History in Carmichael the Clemson Tigers Ore Young and Gifted
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On a given night by Allen H. Johnson I Sports Editor The fickle fates weaved their wicked wonders on a cold, rainy evening in Greensboro, wreaking havoc on the nerves of Norman Sloan and Dean Smith, and placing ACC "have-nots" in the delightfully peculiar role of # being the "haves" for a change. And, as the over used cliche dictates, "on a given night..." The 1975 Atlantic Coast Conference campaign promises to be an interesting one, to say the least. Not only will N.C. State, Maryland, and Carolina be serious contenders for the league crown, but Clemson, Wake Forest, and Duke will also figu re prominently. The Big Four Tournament proved that. Nevertheless, State appears to have the edge in three important areas: .experience, savvy, and David Thompson. The W olfpack has weathered the % intense competition of two consecutive ACC tournaments and one NCAA tournament. In additon, the Pack has shown its ability to maintain com posure and stage brilliant comebacks on several occasions, including numerous meetings with the Tarheels. David Thompson is a coach's dream. His remarkable talent and leaping ability are equalled only by his incredible poise and knack for delivering the key basket, blocked shot, or rebound, in clutch situations. In the meantime. Mar/land appears to have the edge over theTarheels for the runner-up spot,— if Tom Roy can perform consistently in the pivot position (which he has done so far). Led by fiery John Lucas and bolstered by newcomer Steve Sheppard, the Terps, fresh off an impressive rout of N.C. State, have perhaps the best overall talent in the league. And if ol' Lefty hadn't lost his grip on a certain 6-11 youngster named Moses, the Terps probably would have ripped college basketball apart. The Tarheels, seriously weakened by the loss of Bobby Jones, have found the early going uncharacteristically tough. Still, paced by the presence of Walter Davis and Mitch Kupchak, plus an improved Brad Hoffman and outstanding freshman Phil Ford, UNC will regroup as the season progresses. A successful year will hinge primarily on whether Dean Smith can derive the best possible performances from the players he has on hand (something he has done numerous times in the past.) It is now also clearly evident that Carolina con not afford subpar perform ances against anyone in the ACC. W oke Forest, its confidence boosted by its astonishing trium ph in the Big Four Tourney, has emerged as something more than merely a spoiler. The Deacons, when they are hot, can give anybody a hard time. Unfortunately, Ford assists teom m o te W alter Davis in the historical g a m e against H ow ard University. despite the heroics of Skip Brown, Carl Tacy's team has no legitimate center and eventually will suffer tor it. Duke is another one of those teams who can play with anyone on a hot shooting night. If the Blue Devils continue to shoot well (and play good games against teams other than Carolina) they, along with Wake Forest,, may cause some curious ripples in the top three. History in Carmichael The Clemson Tigers ore young and gifted. They are also inexperfenced and inconsistent. The Tigers did, however, play one of the roughest December schedules in the nation. Moreover, they are, on paper, one of the best teams in the nation. If and when they begin to jell as a cohesive school youngster, 'Come to Howard. by Allen Johnson fortable 55-42 halftime lead and was unit, the ACC may be turned upside-down. W e ploy the big schools. And you can Sports Editor never seriously threatened Terry Holland's Virginia Cavaliers have not encountered much success on thereafter. help us beat North Carolina.' " Miles the recruiting front in the last couple of years and will consequently pay the continued. The Atlontic Coast Conference and Copitalizing on his abundance of price on the playing court. And, if one of those high school Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference taller players. Coach Dean Smith Thus, os goes W ally W alker, so goes UVa. youngsters happens to be 6-10, inserted 6-10 sophomore Tom finally locked horns on January 11, H ow ard m ight do just that. Please turn to page 7 o fte r a number of frustrating seasons LaGorde, 6-10 senior Ed Stahl, and in which most predominantly white 6-9 junior Mitch Kupchak into the line schools pretended tha t the MEAC up at the same time on numerous Next didn 't even exist. occasions. The results were The H ow ard University Bisons, the predictable enough: LoGarde, a 6.7 first black institution ever to be scorer of the year, tallied 18 points month*** (16 points in the first half), while scheduled by an ACC member, Sports Editor Allen Johnson invaded Carmichael Auditorium with Stahl, a 6.4 scorer of the year, also dons his sweat socks, Adidas, totaled 18 points. All-ACC Candidate on ample supply of shooters and and gym trunks in a spirited, Kupchak netted 20 points to lead dribblers, but were obviously lacking one-man assault on the playing both teams in that department. in the crucial pivot position. courts of W oollen G ym nasium . Howard, which dazzled the crowd The Bisons* problem was not a lack The results will hopefully be an of experience or mobility on the part with a peppering of behind-the-back intriguing, occasionally passes and Julius Erving-like drives, of their center. It was the lack of a humorous, and enlightening center, period. Howard, in fact, was led in scoring by Jeffrey Taylor s look at the world of the true corries no player on its roster over 6-6 14 points. Cotton and Gerald Glover "student-athlete." in height. This, of course, can present added 10 points each. The second segment of this a number of nasty problems against The game was no doubt a key series w ill be spiced w ith a team with one 6-9 center, two 6-10 contest for both squads, but in interviews, action photographs, forwards, and a 6-5 swing man who different ways. The Tarheels were in anecdotes, and an insight into desperate need of a decisive victory thinks he's 6-10. the Woollen brand of ball from Plagued by the absence of a big ofter two losses in the Big Four a player's perspective. Tournament and a not too-impressive man and by foul trouble, the Bisons Staff writer Skip Foreman (in fact, probably lucky) homecourt eventually bowed 109-67 w ill offer his observations Asserting their superior speed, the win over Clemson. concerning the divisional races bisons had raced to an early 8-0 Howard, on the other hand, is in pro basketball and Chiquetta leod. attempting to establish itself as a big- Shackleford will do likewise Then, Vadnay Cotton, a 6-6 junior time basketball school and to achieve concerning the Torheels' center who spent his prep career at such status, must ploy larg er schools. perilous trek through a number C hapel Hill High, picked up his fourth "This is a big step in our p ro g ra m ," of ACC trials and tribulations. foul with 2:50 left in the first half and H ow ard Athletic Director Leo Miles Also included, among other the Bisons proceeded to literally fall said prior to the gam e in an items, will be "The A and T apart. With cotton, Howard's leading Associated Press interview. "If we Question Part Two," and scorer, saddled by fouls, and their want a good basketball program, we 'Racism Rears Its U gly H ead in morkmanship suddenly failing must play the best. Lagard« leap* toward goal post to stop rebound by Howard. Baseball." ogainst the toller Tarfieels, the Bisons "A n d this go m e will help us even in watched as Caroline raced to a com our recruiting. Now we con tell a hioh.