University of South Carolina Libraries
USC opens season at Western Carolina JL. Paul Cohen FOR THE GAMECOCK USC’s njen’s basketball team will tip off the new season this weekend with a pair of non-conference foes. On Friday, USC will travel to Cullowhee, N.C., to face the Western Carolina Catamounts before returning to the Colonial Center for a Sunday date with the Toledo Rockets. The Gamecocks are trying to capitalize on the success of last seasons NIT championship. “Our team ended up pretty good,” USC coach Dave Odom said. “We beat some pretty good teams on the way to that championship. What are we going to do with it? That’s the key. It’s time to move on now.” In last year’s season opener, the Gamecocks defeated the Catamounts 87 61. However, that was with the help of now-graduated star Carlos Powell. Odom said he hopes junior college transfers Ousmane Konate and Keving Palacios will be able to step in and be forces.in the post. Western Carolina is off to a 1-2 start this year under first-year coach Larry Hunter. In the NABC Shootout, the Catamounts defeated Bowling Green before falling to Radford and Virginia Tech. Sophomore guard Antonio Russell, who averages nearly 13 points per game, leads WCU. The Gamecocks will look to slow down Russell with help from guards Tre’ Kelley and Rocky Trice, two key • components in last year’s NIT run. If USC can stop the Catamounts’ center, David Berghoefer, they should be able to dominate in the paint, as he is Western’s only player taller than 6 feet 10 inches. This contest should have some extra meaning for WCU senior Jared Outing, a Columbia native out of Dreher High School. In last year’s contest, Outing tallied 11 points and a career-high three blocked shots as a starter. USC will return home Sunday for a contest with the Toledo Rockets. It will be the Rockets’ season opener after defeating Wayne State in their lone exhibition game. Toledo, which competes in the MAC, is the preseason favorite to win the conference’s western division. The Rockets will return seven of their top eight scorers from last year’s squad that won the title. With seven upperclassmen on the roster, coach Stan Joplin is looking for experience to propel the Rockets through another long season. “The one thing you can’t beat is experience, and hopefully we have some guys who will be leaders and take ownership in our program,” Joplin said. “That makes a big difference for a team because they can handle a lot of things when the coaches aren’t around — in the locker room, in the weight room and in social settings.” Like the Gamecocks, Toledo will be looking to replace their leading scorer because of graduation. Junior forward Florentino Valencia is the leading returning scorer who averaged nearly ten points per contest. Joplin and the Rockets pride themselves on athleticism, and the Gamecocks will need to match their up-tempo style in order to win. In their only exhibition game, USC handily defeated USC Aiken, 95-63. The Gamecocks allowed every player on the roster to play double figure minutes and score at least 4 points, which demonstrated impressive team balance. “I think overall we got out of tonight exactly what we wanted to get out of it, and that was a win,” Odom said. “We got to see different combinations. We wanted everyone to play at least double-figure minutes, and we got that accomplished.” Odom conceded that the team struggled down the stretch because of a lot of running, a problem he said he hoped to address this week in practice. As the Gamecocks prepare to open the new season, fans might expect a little confusion as to each player’s role on the team. With so much parity on the roster, Odom is more than happy to shuffle players in and out on a daily basis. “At each position we have good experience, and as I mix the teams up I can hardly tell the difference from one day to another and one practice to another,” Odom said. “The players are in good shape, and they are getting better as time goes by.” Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu Katie Kirkland!THE GAMECOCK Senior point guard Rocky Trice goes up for a shot during the USC Aiken game. soccer •connnuED froir a Despite the early loss to Wake Forest, the Gamecocks are confident that they are a much-improved team from the one the Demon Deacons saw earlier in the year. “Our team is a completely different team than it was at the start of the year. We have so much more momentum now and our team chemistry is just better. We’re looking forward to this game,” Reece said. Berson spoke about the confidence he has in his team heading into their match with Wake Forest. “I don’t think there is any challenge this team can’t meet, believe me, we look forward to the challenge of going up to Wake Forest. I think we’ll be ready,” Berson said. “We’ll need a couple days to get our legs back, but I really think this group is ready to go.” USC is one of two Conference USA teams to make the tournament. SMU also made the cut. The ACC led the tournament field in selections with eight teams, while the Big East was close behind with seven teams. Three South Carolina schools will compete in the tournament as USC, Clemson and Coastal Carolina all made the field. Maryland drew the No. 1 seed of the tournament, while two-time defending NCAA champion Indiana drew the No. 3 seed. While he’s coached NCAA tournament teams before, Berson said he feels this Gamecock team might be a little different from teams he’s had in the past. “The mental toughness of this group is unsurpassed. They’re mentally tough, their physically tough, they’ve got a lot of character, they have a great camaraderie and a great team spirit, and I know their going to give their best effort every time out. I just can’t say enough about these guys and how they represent our team and our university.” The Gamecocks will square off with the Demon Deacons on Friday night at 7:30 at Wake Forest’s Spry Stadium. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu The Colonial Cup Steeplechase » Saturday, November 26, 2005 Presented By: Celebrations James Ervin Toyota South Carolina Smiling Faces. Beautiful Places' www.carolina-cup.org (800) 780-8117 Springdale Race CourseCamden. South Carolina