88
in NBA preseason action.
The Wednesday night game
marked the Colonial Center’s
NBA debut.
Even in the loss, Spurs star
Tim Duncan displayed little
emotion in the locker room,
playing Texas Hold ‘Em on a
hand-held PlayStation.
“It was great here. I thought
the crowd was great the whole
night,” Duncan said. “I hope
they enjoyed the game. I know
it’s preseason, and (the starters)
don’t play as much as we
usually do, but other than that,
I thought the guys played hard
and it was competitive both
ways.”
Duncan, who finished the
night with 12 points and eight
rebounds, had a homecoming
of sorts as he and his former
college coach, Dave Odom,
were reunited. Odom, USC’s
men’s basketball coach, led
Duncan and Wake Forest to a
Final Four during his time as
coach of the Demon Deacons.
“It’s been great, more than
just to play in front of him but
to just catch up with him,”
Duncan said. “To go sit down
with him and his wife and have
some dinner and enjoy talking
about some times.”
“He has great respect and
warm feelings for coach Odom
and his staff he had for four
years,” Spurs coach Gregg
Popovich said. “They taught
him well. When he came to us,
he was a pretty darn complete
player.”
Duncan, a two-time league
MVP, was outshined by one of
the most dominant point
guards in the league, as Allen
Iverson of Philadelphia
received one of the loudest
ovations in Colonial Center
history.
“It was a great feeling. My
first time being here, and
people embracing me the way
it was, it’s something I’ll
remember the rest of my life,”
Iverson said. “I’m definitely
looking forward to coming
back here now.”
Of all the starters, Iverson
remained on the court the
longest, tallying 26 minutes.
That chunk of time allowed
him to lead all scorers,
finishing with 27 points on 10
of-18 shooting. He also had
seven assists and four
rebounds.
“I played all right. I’m a little
rusty. I didn’t play at all this
summer; I didn’t play but once
or twice because of the
inflammation in my elbow,”
Iverson said. “I’m just trying to
get my wind back, just trying
to some rhythm and get my
legs up under me.”
The 76ers led from the
opening tip on an Andre
Iguodala shot, but the Spurs
managed to keep the game
nen«g
Superstars
in the Colonial Center
Two-time MVP Tim Duncan played for USC
coach Dave Odom at Wake Forest
Forward Andre Iguadala was the first-round
selection of the 76ers in the 2004 NBA draft
Parker is averaging 14 points per game in his
three-year career and has won two NBA titles
Pintos by Juan Bbu & Katie KirkLmd / The Gamecock
Guard Allen Iverson was named NBA MVP in
2000-2001 and is a five-time all-star
Katie Kirkland/TIIE GAM ECOCK
Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson led all scorers Wednesday with 26 points in the 76ers’ win.
Odom wants more than just NIT title
Katie Kirkland/THE GAMBCOGJ
USC’s men’s basketball coach Dave Odom met with the media
Thursday to preview the team's upcoming season.
Basketball coach says time right
for NCAA Tournament success
Alex Riley
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
An NIT title. Another 20
win season. A stunning upset of
No. 3 Kentucky.
Even with all those
accomplishments, USC
basketball coach Dave Odom
doesn’t want his team and
Gamecock fans to look at
what’s, happened in the past.
Instead, Odom wants to ask
what can be done in the future.
“It’s easy to focus on the past.
Were one of two Carolinas in
this country to end up winning
our last game,” Odom said at
Thursday’s USC basketball
Media Day. “North Carolina
obviously won the national
championship, make no
mistake about that. We won a
national championship. I’m
pleased with that.”
While Odom is proud of the
accomplishment, he wants
more for the Gamecocks than
success in the NIT.
“Nobody wants their legacy
to be ‘Boy, he was a great NIT
coach,’ or ‘They had a great
NIT team,”’ Odom said. “You
take what you get, when you
can get it. And we won the NIT
I T *_
Iddl ^dl. A U1
not going to
apologize for
that.”
The win at
Madison
Square
Garden is
what Odom
has called a beginning, not an
end, to the Gamecocks’ success.
“The thing that happens is
the tendency to focus on the
past,” Odom said. “You focus
on ‘We won the NIT
championship.’ Well, we did.
What are you going to do with
it? That’s the key. Are you going
to sit there and say that’s the
only national championship
they’ve won in basketball? How
niauj wiiivj
are we going
to say that? It’s
time to move
on now.”
Odom and
his team are
ready to move
on, as the
Gamecocks are looking to
build on last year’s success. A
solid recruiting class has given
USC depth ofF the bench and
much needed size in the post.
But the biggest question
surrounding the team is who
ODOfn • 9
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“Nobody wants
their legacy to be
‘Boy, he was a
great NIT coach.”
DAVE ODOM
USC mens basketball coach