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Home , 2000 NBA draft, Dion Glover, Jason Collier, Kelvin Cato, Steve Francis, Steve Smith (basketball)

SPORTS Technique • Friday, June 30, 2000 • 15

Sports briefs Rocket-to-be Collier from page 16 Golf team selected to compete in November Rolex against new teammate Steve Fran- cis, 1999, on the baseline at Tech) or Intercollegiate Match Play Team Championship where bigger players beat him on the Hot off a second place finish in the NCAA Tournament, the Tech boards. Still, he is not that vulnera- golf team claimed yet another accolade when they were named the top ble as his offense and experience will team in the Mastercard men’s golf final rankings. As if that weren’t shore those holes up soon. He also enough amongst the myriad of individual and team honors, the team wants to win and is not afraid to take was also selected as one of eight teams to participate in Rolex’s fall the big shot. match play tournament. Collier had this to say on The selections were made by the Collegiate Golf Foundation, and night, “I’m very excited and very the tournament will be held at the West Bay Club in Estero, FL, happy. This is all so unbelievable. I November 10-12. There, Tech will join , Georgia, North- figured I would go around this , western, Arizona, UNLV, Texas, and Clemson for the tournament, but I didn’t know to whom. I’m very where Tech is expected to be the top seed. Each match will consist of happy that Milwaukee selected me, five singles matches against an opponent school, with the winner and then happy that Houston trad- advancing and the loser sent to a consolation bracket, and with each ed for me. Milwaukee didn’t tell me team guaranteed at least three matches. that they were going to trade me, but Preparation begins immediately for the promising upcoming sea- I had gotten a hint from my agent son, which begins September 24, with the Ping/Golfweek Preview Richard Howell. Houston is a great Invitational at the Duke Golf Club. organization. They won back-to-back NBA championships in the 90’s. I know all about after Lewis, Teixeira selected to U.S. National Team playing against him last year. The Underclassmen Richard Lewis and Mark Teixeira were recently more I can play next to or behind selected from a finalist pool of 35 players to the 22-man final roster. , and the more I The USA Baseball National Team held their tryouts in Tucson, Arizo- can learn from him, the better off I na at the U.S. WEST Sports Complex at Hi Corbett Field. Both will be. And I know I will learn a lot received numerous honors throughout the season and played pivotal from Coach Tomjanovich. I talked roles in Tech’s strong post-season effort where they advanced to the to him, and he’s a great guy and a NCAA Super Regionals before finally being defeated by the University great coach. I’m really looking for- of Southern California. These two will be reunited with several of their ward to playing for him and for the former foes from this NCAA series, USC’s head coach Mike Gillespie .” and pitching ace Mark Prior. Additionally, USC pitcher Anthony By Dale Russell / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Hats off and good luck to Collier Jason Collier dominates the lane with his rebounding Reyes will join the roster for additional firepower. This team is not the Jason Collier dominates the lane with his rebounding power in his career. Also hoping to make a team that will represent the U.S. in the Sydney , but during one of many outstanding performances as a Yellow Jacket. move to the big leagues is 6’6” swing- they will play roughly 30 games this summer across the globe. man Jason Floyd. Floyd, an outstand- Big ups to the whole track team ing leaper and shooter has worked out in several camps and continues Swim team welcomes new assistant, Kit Raulerson Track from page 16 for making it to nationals, and fur- thermore doing well while there. to fine-tune his game in hopes of The swim team continued to build their rising program by hiring on and gold were Clayton Porter who This was no easy feat as there were making the league. a talented and tested assistant from the University of Michigan, which finished fourteenth in the long jump thousands of others who were let- When you think Floyd you have is known for consistently being a highly ranked program. Raulerson has with a leap of 23’ 9”. That mark ting their Air Maxes dry out from to think , a big guard worked with swimmers at all levels, having coached Big 10 champions, didn’t allow him to advance but he not qualifying while Tech’s track- who can shoot the lights out. Floyd U.S. National competition qualifiers, and even Olympians. Raulerson did win All-American honors at the sters ran their hearts out, making a has added good muscle weight while also helped with a broad variety of the coaching responsibilities at Indoor Championships. name for themselves and for Tech. here at Tech, has an incomparable Michigan. Not only was he involved in the usual practices and compe- Brendan Mahoney failed to qual- If this and other recent accomplish- work ethic, and is a nice pickup for titions, he also went above and beyond, helping with travel prepara- ify in the 800 meters, with the same ments are any sign of the future, any squad. At press time, it was not tions and alumni relations. Still, one of the most promising areas that fate happening to women’s team then things look bright as Tech certain whether he was drafted this Kit helped with that could certainly be useful to Tech is in the recruit- members Sara Pardue and Becky races towards the 2001 season. night. Thanks for the memories and ing department. Hopefully, with his many talents, Kit Raulerson can Megesi, although they were present good luck to these two standouts in help the growing program in their continued success. to compete in the earlier rounds. the future. page 16

Basketball Preview The Running Shoe SPORTS Get to know the new man at the In depth coverage - a conversation helm, head coach Paul Hewitt. with the founder of the chain. Upcoming Issue Upcoming Issue Technique • Friday, June 30, 2000 Collier drafted, traded away to Houston By David Williams aged 17.1 points per game and 8.3 can finish around the basket on a Quickly becoming a regular rebounds in his 55 games at Tech. consistent basis, and you have a nice How will he play in the NBA, fans addition to anybody’s team. Colli- The 2000 NBA Draft was a might ask? Very well is the reply. er might have been a better fit with dream come true for a lot of young Collier possesses a nice touch from the Bucks as they are young, run men whose lifelong aspiration was the outside and is a very serious well, and have some skilled players to make it to the NBA. One of threat from beyond the arc. This who get well-structured shots off. these players is someone we are all Houston is a little more wide open familiar with on North Avenue, and volatile with Steve “WonderKid” Jason Collier, who was selected 15th “I’m very excited and Francis, but playing with Hakeem overall in the first round by the Olajuwon never hurt anybody. If . Collier was then very happy. This is all Collier develops his shot and gains traded to Houston for Joel Pryzbil- so unbelievable. I his teammates’ confidence, he may la and a future first round pick. become the third option on the team, It was the end of a long trip for figured I would go with the advent of Barkley’s retire- Collier, who transferred from Indi- around this point, but ment. He will be surrounded by ana to become a Yellow Jacket, where familiar names like Walt Williams he flourished under Coach Bobby I didn't know to of fame, the monster re- Cremins. Collier joins a select group whom.” bounder , and slasher of Yellow Jackets, as Tech has had Shandon Andersen. 12 players selected in the first round Jason Collier What does Collier lack, the hat- since 1983. Tech also now has 12 Future Houston Rocket ers might ask? First, he needs to add players currently in the NBA (New good solid muscle mass, which will York natives and be tough as he has a hard time main- Kenny Anderson, John Barry, Drew will enable him to bring bigger and taining weight on his seven-foot tall Barry, Tom Hammonds, Matt Har- slower defenders out of the paint frame. Collier can be a little suspect pring, John Salley, Dennis Scott, where he can either drive by them defensively, exemplified by the games Fred Vinson, Matt Geiger and “the or create lanes for cutting team- here where smaller players went over glove”, ). mates like Steve Francis and Cuti- him all too easily (witness “the dunk”, By Dale Russell / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Collier, who is listed at 7 feet tall no Mobley Robinson. Add in the Jason Collier proved his prowess in basketball here at Tech. Now, and weighs in at 250 pounds, aver- fact that Collier is left-handed and See Collier, page 15 he will take it to the next level wearing the uniform of the Houston Rockets.

NCAA outdoor championships Tech Hall of Fame give Tech one more chance to shine Scott, Swilling top the list of six By David Williams pionship finishing sixth. The ity this season. Tech coaches Owns the front page team entered the competition probably wished he had one more athletes selected as new members with the fourth fastest qualify- year, as he did an outstanding By Rob Kischuk can, he played for three seasons in the Tech was represented very well ing time in the nation but could job winning the Atlantic Coast Sports Editor NFL and now resides in Toccoa, Geor- this year at the NCAA Outdoor not duplicate the feat. Round- Conference Championship and gia. Track and Field Championships, ing out the quartet was Michael the Jesse Owens Meet. Just mak- This month, a new class of six Golfer Bill Ploeger (1960-62) was which were held May 31-June 3 Johnson, Aaron Sink, and Sharif ing it to the NCAA Outdoors former athletes was an- a team captain and an honorable men- at Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadi- Azim. Johnson, a senior who is was a goal for Leason, and he nounced for fall induction into the tion all-American. Now retired, he um in Durham, North Caroli- also from Colorado, had a ter- finally made it in his last chance. Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame. has met with great success in amateur na. Tech sent a total of nine rific season, posting a few wins The mechanical engineering stu- The class features both familiar names golf events throughout his life. These athletes in six events with repre- and taking Tech deep into the dent finished with honors in his and unsung heroes, and spans six dif- culminated recently with his selection sentatives for both the men and Championships, a feat most undergraduate pursuits and has ferent sports. The new blood will be as the 1999 Senior Player of the Year the women. While both teams probably didn’t think was pos- done well in grad school. What inducted on September 8, 2000, at by the Georgia State Golf Associa- did not improve upon their best sible with amateur-turned-pro- else could top it off? How about the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. tion. finishes ever at the meet (4th fessional Angelo Taylor. Hats All America Honors after fin- Heading this class is a face that has Diver Haskew Brantley was select- and 29th respectively), there were off to Johnson and the rest of ishing eighth in the finals of the been no stranger to Tech fans since ed for his consistent success harken- some outstanding individual per- the squad. triple jump with a leap of 52 feet his departure. Former Tech basket- ing back to Tech’s membership in the formances, starting with rising Also competing was gradu- 6 inches. Props to Leason for ball player Dennis Scott was an all SEC. He was a vital part of Tech’s star Bryan Swarn. ate student and Delaware native doing it on and off the field. out all-star in his time here. As a 1942 and 1948 championship teams. Swarn, a sophomore from Malcolm Leason. Leason was red- Others competing for the blue member of the 1990 “Lethal Weap- He never lost a single competition Denver, Colorado, came on shirted one year and thus was on 3” team, Scott scored an ACC during his four year stay at Tech. strong at the end of the year finishing his last year of eligibil- See Track, page 15 single season record 970 points en All-American triple jumper Rich after battling many minor but route to a conference record 28 wins Thompson (1987-91) set Tech records troublesome injuries. He start- and the ACC championship. These in the indoor and outdoor triple jump ed off by earning an automatic efforts earned him not only first-team which remain intact to this day. He bid to the tournament by run- all-American status, but also the Na- was a three year letter winner and was ning a 45.36 second time in the ismith National Player of the Year named to all-American honors seven 400 meters in a qualifying meet. award, the top award attainable by a times over. He continued on to place Automatic bids in track mean college player, named for the inven- seventh in the 1996 Olympic triple that the time is low enough that tor of the game, Jim Naismith. jump trials, and participated in the you will automatically be invit- Dennis Scott’s successes did not 1995 Pan American Games. ed. Provisional times or marks end with his departure from Tech. Doug Creek (1988-91) pitched for mean that you may be invited. Taken as a lottery pick in the 1990 the Jackets for four years without at- Swarn didn’t have to worry, as NBA draft, he enjoyed several strong taining any conference or national hon- this was a sign of things to come. seasons with the , where ors. Still, the southpaw has fared better He registered a time of 45.38 he played alongside the likes of Pen- than many such honored players in seconds to make it to the finals ny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal. keeping a sport for himself in profes- of the NCAA Championship His professional career recently start- sional baseball. During his college ca- where he finally met his match ed a new chapter, with the 10 year reer, he set a Tech record with 41 putting in a time of 45.72 to league veteran now playing for the wins, a mark that still ranks second in finish seventh. Still, his effort . ACC history. He is still active in the garnered him All-American hon- Ken Swilling, though not as much pros, currently on the roster for the ors, nothing to sneeze at. Swarn of a household name, was a part of Tampa Bay Devil Rays. should do nothing but get bet- even prouder moments for Tech ath- ter next year as he attempts to letics. Swilling started at free safety Tickets for the Georgia Tech Hall of prevent the injuries that slowed for the 1990 UPI National Champi- Fame Banquet are available at $65 each him down this year. on football team, and still holds the and may be purchased by contacting The 4X400 team flourished By Dale Russell / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Tech record for tackles by a defensive Barb Dockweiler in the Alexander- with the help of Swarn as they Nine Tech athletes qualified for the rights to compete in six different back. Another first team all-Ameri- Tharpe Fun Office at 404-894-6124 made it to the finals of the Cham- events at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.