basketball faces early test at Clemson
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home and hungry Gators stand in way of record 16 home wins
Besting florida key to hopes in sec east race
November 13, 2013 • Volume 35 • Issue 33
2 • Spurs & Feathers
November 13, 2013
This week’s game is a pretty big deal
The end is in sight for a difficult season at the University of Florida and it isn’t an enjoyable scene for Gators. It could all finish with a lot of uncomfortable questions or it could descend to the unmitigated disaster of not qualifying for a bowl game for the first time since 1986. Standing between those two unwelcome alterna- Bart Wright tives are the Gamecocks. Contributing For as much as it means Writer to Florida, with what is sure to be a daily accumulation of doubt and concern by local and national media, this week’s game is a pretty big deal for Carolina as well. No offense to the Floridians, but Carolina isn’t in position to hold hands and make an attempt to comfort this week’s visitors through their trying times. A victory for the home team this week greatly increases the likelihood that the Gators will fail to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since they went 6-5 for Galen Hall and no need to bother wondering what Steve Spurrier’s team was doing back then,
it was the year before he began his head coaching career in 1987 at Duke. And yes, even the Head Ball Coach would surely admit, it’s been a long time. Florida didn’t go to a bowl game in 1990 when it was forced to stay home because of NCAA sanctions, but the Gator fan base will no doubt derive a special level of resentment should a team coached by one of their own legends deliver the blow that would knock UF among the ranks of those squads incapable of winning at least six football games. At home against Vanderbilt, the Gators did nothing to indicate they are bowl-worthy, losing for the first time since 1945 to the Commodores with a succession of bungled opportunities and mistakes that are always found in losing teams. As bad as it was after they watched Vanderbilt take the ball right down the field on the Gators and then saw a muffed punt that was quickly turned into a touchdown for a 10-0 lead, Florida had a chance to regain momentum just before halftime when it gained a first and goal at the Vandy 1-yard line, only to settle for a field goal. Instead of gaining momentum, they seemed to play down to a level not seen in Gainesville for as long as some fans can remember.
photo by jenny dilworth
The last losing season came in 1979 when Charley Pell took over and the Gators went 0-10-1. The Gamecocks can bring the sting of a losing season right to the surface this week with a win because, at 4-5 and 3-4 in the Southeastern Conference, Florida’s only remaining game after the trip to WilliamsBrice will be at home against Georgia Southern, followed by the last regular-season game at home against Florida State. Injuries, sure, they’ve had plenty of them, but after all these years, Florida fans have seen injuries just as every other team has
seen injuries, but through it all, they managed to win enough games to at least be winners at the end of the season. Memories of Pell, who took the Florida job after committing a list of recruiting violations at his previous stop, will be fighting for attention among Gators, transposed with the image of Spurrier, their former Heisman winner, their former national championship coach now at South Carolina. It would make it a November Nightmare if the Gamecocks can get a win and retain a chance for a spot in the conference championship game.
Spurs & Feathers • 3
November 13, 2013
Spurs & Feathers Published by Aiken Communications, Inc.
What’s Inside? - Table of Contents Defense, attention to detail key for Gamecocks..4 Record-setting opener for women’s basketball...6
Something to Crow About!
SEC standings/football schedule...............................7 Recruiting Roundup.......................................................8
Contact Us: 218 Richland Ave. W. Aiken, SC 29801 (803) 335-1399 To subscribe: Please call 800-559-2311; annual subscription price is $50 Scott B. Hunter Publisher & President Aiken Communications, Inc. Tim O’Briant General Manager tobriant@spursandfeathers.com (803) 335-1400 Ext. 500 Brian Hand Executive Editor bhand@spursandfeathers.com (803) 335-1399 Ext. 506 Mike Kucharski Reporter mike@spursandfeathers.com (803) 335-1399 Ext. 507 Ed Girardeau Contributing Editor ed@spursandfeathers.com (803) 335-1399 Ext. 501 Dee Taylor Advertising Director (803) 644-2371 Kathy Boyette Advertising Sales Manager (803) 644-2349 kboyette@spursandfeathers.com Matt Socha Graphic Designer Postal Information: Spurs & Feathers (ISSN 074454368) is published weekly by Aiken Communications, 326 Rutland Drive, Aiken, South Carolina 29801. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is pending at Aiken, SC. POSTMASTER: please send address changes to Spurs & Feathers, 326 Rutland Drive, Aiken, SC 29801.
Men’s basketball season preview..............................9 Distinguished Alumni serve as Honorary Captains..................................................10 Columbia Tip-Off Club................................................11 Gamecocks make a splash outside pool..............12 Legendary Fan profile.................................................13 Gamecocks/Gators depth charts............................14 Women’s basketball season preview.....................15 South Carolina/Florida football rosters......... 16-17 Sand volleyball & men’s golf.....................................18 Darlington County profile.........................................19 The Ultimate Tailgaters...............................................20 Gamecocks in the NFL................................................22 Meet the men’s basketball team.............................26 “Inside the Chart” with Andy Demetra.................27 Meet the women’s basketball team.......................28 Upcoming Events: Gamecock Club........................29 Ed Girardeau’s column................................................30
Gamecock football players receive recognition
University of South Carolina senior quarterback Connor Shaw has been selected as one of 16 semifinalists for the 2013 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and is one of 10 finalists named for the 2013 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Shaw, a 6-1, 209-pound senior from Flowery Branch, Ga., has completed 62.9 percent (122-for-194) of his passes this season for 1,655 yards with 18 touchdowns and just one interception. His quarterback efficiency rating of 164.13 ranks 11th in the country. In addition, he is the Gamecocks’ second-leading rusher with 375 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Shaw is 23-5 as the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback, just one win shy of Todd Ellis’s school record of 24 career wins. He is a perfect 14-0 as a starter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Shaw is the school’s career leader in passing completion at 65.6 percent, is second in touchdown passes with 50, is fourth in total offense with 6,782 yards, is seventh in career passing yards with 5,282, and is the only player in Carolina history to throw for more than 5,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards. University of South Carolina junior defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is among 12 players named as semifinalists for the 44th Rotary Lombardi Award. Clowney has started eight games at defensive end for the Gamecock defense and compiled 27 tackles (19 solo). He has made 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks on the year. Clowney was named to Phil Steele’s Mid-Season All-SEC Team as well. Gamecock junior wide receiver Damiere Byrd earned a spot on the Capital One Academic All-District 4 Team as a wide receiver for the second-consecutive year as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Byrd leads the team with 485 receiving yards on the season and has started eight of the nine games thus far for the 7-2 Gamecocks. He has four touchdown receptions on the year, tied for second on the team. Byrd twice has pulled down five catches in wins over UCF and Kentucky, while he set a new personal best with 121 yards at Tennessee. (Courtesy of South Carolina Athletics Media Relations)
4 • Spurs & Feathers
November 13, 2013
photos by allen sharpe
Tyrone Johnson (left) and Sindarius Thornwell (right) both finished in double figures in the season-opening victory over Longwood at the Colonial Life Arena on Nov. 9, 2013.
Stingy defense, attention to detail guide Gamecocks in opening victory by brian hand bhand@spursandfeathers.com
game were the fewest points by a Gamecock opponent since Southeastern LouiCOLUMBIA, S.C. - South siana scored 43 points in a Carolina opened its 2013South Carolina win on Dec. 14 regular season with a 21, 2011. dominating 82-44 win over South Carolina (1-0) head Longwood at the Colonial coach Frank Martin was obLife Arena. viously happy with the play The Gamecocks never of his team’s defense in the trailed in the game and game. finished the game shooting “We gave up some cheap 49.1 percent (28-for-57) as a baskets coming down the team. South Carolina shot a stretch there which I don’t scorching 62.5 percent (15want to think about right for-24) from the field as a now … we’ve been real team in the second stanza. hard on our guys to underSouth Carolina’s stingy stand defensive concepts, to defense held Longwood understand the sense of ur(0-1) to just 22.8 percent (13- gency that you have to play of-57) shooting as a team. with,” Martin noted. “That’s The 13 field goals allowed why I’m so proud right now. by the Gamecocks tied for We didn’t outscore them; the fewest field goals made we defended them. There’s in the history of the Colonial a difference there. AttenLife Arena. The 22.8 percent tion to detail … it’s hard to shooting by the Lancers in prepare for a first-year coach the game is the lowest field with a bunch of new players goal percentage in the hisand you’ve got a bunch of tory of the Colonial Life freshman on our side. The Arena. attention to detail from our The 44 points surrendered players is pretty darn good.” by the Gamecocks in the South Carolina sophomore
forward Michael Carrera agreed with Martin’s thoughts on the defensive effort of the team. “We just played great defense,” Carrera remarked. “We’ve been working on defense every single day. We push each other every day in either zone or man. We just have great teammates. Now we feel like we have a team that can match up with the better guys, so it’s a great year for us like I say every time.” Even before the game started the Gamecocks received great news as transfer point guard Tyrone Johnson had been given a waiver to play immediately by the NCAA. The junior transfer from Villanova celebrated the decision by the NCAA by scoring the first three points of the game for the Gamecocks. The three points were part of a 6-0 run by South Carolina to start the game. Longwood’s first bucket of the game came with almost
six minutes already gone in the contest. The Gamecocks started to take things over from there with back-to-back treys from Michael Carrera extending their lead to 14 points at 18-4 with 11:04 left in the opening stanza. The 14-point lead would not hold though with Longwood going on a 7-0 run over the next almost five and a half minutes before South Carolina’s Mindaugas Kacinas connected on a jumper in the paint to snap the skid for the Gamecocks and set the score at 20-11. The Kacinas basket proved to be the first two points of a 7-0 run for South Carolina with the Gamecocks once again leading by 14 points at 25-11 after a Brenton Williams 3-pointer with just over four minutes remaining until intermission. South Carolina from there would go on to enter the halftime break with a 37-15 advantage. The Gamecocks closed the half on a 19-4 run.
The Gamecocks shot 39.4 percent (13-for-33) from the field as a team in the first half. Longwood shot 20.7 percent (6-of-29) as a team in the opening half. Carolina knocked down six 3-pointers in the first half with Duane Notice, Carrera and Williams each nailing two treys in the half. The second half began just as the first ended with South Carolina going on a 10-3 spurt to own a 47-18 lead with 17:12 left in the game. The Gamecock lead was 30 points just a short while later at 49-19. The Gamecocks would lead by as many as 42 in the second half before settling on the 38-point victory over Longwood. Four Gamecocks finished in double figures with Johnson leading the way with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He also had two assists, two rebounds and a steal. In his first regular season college action, freshman Sindarius Thornwell ended
his afternoon with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal. Williams finished his efforts with 14 points, four rebounds and an assist, while Carrera concluded his day with 12 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Kacinas led the Gamecocks in rebounds with 14 (five offensive). He also added eight points and two blocks. In total, South Carolina out-rebounded Longwood, 50-27. The Gamecocks held an 8-0 advantage in blocks. South Carolina closed out the contest shooting 83.3 percent (20-for-24) from the free throw line as a team. Longwood shot 63.6 percent (14-for-22) from the charity stripe as a team. The Gamecocks will next hit the road to Waco, Texas to face off against No. 25 Baylor at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12. The game is part of ESPN’s 24-hour Hoops Marathon.
November 13, 2013
Spurs & Feathers • 5
The Florida Game Florida Gators (4 -5, 3- 4 SEC)
The 15th-ranked Gamecocks were led by then-sophomore quarterback The Gators lost 34-17 to Vanderbilt Connor Shaw who r ushed for 88 yards at home last Saturday for their Home- and two touchdowns in the game. coming game Brandon Wilds also contributed with 120 yards on the ground in the vicSite: At Columbia, South Carolina, tory that made South Carolina 5-0 Williams-Brice Stadium against SEC East competition that season. Time: 7 p.m. Most memorable play in the seTV: ESPN2 ries: In 2010 at “the Swamp,” Stephen Garcia scored on an 8-yard touchSeries: Florida leads the all-time down r un with 13:35 remaining in the series (24-6-3); the Gamecocks are fourth quarter to put the Gamecocks 5-10-1 at home up, 29-7. Marcus Lattimore sealed the victory and South Carolina’s Last game: Oct. 20, 2012; in f irst SEC East Championship with an Gainesville, Fla. the Gators won, 44- 11-yard touchdown r un with 2:43 left 11 in the game. Lattimore r ushed for a In a top-10 matchup, the No. 9/8 then-career high 212 yards and three Gamecocks were unable to overcome touchdowns as the Gamecocks broke three costly f irst-half turnovers and an 0-for-12 streak in Florida to earn a fell to No. 3/4 Florida, 44-11. spot in the SEC Championship Game. Last time in Columbia: South Caro- Spurrier’s record vs. Florida at lin won 17-12 on Nov. 12, 2011 South Carolina: 3-5
photo by allen sharpe
6 • Spurs & Feathers
November 13, 2013
photos by allen sharpe and jenny dilworth
Elem Ibiam (left) and Khadijah Sessions (right) helped lead South Carolina women’s basketball to the largest women’s basketball victory in the history of the Colonial Life Arena.
Gamecocks earn record-setting victory in season opener by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
and made some easy buckets.” Freshman Alaina Coates led the five Gamecocks in double figures with 20 points, seven South Carolina opened its season in style by rebounds and two blocked shots. Elem Ibiam recording the largest women’s basketball vic- also added 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting from tory in the history of the Colonial Life Arena the floor, six rebounds and five blocks to bolby defeating Charleston Southern, 99-29. ster the Gamecocks’ post play. The 99 points were the most points scored “I’m very, very pleased … Elem got us by the Gamecocks in the Colonial Life Arena started fairly nicely and then Alaina comes since scoring 117 against North Carolina in and gives us a big boost off the bench by A&T on Nov. 17, 2006. The 70-point victory us being able to punch that ball inside to her. was also the fourth-largest margin of victory Our post players are the most efficient that in program history. we’ve got on our team, so we’ve got to keep The Gamecocks (1-0) started out fast and feeding them the ball until the cows come never looked back while taking advantage of home and that’s what we’re going to do,” their front line to outscore Charleston South- Staley commented. ern, 70-6, in the paint. Coates said that she was happy with her The Gamecocks also held a 46-25 advanability to play consistently and see her hard tage on the boards while blocking 12 shots work pay off in a game situation. (tied for third-best in program history) as a “I’m just glad that I’m able to show everyteam. The domination in rebounds and the body that I can transition from high school to large amount of blocks allowed South Carocollege and still produce well for my team,” lina to get out in transition as they forced 25 Coates said of her performance. turnovers and held a 32-4 advantage in fast Ibiam said that transition basketball was a break points. focus in practice and it was good to see that “We want to get up and down the floor. I work out in the game. She added that she was think we’re able to block shots … and that pleased with the way the team was able to leads to transition baskets. We wanted to push play through the post. the ball down the floor and put Charleston “It feels really good to see what we have Southern back on their heels. We did a pretty done in the preseason transfer into the season. good job of that,” head coach Dawn Staley We are working hard down there and it’s said. “I thought we had an opportunity to good to know that our guards are seeing us score a lot of points if we got out in transition now … we can always kick it back out to our
guards, so it kind of just works out for everybody,” Ibiam explained. Aleighsa Welch added 15 points and eight rebounds, Tiffany Mitchell chipped in 12 points and Khadijah Sessions rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points. The Gamecocks opened the season scoring the first 16 points of the game before Charleston Southern (0-1) got on the board with three free throws at the 13:18 mark to make the score 16-3. The Gamecocks used size inside and were able to score in transition to build a 20-3 lead through the second media timeout at the 11:32 mark. Welch and Mitchell each had six points during the run and Ibiam had two points, three rebounds and two blocks early in the game. South Carolina picked up right where it left off to close the half on a 30-5 run in the final 9:45 of the first period to take a 52-13 halftime lead over Charleston Southern. Coates highlighted the close of the first half by scoring the Gamecocks’ final nine points of the opening period. Three Gamecocks finished the season’s inaugural half in double digits led by Welch and Coates with 11 points each. Welch pulled down seven rebounds and Coates had six boards and two blocks in the first half. Mitchell chipped in 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and Khadijah Sessions contributed eight points, two assists and a steal. Ibiam scored six points, grabbed five rebounds and
swatted four shots in the first half as well. South Carolina shot 55.6 percent (20-for-36) in the opening period while holding Charleston Southern to 13.8 percent (4-for-29). The Gamecocks utilized their size to hold a 28-13 advantage on the glass and outscored the Buccaneers, 38-2, in the paint in the first half. The Gamecocks were also able to get out in transition for a 20-0 advantage in fast-break points. South Carolina came out hot to begin the second half on a 15-2 run to take a 67-15 lead at the 15:02 mark. The run was capped by a Tina Roy 3-pointer from the right wing. The Gamecocks pushed to a 74-20 advantage at the second media timeout in the second half before pulling the starters with 11:45 remaining in the game. South Carolina finished the game shooting 60.9 percent (39-for-64) from the floor while holding Charleston Southern to just 18.5 percent (10-for-54) from the field. South Carolina was 3-for-6 (50 percent) from beyond the arc to Charleston Southern’s 4-for-23 (17.4 percent). The Gamecocks were 18-of-28 (64.3 percent) from the charity stripe while the Buccaneers went 5-of-6 (83.3 percent). The Gamecocks held the advantage in bench scoring, 41-10. South Carolina hosted Louisiana Tech on Sunday, Nov. 10, but it was after the deadline of Spurs & Feathers. Check www.spursandfeathers.com for a full recap and much more.
Spurs & Feathers • 7
November 13, 2013
South Carolina Gamecocks
2013
football Schedule
Standings Team
SEC
Pct. Overall
Pct. Home Away Neutral Streak
5 - 1
.833
9 - 1
.900
5-1
4-0
0-0
W2
South Carolina 5 - 2
.714
7 - 2
.778
4-0
3-2
0-0
W2
Georgia
4 - 2
.667
6 - 3
.667
4-1
1-2
1-0
W2
09/28/13 .... at UCF..............................Orlando, Fla. ................W, 28-25
Florida
3 - 4
.429
4 - 5
.444
3-1
1-3
0-1
L4
10/05/13 .... vs. Kentucky.....................Columbia, S.C. ............W, 35-28
Vanderbilt
2 - 4
.333
5 - 4
.556
3-2
2-2
0-0
W1
Tennessee
1 - 4
.200
4 - 5
.444
4-1
0-4
0-0
L2
Kentucky
0 - 5
.000
2 - 7
.222
2-4
0-2
0-1
L1
08/29/13..... vs. North Carolina ............Columbia, S.C. ............W, 27-10
Eastern
09/07/13 .... at #11 Georgia..................Athens, Ga. ..................L, 41-30
Missouri
09/14/13 .... vs. Vanderbilt....................Columbia, S.C. ............W, 35-25
10/12/13 .... at Arkansas.......................Fayetteville, Ark. ............W, 52-7 10/19/13 .... at Tennessee....................Knoxville, Tenn. ............L, 23-21
Western
10/26/13 .... at #5 Missouri...................Columbia, Mo. .. W, 27-24 (2OT)
Alabama
6 - 0
1.000
9 - 0
1.000
6-0
2-0
1-0
W9
Auburn
5 - 1
.833
9 - 1
.900
6-0
3-1
0-0
W6
Texas A&M
4 - 2
.667
8 - 2
.800
6-2
2-0
0-0
W3
11/16/13 ..... vs. Florida.........................Columbia, S.C. ................ 7 p.m.
Ole Miss
3 - 3
.500
6 - 3
.667
4-1
2-2
0-0
W3
11/23/13 ..... vs. Coastal Carolina..........Columbia, S.C. ................ 1 p.m.
LSU
3 - 3
.500
7 - 3
.700
5-0
1-3
1-0
L1
Mississippi St.
1 - 4
.200
4 - 5
.444
4-1
0-3
0-1
L2
Arkansas
0 - 6
.000
3 - 7
.300
3-3
0-4
0-0
L7
11/02/13 ..... vs. Mississippi State.........Columbia, S.C. ............W, 34-16
11/30/13 ..... vs. Clemson......................Columbia, S.C. ................... TBA
8 • Spurs & Feathers
November 13, 2013
South Carolina Gamecocks
Recruiting roundup by phil kornblut
DE Dante Sawyer of Suwanee, GA is a highly regarded uncommitted 2014 prospect and he was at USC last Saturday for the Mississippi State game. The Gamecocks have been one of his favorites along with Tennessee, Auburn and Missouri. He has also been to Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia for games. Sawyer Phil Kornblut has said he plans to take his official Contributing visits before makWriter ing his decision and those have not yet been scheduled. DB DJ Smith of Atlanta is another of the top uncommitted players for 2014. On September 11th he announced a final four of Clemson, USC, Georgia and Tennessee. Entering November, those four remain intact on his board with no favorite and no decision until Signing Day. His last game visit was to Clemson for the Florida State game. As for USC, Smith said he talks to recruiter GA Mangus a lot and gets a lot of mail from the Gamecocks. “They’re telling me they are holding that one spot for me at DB,” he said. He’s not been to USC for a game this season though he visited last June. He plans to get back for either the Florida or Clemson game. Smith has also been to Georgia for a game and he thinks he’ll get to Tennessee. He is not sure he’ll take all four official visits and said Clemson is the only certain official visit at this point. No date has been set. Smith said his finalists are equal and he will evaluate them on “my best fit and playing time. I want to play early to gain some experience and then the next year would be more of a competing year.” OL Donnie Foster of Bradenton, FL continues to hear from USC and has plans to visit Columbia following the season. His offers are from Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth and Savannah State with interest from USC, Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech and Indiana among others. Foster has attended games
at Florida State and Miami and has plans to attend a game at Mississippi State later this season.
Juniors:
DB Kaleb Chalmers of Greenwood has been to Clemson, USC, North Carolina, Duke, Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Georgia for games. Chalmers said Clemson, Tennessee, North Carolina and Duke are making the strongest push for him and each has offered along with Georgia Tech Stanford and Georgia Southern. USC has shown interest and may have offered though Chalmers is not 100% sure on that. Chalmers does not have a favorite at this point and won’t make his decision until the summer. RB Bryce Love of Wake Forest, NC received an offer from Ohio State last month and took his first visit to Columbus last month. Love has 16 offers including USC, Clemson, Tennessee, North Carolina, Stanford, NC State, Duke, Arkansas, East Carolina and Virginia Tech. He has also been to games at Clemson, Georgia, East Carolina, North Carolina, NC State and Ohio State this season and plans to attend the Clemson-USC game. Love does not have any favorites but has strong interest in Clemson and USC. His parents are USC grads. USC remains the leader for DB Desmond Cain of Delray Beach, FL. The Gamecocks are his only offer thus far and he’s also getting interest from Miami, Michigan State, Indiana, Central Florida, North Carolina and Nebraska. Cain visited USC for the Black Magic camp. “I liked everything about it,” Cain said. “It is so well-organized and they know what they’re doing. I love the coaching staff.” His only visit this season so far was to Central Florida where he saw the Knights host USC. Cain does not have any other visits planned but wants to return to Columbia next summer. DB Terry Godwin of Hogansville, GA has 22 offers including Clemson and USC. But it’s the Tigers showing him serious interest right now and they stand to be on his short list when he puts that together in a few weeks. He was at the Clemson-Florida
State game earlier this season. Godwin has also been to games at Georgia, Auburn, Ole Miss and North Carolina. He plans to go to the upcoming LSU-Alabama and Georgia-Auburn games. Godwin attended USC’s Black Magic Camp last summer but hasn’t heard from the Gamecocks since then so he’s not giving the Gamecocks much consideration at this point. Godwin would like to make his decision by the end of his junior year in school. DE Michael Barnett of Woodland has had a top three of Virginia Tech, Florida and Florida State but now there’s only one school on his mind and that’s Virginia Tech. He said the Hokies are #1 on his list and there is not a #2 or #3 right now. He has been to games at Virginia Tech, Clemson, USC, NC State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Tennessee and Florida and will go to Tennessee this weekend. Barnett has an offer from Clemson and the Tigers continue to show interest. USC also remains in touch with but has not offered. His other offers are Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, NC State and Georgia Tech. WR Tavin Richardson (6-4 205) of Byrnes has offers from Pittsburgh, Boston College, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Louisville, Illinois, Maryland, Ole Miss, Miami, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State. He’s getting mail from Clemson and USC but thus far no offer. “They want to see my junior film and see how I’ve increased my talents from last year,” Richardson said. He has been to Clemson, Georgia, NC State and Ole Miss for games. Ole Miss, Richardson said, has been showing the most interest with a steady supply of hand written mail from the coaching staff. Byrnes RB Isaiah Hill (6-2 210) is emerging as a prospect this season. “He has a tremendous skill set and has matured into a D-1 prospect,” said Byrnes assistant coach Freddie Brown. “He runs extremely well and has tremendous ball skills, an SEC skill set.” Brown said North Carolina is showing strong interest in Hill and he’s also getting interest from USC. Alabama, Arkansas, Texas and Wake Forest also have shown interest. WR Freddie Phillips of Pelion has offers from North Carolina and NC State
and is hearing from USC, Clemson and Florida State among others. He also has been to Georgia, UNC, Appalachian State and NC State for games.
Basketball News:
6-7 Dante Buford, the Simpsonville native who attends Arlington County Day School in Jacksonville, FL, announced a commitment to Oklahoma last Thursday morning. Buford picked the Sooners over USC. He had also considered Miami. USC coach Frank Martin and his staff had made Buford a priority recruit for the 2014 class and made several visits to his school. Buford made two visits to USC this fall, one unofficially for a football game and an official visit last weekend. Buford’s decision leaves the Gamecocks with two commitments for the November signing period. The USC women gained a pair of commitments last week from highly rated guards from the Northeast. 6-0 Doniya Cliney of Newark, NJ is the 13th ranked guard in the 2014 class and the 105th ranked prospect overall according to ProspectsNation.conm. In 30 games last season Cliney averaged 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game. She shot 43% from the floor and 60% from the foul line. 5-6 PG Bianca Cuevas of Brooklyn, NY is ranked the #8 point guard in the class nationally and the #44 player overall by ESPN’s HoopGurlz. The USC women have four commitments for their 2014 class.
Baseball News:
LHP Banks Cromer (6-3 150) of AC Flora announced via Twitter that he’s committed to USC for the 2014 class. And 1B Collin Steagall (6-1 240) of Spartanburg Methodist also committed to the Gamecocks. He’s a former standout at Lexington and grew up a Clemson fan. Last season in 50 games for the Pioneers, the lefthanded hitting Steagall hit .313 with one home run and 32 RBIs. He struck out 19 times and walked 19 times in 147 at bats. In the field, Steagall committed 3 errors and had a .993 fielding percentage. The Gamecocks have 16 commitments for the 2014 class.
November 13, 2013
Spurs & Feathers • 9
South Carolina men’s basketball season preview by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com Youthful but talented, the 2013-14 South Carolina men’s basketball team looks to continue to progress in year two under the guidance of head coach Frank Martin. Seven letterwinners return from last year’s squad and eight talented newcomers will add to the roster. Martin said the Gamecocks have an unbelievable personality and the players have bought into the system to help rebuild the program. He added they have brought enthusiasm and excitement every day and it should pay off on the court this year. The frontcourt South Carolina’s front line has added the size and strength needed to compete in the SEC. Returners Michael Carrera, Laimonas Chatkevicius and Mindaugas Kacinas will see plenty of minutes this season, but freshmen Demetrius Henry and Desmond Ringer should provide strong play on the floor as well. Freshman Reggie Theus, Jr. and walk-on Brian Steele could spell some minutes at the wing. Carrera should be able to move to the wing from the four and his toughness and skill will lead the frontcourt. The size inside should allow the team to matchup with the athleticism found in the SEC better
len Shaw could see time at the point until then and Notice looks to be game-ready. Sindarius Thornwell was highly recruited and will likely play off the ball; Martin has said that he can score in many ways and is a big-time player. Justin McKie will likely see some time as well and looks solid coming into the season. There is an abundance of talent at guard for the Gamecocks and finding a balance and minutes for everyone makes for a good issue to have for this squad. Outlook Martin is proud with the way the team cares about the game and one another, commits to getting better and brings intensity every day. The Gamecocks were picked to finish 12th in the SEC, but Martin and the team are not worphoto by allen sharpe ried about outside projections. They will have a Jaylen Shaw could see some valuable minutes early in the season for the Gamecocks. defensive focus, as do all of Martin’s teams and look to use their size and talent on offense. The than they were able to last year. until that time. Senior Brenton Williams is a team goals are to compete in the SEC and con“We’re bigger, longer and thicker … it gives team leader that can play at either guard spot tend for a spot in the “Big Dance.” us better length and girth. Now all we have to for Martin. Tyrone Johnson, a transfer from “I don’t really care what people say about our do is teach these young guys how to utilize their Villanova, will most likely run the point with team. I think we have a great team. I think we strength and their size,” Martin said. his size, strength and experience; he is an SEC- have one of the best coaches in the nation and The backcourt ready point guard because of his experience we just want to work hard, be together as a famThe Gamecock guards will get a boost once and talent. Ellington’s knowledge of the system ily and just win as many games as we can win two-sport standout Bruce Ellington becomes will be a huge asset once he makes the transition so we can make it to the NCAA Tournament. eligible, but the group has the talent to play well from football. Freshmen Duane Notice and Jay- That’s our goal this year,” Carrera commented.
10 • Spurs & Feathers
November 13, 2013
photo by allen sharpe
Bill and Lou Kennedy served as Honorary Captains during South Carolina’s big Homecoming victory over Mississippi State at Williams-Brice Stadium on Nov. 2, 2013.
Distinguished Alumni chosen as Honorary Captains for Mississippi State by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
the Kennedys donated millions to South Carolina according to a video produced by the University of South Carolina in order to Bill and Lou Kennedy had an eventful create the Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation weekend at South Carolina to open NovemCenter in 2010. ber by receiving the 2013 Distinguished The Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center Alumni Award from the My Carolina was created to give a strong foundation to Alumni Association on Friday, Nov. 1 and students not only scientifically, but also with serving as Honorary Captains at the South business and other aspects needed to succeed Carolina-Mississippi State football game on in the pharmaceutical industry. Saturday, Nov. 2. “I think the Pharmacy School gives stu“It was so unbelievable. You hear ‘2001’ dents a terrific scientific education, but the and it gives you chills in the stands, but to KPIC is trying to round the students out to be on the field like that and you look around make sure they are more qualified to partician see 80,000 fans, it’s surreal,” Lou Kenpate in the professional pharmacy in various nedy said. “It was magical, anxious and ways,” Bill Kennedy commented. nervous, all of those emotions all at once … The Kennedys support South Carolina Bill was tickled that they asked us to do that academically and athletically and being recand it was a big weekend for us because we ognized on the field was quite an honor for received the Distinguished Alumni Award, them. so it was just a double-whammy and it was “We’re big, huge Gamecock fans and since so nice.” they’ve nicknamed me ‘Cock-a-doodle Lou,’ Both Bill and Lou Kennedy are graduates I’m always excited about doing something from South Carolina, Bill in 1966 from the that’s a part of the Gamecock Nation … it’s USC College of Pharmacy and Lou in 1984 so exciting to be named anything that is atwith a BA in journalism. They now both tached to your favorite school, let alone your work in the pharmaceuticals industry. Lou alma mater,” Lou Kennedy said. became President and CEO of Nephron Phar- The Kennedys made the trip from their maceuticals Corp. in 2007 and Bill serves as home in Orlando, Fla. to serve as Honorary a strategic consultant for the company. Captains for the game and it was a big thrill In a desire to give back to their alma mater, for both Bill and Lou. She said that it was an
action-packed weekend that kept them busy, but it was a lot of fun as well. “We were looking forward to that all week and even the folks that work here with us at Nephron and all these extra viewers, everyone was trying to tune in. We didn’t know if we were going to be able to flip the coin or not and I think everyone was trying to tune in to see ‘are they going to mess this up? Are they going to drop the coin?’” Lou Kennedy said with a laugh. When the Gamecocks traveled to Orlando to take on Central Florida this season and for the Capital One Bowl a few years ago, the Kennedys set up a big tailgate to welcome them. Kennedy said she had everything decorated in black and white this year so Gamecock fans and their many employees who are Central Florida graduates would all be able to tailgate together. Kennedy estimated that a total of about 200 to 300 people at this year’s tailgate prior to the game. “I just wanted to show a proud, Orlando welcome to all my Gamecock friends,” Lou Kennedy noted. “It was awesome … when the Gamecocks come to Orlando, we have to make everybody feel welcome since we are based here.” South Carolina has a special place in the Kennedys’ hearts and family life because Bill and Lou met at a Georgia-South Caro-
lina game that the Gamecocks won in 2000. They both love the University and are thankful for their time spent on campus. “The way we were raised, we never dreamed that we would get to have the busy life that we have today. We feel so very fortunate that we got a great education at USC and we took what we learned and expanded on that. It was the start of everything,” Lou Kennedy said. “We’re very grateful and proud to be in and around Gamecock football because while education is what bode us so well in business, the social and fun activities were the ice cream and whipped cream on top. “To me it was a well-rounded way to spend your college years because you had so much fun on the athletic side and such a good education as a foundation for what you’re going to do the rest of your life,” Lou Kennedy continued. Bill confirmed this as well saying that it was great to receive these honors from a place that has meant so much to their lives. “I’m extremely excited about this award. It’s very interesting … to receive an award like this. It makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something in life, you’ve accomplished some of your goals that you set out to do,” Bill Kennedy said. “It’s very exciting to be honored by your school.”
Spurs & Feathers • 11
November 13, 2013
Columbia Tip-Off Club backs Gamecock basketball by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
Vice President and a number of former players also serve on the Board. Branden Conrad (2008-09), Bill Gause With the Gamecock basketball seasons (1976-66), Carey Rich (1993-95), David getting underway, support for the proRoss (1998-2001) and Robert Wilder grams is being significantly buoyed by the (2008-10) all serve on the Board of DirecColumbia Tip-Off Club. tors. Public address announcer Dave Aiken The Columbia Tip-Off Club is a nonis a member of the Board of Directors profit booster group of Gamecock basketamong others as well. ball fans. The Club works closely with the “We are hoping to give the people of coaching staff in providing fan support, Columbia a great experience that will help behind the scenes access to the Carolina promote the Gamecock basketball teams. men’s and women’s basketball programs We need to build fan support for South and an opportunity to further enhance col- Carolina basketball and this is great expolegiate basketball relationships. sure for the programs,” Powell commented. President of the Columbia Tip-Off Club The Columbia Tip-Off Club offers either and former Gamecock basketball player individual or corporate membership plans from 1969-71 Dennis Powell said that the that each guarantee access and a meal for Athletics Department has been great in the meetings on selected game days. The helping to make the coaches available and individual membership is $125 for the seapromoting Gamecock basketball. son and the corporate membership is $350 “We’ve had a lot of help from the Uniand covers three people for the season. versity although it’s not connected with Columbia Tip-Off Club members will the Tip-Off Club. The Tip-Off Club is a have the opportunity to hear from some of private enterprise, but they help us tremen- the opposing coaches in a relaxed, intimate dously with support,” Powell said. environment along with hearing from the The goals of the Columbia Tip-Off Club South Carolina coaches. are to help develop, promote and grow fan The Columbia Tip-Off Club has lined up interest in each of the Gamecock basketa great slate of speaker for their meetings ball programs. The club seeks to increase which will start on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in community involvement and support for the McGuire Room at 12 p.m. The featured the basketball teams. speakers for the opening meeting will be There is a great amount of support from Athletics Director Ray Tanner and men’s former South Carolina basketball players basketball head coach Frank Martin. who have joined the Board of Directors. Martin is scheduled to speak at every Gary Gregor (1965, 67-68) serves as the meeting with a host of different coaches
Football viewing party in Charlotte
Submitted photo
The Charlotte Gamecock Club enjoy the win over Mississippi State at a viewing party at Icehouse South End. Keep up with the Charlotte Gamecock Club @CLTGamecocks.
joining him. Scheduled to appear are USC Upstate coach Eddie Payne, LSU coach Johnny Jones, Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy, Alabama coach Anthony Grant, Kentucky coach John Calipari and Florida coach Billy Donovan. Scheduled to speak during Legends Weekend and the McGuire Dedication will be a South Carolina Legend as well. Powell said membership in the Club is a great opportunity for basketball fans in
Columbia to become more involved with the basketball programs. He added that it is a good time for Gamecock basketball and the Columbia Tip-Off Club can let fans experience gameday like never before. To find out more or if you have any questions about the Columbia Tip-Off Club, please contact their answering service at (800) 817-4336. You can also contact them via email at columbiatipoffclub@gmail. com.
12 • Spurs & Feathers
November 13, 2013
Gamecocks make a splash outside the pool by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
The South Carolina swimming and diving teams are more than just stellar athletes, they also care about others and are making a difference outside the pool. The women’s team has taken Harper Doughtie, a young girl from Greenville, N.C., under their wing and stayed in close contact with her after head coach McGee Moody found out that Doughtie was diagnosed with leukemia at age five. Moody and her mother were friends in college and he found out about the situation through her. “I was telling my girls on the team about the story and they became not only interested in the story, but also concerned with what was going on, how she was doing and if she was improving,” Moddy explained. “They started taking it upon their own initiative to reach out to her.” Moody said that the team has gathered gifts for Doughtie’s birthday and Christmas, made Valentines for her, stayed in touch with her and most recently they all made masks for her. He added that it is not something that he started, rather the team took it upon themselves as something that they wanted to do and before he knew it, emails and calls were going back and forth. “When we went up to Greenville to swim at East Carolina, they had an opportunity to see Harper - Harper came to the meet - and they gave her the masks. It gave them a chance to hang out for a little while which is good because we don’t get to do that often,” Moody said. “There are a lot of emails, phone calls and pictures sent back and forth, but they don’t get to see Harper very often. “It’s a situation where I think both groups are pretty blessed to have the other one. I know our women’s team is so inspired by what Harper has done and the things that she faces. This little girl is absolutely unbelievable. She’s got more fight in her than a lot of adults I know,” Moody continued. Doughtie has served as an inspiration for the women’s team and they have developed a very close relationship with each other throughout their interactions. Moody said that it was very special to see her at the East Carolina meet because she was determined to see the team even though she had just gone through some treatment. She said ‘I’m not missing it, I’m going.’ “They sat down on our side of the pool down with the team, kind of gave her a little bit of special treatment and it was good. When you get to see her and she’s smiling and happy, that’s great … I know our girls love Harper and I know she loves them. It’s a pretty cool thing to see develop over the last couple of
years,” Moody said. “She’s a special little girl and it does mean a lot to our team to see her healthy and see her smile.” Doughtie has been special to the team and they try to do whatever they can for her and her family. Moody said that when she is able, they hope to host Doughtie and her family for a meet and football or basketball game and continue to support them in any way they can. Moody said that the team has also become involved with fundraising for breast cancer research and survivors. He explained that this project began when he was coaching at the World University Games over in Russia with Tennessee head coach Matt Kredich. “While we were out there, Matt found out that his wife back over here in the States had been diagnosed with breast cancer … it’s one of those things where you start to realize that these are good people and it could just as easily happen to me, my family or anybody else,” Moody said. “If it happened to me I would want someone to help us and do anything that they could to help us get through. “So at that point we decided that we were going to do something as a program … we decided that we were going to do a swim cap with the interlocking SC logo on the side in the breast-cancer pink,” Moody continued. “We decided that what we would do is sell off the caps and an autographed poster and all of the money that we raise, we would give to the University of Tennessee Cancer Institute. We’re going to make that donation in the Kredichs’ name,” Moody explained. When the Gamecocks swam at Tennessee on Oct. 18, they got a chance to see and hear from the Kredichs who felt it was amazing for the team to come together in support of another coach’s family.
you’ll ever find, but outside of that arena we are very close friends. Close friends help each other out and that’s what we wanted to do,” Moody said. Moody said that he feels there is so much emphasis put on athletics in the SEC, that as coaches they need to take the opportunity to help the student-athletes develop character and become good citizens. “While we take our sports very seriously, life is bigger than that. I think sometimes we need to be reminded that there are things outside of whatever our sport is and if we have the opportunity to help, then we need to do that,” Moody commented. “I like to focus on the whole student-athlete. “We’ve got some really great kids in our Athletics Department. Kids that care about people and they want to go out and help people however they can. It’s our job as coaches to make submitted photo an environment where they know that is important … and build strong student-athletes as they “You think of the SEC as being a big rival move toward graduation,” Moody concluded. conference that is cutthroat, but to be honest we If you would like to get one of the meet-worn take great pride in being the best conference in caps and autographed posters, visit http://gamethe country. A lot of the coaches and athletes cocksonline.cstvauctions.com/auctiondisplay. are very good friends. We’re as competitive as cfm?auctionnbr=81712.
Spurs & Feathers • 13
November 13, 2013
photo by allen sharpe
Dr. Roy Hudgens was honored as the Legendary Fan at the South Carolina win over Mississippi State. Giving Hudgens a special blazer is Brent Skinner of B.P. Skinner Clothiers.
Lifetime fan recalls his favorite Gamecock moments by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
to the high point that Gamecock fans are currently enjoying. He said that he always hoped the program would become a highly Dr. Roy Hudgens of Florence, S.C. was recognized team despite a few doubts along honored as the Legendary Fan at the Misthe way. sissippi State football game on Nov. 2. “Overall following the Gamecocks has “That was really nice to get honored and been very exciting. There has been a lot of be down on the field. It’s special to get to good and a lot of bad, but lately it has been see yourself on the big board up there,” a whole lot of good,” Hudgens noted. “The Hudgens said. “It was a lot of fun and I will crowning achievement is the recent success always remember that.” that Ray Tanner had with the baseball team Hudgens has been involved with South and I think that Coach Holbrook will keep it Carolina his whole adult life and he said going pretty good too. To win back-to-back that Gamecock athletics have been a conand then go to the final game the next year stant for him. He previously served as both is quite an accomplishment.” the president of his local chapter and on the Hudgens remembers many games fondly, Board of Directors for the Gamecock Club. but he said that one of his favorite memoAs a 47-year member of the Gamecock ries was the 1975 football game against Club he has followed the football and basClemson that resulted in a 56-20 victory for ketball teams as a season-ticket holder since Carolina led by quarterback Jeff Grantz. he became a member. Hudgens also follows “We scored every time we had the ball. the baseball team closely and noted that One of the touchdowns didn’t count beit was very special to have two National cause it was fourth down and there was an Championships and almost a third. offensive pass interference penalty in the During his time following South Carolina end zone, but otherwise we scored every Athletics, Hudgens has seen the progrestime that we had the ball,” Hudgens resion of the programs as they have improved called.
Football is not his only love as Hudgens added that he has been going to basketball games since Frank McGuire was coaching the Gamecocks. He recalled attending games at the Fieldhouse as a student and the Carolina Coliseum, including the first game played there. “The first game in the Coliseum we played Auburn. We almost didn’t beat them, but we won by a couple of points. John Roche made a basket right before the buzzer to win that game,” Hudgens reminisced. “We had some good times when Alex English was playing also. He went on to pretty much become a star in the NBA as well.” Hudgens attended South Carolina’s medical school from 1954-58 after serving three years in the Navy during the Korean War. He majored in pharmacy as an undergraduate at South Carolina and used his degrees to create his practice as an anesthesiologist in Florence, S.C. for 33 years. He said that his times at South Carolina were some of the best of his life and as he remembers events in his life, he can recall different Gamecock memories from each time period.
“I’ve been following the the Gamecocks for a long time and it has been great through the ups and downs. I’m enjoying that we’re up now and looking forward to a lot more Gamecock memories,” Hudgens concluded.
14 • Spurs & Feathers
November 13, 2013
Depth Charts for November 16, 7 p.m. OFFENSE WR: 1 Damiere Byrd 4 Shaq Roland 8 Shamier Jeffery WR: 23 Bruce Ellington 11 Pharoh Cooper 80 K.J. Brent WR: 3 Nick Jones 85 Kane Whitehurst 82 Kwinton Smith LT: 53 Corey Robinson 74 Mason Zandi LG: 50 A.J. Cann 65 Brock Stadnik C: 51 Cody Waldrop -OR- 54 Clayton Stadnik RG: 67 Ronald Patrick 75 Will Sport 55 Na’ Ty Rodgers RT: 71 Brandon Shell 78 Cody Gibson TE: 81 Rory Anderson 89 Jerell Adams 83 Mason Zandi QB: 14 Connor Shaw 17 Dylan Thompson 5 Brendan Nosovitch FB: 41 Connor McLaurin 31 Jordan Diaz TB: 28 Mike Davis 7 Shon Carson 26 Jamari Smith
OFFENSE LT: 70 D.J. Humphries 76 Max Garcia LG: 76 Max Garcia 63 Trip Thurman C: 72 Jonotthan Harrison 64 Kyle Koehne RG: 67 Jon Halapio 64 Kyle Koehne 77 Ian Silberman RT: 73 Tyler Moore 74 Trenton Brown TE: 88 Clay Burton 87 Tevin Westbrook RB: 33 Mack Brown 21 Kelvin Taylor QB: 3 Tyler Murphy 17 Skyler Mornhinweg FB: 41 Hunter Joyer 25 Gideon Ajagbe X: 1 Quinton Dunbar 11 Demarcus Robinson Z: 83 Solomon Patton 5 Ahmad Fulwood 85 Chris Thompson F: 8 Trey Burton 9 Latroy Pittman
South Carolina
5-9, 166, Jr. Sicklerville, N.J. 6-1, 190, So. Lexington, S.C. 6-1, 207, So. St. Matthews, S.C. 5-9, 196, Jr. Moncks Corner, S.C. 5-11, 184, Fr. Havelock, N.C. 6-4, 188, So. Waxhaw, N.C. 5-7, 174, Jr. Moore, S.C. 5-11, 179, So. Duluth, Ga 6-4, 212, RFr. Hamer, S.C. 6-8, 341, Jr. Havelock, N.C. 6-9, 293, RFr. Irmo, S.C. 6-4, 314, Jr. Bamberg, S.C. 6-5, 286, RFr. Greensboro, N.C. 6-2, 319, RFr, Seffner, Fla. 6-3, 281, RFr. Greensboro, N.C. 6-2, 315, Sr. Cocoa, Fla. 6-5, 294, So. Milton, Fla. 6-5, 296, Fr. Waldorf, Md. 6-6, 323, So. Goose Creek, S.C. 6-7, 286, Jr. Tallahassee, Fla. 6-5, 242, Jr. Powder Springs, Ga. 6-6, 237, So. Pinewood, S.C. 6-9, 293, RFr. Irmo, S.C. 6-1, 209, Sr. Flowery Branch, Ga. 6-3, 218, Jr. Boiling Springs, S.C. 6-1, 220, RFr. Allentown, Pa. 6-0, 237, Jr. Raleigh, N.C. 6-1, 233, Jr. Hamilton, N.J. 5-9, 215, So. Lithonia, Ga. 5-8, 219, So. Scranton, S.C. 5-10, 183, Fr. Jacksonville, Fla.
DEFENSE DE: 90 Chaz Sutton 44 Gerald Dixon 34 Mason Harris DT: 97 J.T. Surratt 92 Gerald Dixon Jr. 93 Deon Green DT: 99 Kelcy Quarles 52 Phillip Dukes 94 Kelsey Griffin DE: 7 Jadeveon Clowney 5 Darius English MLB: 11 T.J. Holloman -OR- 8 Kaiwan Lewis 28 Jonathan Walton WLB: 21 Marcquis Roberts 10 Skai Moore 18 Cedrick Cooper SPR: 9 Sharrod Golightly 42 Jordan Diggs 32 Larenz Bryant CB: 27 Victor Hampton 4 Ahmad Christian SS: 12 Brison Williams 25 Kadetrix Marcus FS: 17 Chaz Elder 20 T.J. Gurley CB: 15 Jimmy Legree 1 Rico McWilliams
6-5, 263, Sr. 6-2, 268, So. 6-3, 218, So. 6-2, 307, Jr. 6-3, 318, So. 6-4, 287, So. 6-4, 298, Jr. 6-3, 315, So. 6-2, 292, Fr. 6-6, 274, Jr. 6-6, 226, RFr. 6-2, 228, RFr. 6-0, 221, So. 6-0, 234, Fr. 6-1, 225, So. 6-2, 205, Fr. 6-2, 213, So. 5-10, 195, Jr. 6-0, 214, RFr. 6-0, 215, Fr. 5-10, 202, Jr. 5-10, 189, So. 5-11, 218, Jr. 6-1, 195, Jr. 6-2, 199, RFr. 5-10, 196, So. 6-0, 187, Sr. 5-11, 187, RFr.
Savannah, Ga. Rock Hill, S.C. Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. Winston-Salem, N.C. Rock Hill, S.C. Windermere, Fla. Hodges, S.C. Manning, S.C Buford, Ga. Rock Hill, S.C. Powder Springs, Ga. Stone Mountain, Ga. Mays Landing, N.J. Daphne, Ala. Powder Springs, Ga. Cooper City, Fla. Lithonia, Ga. Decatur, Ga. Fort Myers, Fla. Charlotte, N.C. Darlington, S.C. Jacksonville, Fla. Warner Robins, Ga. Stone Mountain, Ga. Union City, Ga. Cairo, Ga. Beaufort, S.C. Hampton, Ga.
Florida
6-5, 285, So. 6-4, 311, Jr. 6-4, 311, Jr. 6-5, 315, So. 6-3, 310, Sr. 6-5, 315, Sr. 6-3, 320, Sr. 6-5, 315, Sr. 6-5, 306, Jr. 6-5, 320, So. 6-8, 361, Jr. 6-4, 257, Jr. 6-5, 255, Jr. 5-11, 215, Jr. 5-10, 214, Fr. 6-2, 210, Jr. 6-2, 214, RFr. 5-11, 240, Jr. 6-2, 244, Jr. 6-2, 194, Jr. 6-2, 201, Fr. 5-9, 177, Sr. 6-5, 196, Fr. 6-0, 167, Fr. 6-2, 225, Sr. 6-0, 210, So.
Union, N.C. Norcross, Ga. Norcross, Ga. Dover, Del. Groveland, Fla. Indianapolis, Ind. St. Petersburg, Fla. Indianapolis, Ind. Orange Park, Fla. Clearwater, Fla. Albany, Ga. Venice, Fla. Coconut Creek, Fla. Lithonia, Ga. Belle Glade, Fla. Wethersfield, Conn. Philadelphia, Pa. Wesley Chapel, Fla. Coconut Grove, Fla. Miami, Fla. Fort Valley, Ga. Mobile, Ala. Jacksonville, Fla. Gainesville, Fla. Venice, Fla. Citra, Fla.
DEFENSE DE: 90 Jonathan Bullard 94 Bryan Cox, Jr. NT: 44 Leon Orr 55 Darious Cummings DT: 4 Damien Jacobs 90 Jonathan Bullard Buck: 6 Dante Fowler, Jr. 95 Alex McCalister SLB: 7 Ronald Powell 49 Darrin Kitchens MLB: 3 Antonio Morrison -OR- 51 Michael Taylor WLB: 51 Michael Taylor -OR- 11 Neiron Ball RCB: 15 Loucheiz Purifoy 1 Vernon Hargreaves, III S: 14 Jaylen Watkins 20 Marcus Maye S: 31 Cody Riggs 21 Jabari Gorman LCB: 5 Marcus Roberson 1 Vernon Hargreaves, III Nickel: 24 Brian Poole 1 Vernon Hargreaves, III Dime: 20 Marcus Maye 31 Cody Riggs
6-3, 270, So. Shelby, N.C. 6-3, 260, RFr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 6-5, 302, Jr. New Port Richey, Fla. 6-1, 305, Jr. Titusville, Fla. 6-3, 300, Sr. Gibson, La. 6-3, 270, So. Shelby, N.C. 6-3, 266, So. St. Petersburg, Fla. 6-6, 238, RFr. Clemmons, N.C. 6-4, 240, Jr. Moreno Valley, Calif. 6-2, 237, Sr. Homestead, Fla. 6-1, 230, So. Bolingbrook, Ill. 6-0, 233, Jr. Atlanta, Ga. 6-0, 233, Jr. Atlanta, Ga. 6-3, 235, Jr. Jackson, Ga. 6-0, 190, Jr. Pensacola, Fla. 5-11, 192, Fr. Tampa, Fla. 6-0, 188, Sr. Cape Coral, Fla. 6-0, 206, RFr. Melbourne, Fla. 5-9, 190, Jr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 5-10, 184, Jr. Miami, Fla. 6-0, 195, Jr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 5-11, 192, Fr. Tampa, Fla. 5-10, 205, So. Bradenton, Fla. 5-11, 192, Fr. Tampa, Fla. 6-0, 206, RFr. Melbourne, Fla. 5-9, 190, Jr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
SPECIALISTS KO: 19 Landon Ard 29 Elliott Fry PK: 29 Elliott Fry 19 Landon Ard P: 13 Tyler Hull 18 Patrick Fish KR: 11 Pharoh Cooper 23 Bruce Ellington PR: 11 Pharoh Cooper 27 Victor Hampton SSN: 58 Ryland Culbertson LSN: 47 Drew Williams H: 18 Patrick Fish 5 Brendan Nosovitch
5-9, 172, So. 6-0, 150, Fr. 6-0, 150, Fr. 5-9, 172, So. 6-2, 206, Jr. 6-0, 195, Jr. 5-11, 184, Fr. 5-9, 196, Jr. 5-11, 184, Fr. 5-10, 202, Jr. 6-4, 265, Jr. 6-2, 190, Fr. 6-0, 195, Jr. 6-1, 220, RFr.
Rock Hill, S.C. Frisco, Texas Frisco, Texas Rock Hill, S.C. Mount Airy, N.C. Shelby, N.C. Havelock, N.C. Moncks Corner, S.C. Havelock, N.C. Darlington, S.C. Laurens, S.C. Irmo, S.C. Shelby, N.C. Allentown, Pa.
*These depth charts are taken from the listings from each team’s previous game. Spurs & Feathers goes to print shortly after each football game. Please visit www.spursandfeathers.com over the course of the week for updated depth charts.
SPECIALISTS KR: 83 Solomon Patton 15 Loucheiz Purifoy K: 95 Frankie Velez 16 Austin Hardin H: 43 Kyle Crofoot 3 Tyler Murphy P: 19 Johnny Townsend 4 Kyle Christy PR: 5 Marcus Roberson 1 Vernon Hargreaves, III LS: 46 Drew Ferris 43 Kyle Crofoot
5-9, 177, Sr. Mobile, Ala. 6-0, 190, Jr. Pensacola, Fla. 5-9, 182, Jr. Ocala, Fla. 5-10, 208, RFr. Atlanta, Ga. 6-4, 220, So. Windemere, Fla. 6-2, 210, Jr. Wethersfield, Conn. 6-1, 191, Fr. Orlando, Fla. 6-3, 198, Jr. Brownsburg, Ind. 6-0, 195, Jr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 5-11, 192, Fr. Tampa, Fla. 6-0, 205, Jr. Carlsbad, Calif. 6-4, 220, So. Windemere, Fla.
Spurs & Feathers • 15
November 13, 2013
South Carolina women’s basketball season preview by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com The 2013-14 South Carolina women’s basketball team is expecting to continue the success of back-to-back 25 win seasons under head coach and recent Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Dawn Staley. The Gamecocks return only two starters and six letterwinners, but the talented squad will look to contend in the competitive SEC and in the NCAA Tournament. Staley will count on the returning experience to help sustain the success seen in the program over the past few seasons. The frontcourt The Gamecocks’ front line will be bolstered by plenty of returning experience and talented newcomers. Last season’s leading scorer and preseason All-SEC first-team selection Aleighsa Welch will be called upon to lead the team. Welch has worked on her perimeter game to be able to move to the wing so the Gamecocks can run a bigger front line this year. That front line will be solidified by senior Wilka Mountout, junior Elem Ibiam and highly-recruited freshman Alaina Coates. Mountout’s experience
and solid play will help steady the team during SEC play and Ibiam and Coates will bring the physical aspect needed to compete in the conference. Ibiam came on strong during the second half of the season and postseason play last year and will look to continue that as a leader on this year’s squad. Coates will come in and bring size defensively and the ability to score in the post to strengthen the frontcourt. Freshman India Farmer will also figure in the mix in the frontline. The size and talent of the frontcourt create an asset that Staley has not had yet in her time at South Carolina and can be an advantage this season in the SEC. “We really haven’t had a big front line to put in the game in my five years at South Carolina, so really it’s good to be able to kind of go big for a change,” Staley noted. The backcourt Replacing Ieasia Walker, last season’s point guard, will be the biggest challenge for South Carolina’s backcourt, but it is something this years squad has the personnel to do. Sophomore Khadijah Sessions has worked hard over the summer on conditioning, ball-handling and leadership to step in and run the team both offensively and de-
fensively. Sophomore Tiffany Mitchell returns looking to take the next step after averaging almost 10 points a game and being selected to the freshman All-SEC team last season. Asia Dozier will also see time at the wing position and will be more aggressive offensively this year. Tina Roy returns after losing last season to injury and will get her share of minutes as well. Olivia Gaines and LeAnna Morrison round out a strong backcourt that will challenge in the SEC. Outlook The Gamecocks have the talent to challenge for SEC supremacy this season and are ranked in the top-25 heading into the season. The SEC coaches picked South Carolina to finish fifth in the league, but with strong play they could easily exceed that projection. The Gamecocks will need their experienced players to play to their potential and the younger players to develop. If that happens, it could be another strong year for a squad that Staley feels could win an SEC championship and make noise in the NCAA Tournament. “I think it’s a team that has the talent to do it. If we win an SEC Championship, then we’re talking about maybe winning a
photo by allen sharpe
Tiffany Mitchell was tabbed to the freshman All-SEC team last season.
National Championship because I do feel like we would be in contention to do that,” Staley commented.
16 • Spurs & Feathers
November 13, 2013
South Carolina Gamecocks Football Roster # Name Pos. 1 Damiere Byrd WR 1 Rico McWilliams CB 3 Nick Jones WR 3 Jamari Smith CB 4 Ahmad Christian CB 4 Shaq Roland WR 5 Brendan Nosovitch QB 5 Darius English DE 6 Chris Moody FS 6 Connor Mitch QB 7 Jadeveon Clowney DE 7 Shon Carson TB 8 Kaiwan Lewis LB 8 Shamier Jeffery WR 9 Sharrod Golightly SPR 10 Skai Moore LB 10 Perry Orth QB 11 Pharoh Cooper WR 11 T.J. Holloman LB 12 Brison Williams SS 13 Grant Davitte QB 13 Tyler Hull P 14 Ali Groves CB 14 Connor Shaw QB 15 Austin Hails QB 15 Jimmy Legree CB 16 Kelvin Rainey TE 16 Nick St. Germain PK 17 Chaz Elder SS 17 Dylan Thompson QB 18 Patrick Fish P 18 Cedrick Cooper LB 19 Landon Ard PK 19 Jody Fuller WR 20 T.J. Gurley FS 21 Marcquis Roberts LB 21 Andrew Bunch WR 22 Brandon Wilds TB 23 Bruce Ellington WR 24 Ronnie Martin CB 24 Kendric Salley TB 25 Kadetrix Marcus FS 26 Jasper Sasser S 27 Victor Hampton CB 28 Jonathan Walton LB 28 Mike Davis TB 29 Elliott Fry P/K 30 Sidney Rhodes CB 31 Jordan Diaz FB 31 Mohamed Camara SPR 32 Larenz Bryant LB 33 Gerald Turner DE 33 David Williams TB 34 Mason Harris DE
Hgt. 5-9 5-11 5-7 5-10 5-10 6-1 6-1 6-6 6-1 6-3 6-6 5-8 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-1 5-11 6-2 5-11 6-3 6-2 5-10 6-1 6-2 6-0 6-3 5-9 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-2 5-9 5-11 5-10 6-1 5-11 6-2 5-9 5-11 5-9 6-1 6-0 5-10 6-0 5-9 6-0 5-10 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-2 6-1 6-3
Wgt. 166 187 174 183 189 190 220 226 212 227 274 219 221 207 195 205 212 184 228 218 190 206 184 209 214 187 233 175 199 218 195 213 172 217 196 225 185 223 196 179 183 195 192 202 234 215 150 167 233 181 215 256 200 218
Cl. JR RS FR RS JR FR RS SO SO RS FR RS FR RS FR FR JR RS SO SO RS SO RS JR FR RS FR FR RS FR JR FR RS JR FR SR RS SO RS SR RS FR RS FR RS FR RS JR RS JR RS SO SO RS FR SO RS SO RS FR SO JR JR RS FR JR FR RS JR FR SO FR JR RS JR FR FR FR FR RS SO
Hometown/High School/Last College Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek Hampton, Ga./Lovejoy Moore, S.C./Byrnes Jacksonville, Fla./Fletcher Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian Lexington, S.C./Lexington Allentown, Pa./Central Catholic Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern McDonough, Ga./Henry County Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe Scranton, S.C./Lake City Mays Landing, N.J./St. Joseph St. Matthews, S.C./Calhoun County Decatur, Ga./Southwest DeKalb Cooper City, Fla./University Ponde Verda, Fla./Ponte Verda/Fla. State College Havelock, NC./Havelock Stone Mountain, Ga./St. Pius X Warner Robins, Ga./Northside/Fork Union Columbia, S.C./Irmo Mount Airy, N.C./Mount Airy/Guilford College Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson Flowery Branch, Ga./Flowery Branch Collinsville, Ill./Collinsville Beaufort, S.C./Beaufort Yulee, Fla./Yulee Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern Union City, Ga./Banneker Boiling Springs, S.C./Boiling Springs Shelby, N.C./Burns Lithonia, Ga./Lithonia Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe Charlotte, N.C./Sun Valley Cairo, Ga./Cairo Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Bishop England/Presbyterian Blythewood, S.C./Blythewood Moncks Corner, S.C./Berkeley Spartanburg, S.C./Spartanburg/Georgia Military Williston, S.C./Williston-Elko Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson Jacksonville, Fla./Wolfson Darlington, S.C./Darlington Daphne, Ala./Bayside Academy Lithonia, Ga./Stephenson Frisco, Tx./Prince of Peace Christian Easley, S.C./Wren/Western Carolina Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West Cumming, Ga./Forsyth Charlotte, NC./Vance Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter Fort Oglethorpe, Ga./Ridgeland
Coaches Steve Spurrier - Head Coach Deke Adams - Defensive Line Kirk Botkin - Linebackers/Spurs Grady Brown - Secondary/Assistant Special Teams Coordinator Shawn Elliott - Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line G.A. Mangus - Quarterbacks
# Name Pos. 35 Jeff Homad TE 36 Kyle Fleetwood SS 39 Max Huggins P/K 40 Andrew Komornik P 41 Kyle Morini LB 41 Connor McLaurin FB 42 Jordan Diggs SPR 43 James King LB 43 Garrison Gist FB 44 Gerald Dixon DE 45 Brandon Sturdivant FB 47 Drew Williams LS 48 Caleb Kelly PK 49 Garrett Shank S 49 Devin Potter TB 50 A.J. Cann OG 51 Cody Waldrop OC 51 Devin Washington DE 52 Phillip Dukes DT 52 Bryce King OG 53 Corey Robinson OT 54 Clayton Stadnik OC 55 Na'Ty Rodgers OT 55 David Johnson LB 57 Cedrick Malone SPR 58 Ryland Culbertson LS 59 Coleman Harley LS 65 Brock Stadnik OG 67 Ronald Patrick OG 69 D.J. Park OT 70 Alan Knott OC 71 Brandon Shell OT 73 J.P. Vonashek OT 74 Mason Zandi OT 75 Will Sport OG 76 Mike Matulis OT 78 Cody Gibson OT 80 K.J. Brent WR 81 Rory Anderson TE 82 Kwinton Smith WR 83 Carlton Heard WR 84 Matthew Harvey WR 85 Kane Whitehurst WR 86 David Wilkins WR 87 Drake Thomason WR 88 Drew Owens TE 89 Jerell Adams TE 90 Chaz Sutton DE 92 Gerald Dixon, Jr. DT 93 Deon Green DT 94 Kelsey Griffin DT 95 Michael Washington DE 97 J.T. Surratt DT 99 Kelcy Quarles DT
Hgt. 6-2 5-11 6-1 6-5 5-10 6-0 6-0 6-0 5-10 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-0 5-10 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-8 6-3 6-5 6-1 6-0 6-4 6-1 6-5 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-6 6-9 6-5 6-5 6-7 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-0 6-8 5-11 6-1 6-1 6-6 6-6 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-4
Wgt. 220 216 185 225 212 237 214 235 255 268 212 190 184 171 200 314 319 225 315 281 341 281 296 268 201 265 264 286 315 334 272 323 283 293 294 266 286 188 242 212 178 225 179 182 205 244 237 263 318 287 292 243 307 298
Cl. RS JR RS FR FR FR JR RS JR RS FR SO RS SO RS SO RS FR FR RS FR FR FR RS JR RS FR FR RS SO FR RS JR RS FR FR FR RS FR RS JR RS SO RS FR SR FR FR RS SO FR RS FR RS SO JR RS JR RS SO JR RS FR SO SO RS SO SR RS JR RS SO SO SR RS SO RS SO FR SO RS JR JR
Hometown/High School/Last College Hilton Head Island, S.C./Hilton Head/UNCP Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson Myrtle Beach, S.C./Myrtle Beach Fort Mill, S.C./Nations Ford Lexington, S.C./White Knoll/Gray Military Raleigh, N.C./Garner Fort Myers, Fla./Island Coast Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek/Benedict Rock Hill, S.C./Northwesterm Rock Hill, S.C./South Pointe Fort Mill, S.C./Nation Ford/York Tech Irmo, S.C/Dutch Fork Cayce, S.C./Brookland-Cayce Marietta, Ga./Lassiter Granite Falls, N.C./South Caldwell Bamberg, S.C./Bamberg-Ehrhardt Seffner, Fla./Armwood Orlando, Fla./Jones Manning, S.C./Manning Dillon, S.C./Dillon Havelock, N.C./Havelock Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford Waldorf, Md./McDonough Lithonia, Ga./Lithonia Camden, S.C./Camden/Coastal Carolina Laurens, S.C./Laurens Academy Aiken, S.C./South Aiken Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford Cocoa, Fla./Cocoa Dillon, S.C./Dillon Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek Saint Marys, Ga./Camden County Irmo, S.C./Chapin Milton, Fla./Pace Boynton Beach, Fla./Park Vista Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin Ridge Powder Springs, Ga./McEachern Hamer, S.C./Dillon Athens, Ga./Clarke Central/Garner-Webb Rock Hill, S.C./Rock Hill Duluth, Ga./Chattahoochee/Arkansas Cowpens, S.C./Broome Greenville, S.C./Eastside Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell Pinewood, S.C./Scott's Branch Savannah, Ga./Jenkins/Fork Union Military Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern Windermere, Fla./Olympia Buford, Ga./Mill Creek Allendale, S.C./Allendale-Fairfax/S.C. State Winston-Salem, N.C./Parkland Hodges, S.C./Greenwood/Fork Union
Joe Robinson - Special Teams Coordinator Everette Sands - Running Backs Jamie Speronis - Associate AD/Football Operations Steve Spurrier Jr. - Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers/ Recruiting Coordinator Lorenzo Ward - Defensive Coordinator Robbie Liles - Director - Recruiting Operations Patrick Shine - Administrative Coordinator - Recruiting
Spurs & Feathers • 17
November 13, 2013
Florida Gators Football Roster # Name Pos. 1 Vernon Hargreaves, III DB 1 Quinton Dunbar WR 2 Dominique Easley DL 3 Tyler Murphy QB 3 Antonio Morrison LB 4 Damien Jacobs DL 4 Kyle Christy P 4 Andre Debose WR 5 Ahmad Fulwood WR 5 Marcus Roberson DB 6 Dante Fowler, Jr. BUCK 6 Jeff Driskel QB 7 Ronald Powell LB 7 Alex Adler HS 8 Jeremy Brown DB 8 Trey Burton WR 9 Latroy Pittman WR 9 Matt Rolin LB 9 Jacob Guy QB 10 Valdez Showers RB 11 Neiron Ball LB 11 Demarcus Robinson WR 12 Max Staver QB 13 Daniel McMillian LB 13 Christian Provancha QB 14 Jaylen Watkins DB 14 Chris Wilkes QB 15 Ryan Parrish WR 15 Loucheiz Purifoy DB 16 Austin Hardin K 17 Jordan Sherit DL 17 Skyler Mornhinweg QB 18 Kent Taylor TE 19 Johnny Townsend P 19 Ryan McGriff QB 20 Marcus Maye DB 21 Jabari Gorman DB 21 Kelvin Taylor RB 22 Adam Lane RB 22 Evan Schroeder DB 22 Nick Washington DB 23 Danny Krysalka K 24 Brian Poole DB 24 Matt Jones RB 25 Garrett Stephens DB 25 Gideon Ajagbe LB 26 Marcell Harris DB 27 Ben Peacock DB 28 Jeremi Powell LB 29 Rhaheim Ledbetter DB 30 Tim Clark DB 30 Michael McNeely WR 31 Cody Riggs DB 32 D.L. Powell WR 33 Chris Maignan WR 33 Mack Brown RB 34 Alex Anzalone LB 34 Case Harrison WR 35 Michael Iorio DB
Hgt. Wgt. Cl. Hometown/High School/Last College 5’ 11” 192 FR Tampa/Wharton 6’ 1” 194 RJR Miami/Booker T. Washington 6’ 2” 285 SR Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis 6’ 2” 210 RJR Wethersfield, Conn./Wethersfield 6’ 1” 230 SO Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook 6’ 3” 300 SR Gibson, La./H.L. Boureois/East Miss. C.C. 6’ 3” 198 JR Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg 6’ 0” 187 RSR Sanford/Seminole 6’ 5” 196 FR Jacksonville/Bishop Kenny 6’ 0” 195 JR Ft. Lauderdale/St. Thomas Aquinas 6’ 3” 266 SO St. Petersburg/Lakewood Senior 6’ 4” 239 JR Oviedo/Hagerty 6’ 4” 240 RJR Moreno Valley, Calif./Rancho Verde 6’ 2” 219 FR Melbourne/Rockledge 5’ 10” 185 RSR Orlando/Boone 6’ 2” 225 SR Venice/Venice Senior 6’ 0” 210 SO Citra/North Marion 6’ 4” 227 FR Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods 6’ 5” 210 RFR Dade City/Pasco 5’ 11” 190 RSO Detroit, Mich./Madison 6’ 3” 235 RJR Jackson, Ga./Jackson 6’ 2” 201 FR Fort Valley, Ga./Peach County 6’ 6” 238 FR Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood Academy 6’ 1” 225 FR Jacksonville/First Coast 6’ 6” 223 RJR Cocoa/Cocoa Beach 6’ 0” 188 SR Cape Coral/Cape Coral 6’ 4” 230 FR Orlando/Dr. Phillips 6’ 1” 200 RJR Lakeland/Lakeland Christian 6’ 0” 190 JR Pensacola/Pine Forest 5’ 10” 208 RFR Atlanta, Ga./Marist 6’ 4” 247 FR Tampa/Hillsborough 6’ 2” 214 RFR Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph’s Prep 6’ 5” 224 SO Land O’Lakes/Land O’Lakes 6’ 1” 191 FR Orlando/Boone 6’ 0” 203 RSO Gainesville/Gainesville 6’ 0” 206 RFR Melbourne/Holy Trinity Episcopal School 5’ 10” 184 JR Miami/Monsignor Pace 5’ 10” 214 FR Belle Glade/Glades Day 5’ 7” 222 FR Winter Haven/Winter Haven 5’ 11” 183 RSO New Smyrna Beach/New Smyrna Beach 6’ 0” 191 FR Jacksonville/Trinity Christian Academy 6’ 1” 191 FR Ocala/Forest 5’ 10” 205 SO Bradenton/Southeast 6’ 2” 226 SO Seffner/Armwood 5’ 8” 185 FR Louisville, Ky./Saint Xavier 6’ 2” 244 RJR Coconut Grove/Ransom Everglades 6’ 2” 215 FR Orlando/Dr. Phillips 5’ 8” 170 RSO Bradenton/Braden River 6’ 1” 210 RFR Largo/Pinellas Park 5’ 9” 219 RFR Shelby, N.C./Crest Senior 5’ 9” 197 RSR Wellborn/Branford 5’ 8” 175 RJR Clearwater/Palm Harbor University 5’ 9” 190 RJR Ft. Lauderdale/St. Thomas Aquinas 6’ 1” 178 FR Alachua/Sante Fe 5’ 11” 185 RSR Miami/Northwest Christian Academy 5’ 11” 215 RJR Lithonia, Ga./King 6’ 3” 239 FR Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing Area 6’ 0” 183 FR Gainesville/Gainesville 5’ 10” 185 FR Nokomis/Venice
Coaches Head Coach - Will Muschamp Special Teams Coordinator/Outside Linebackers - Jeff Choate Offensive Line - Tim Davis Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers - D.J. Durkin
# Name Pos. 36 David Campbell LB 37 Mark Herndon RB 38 Kerolin Francois DB 40 Justin Vogel P 40 Jarrad Davis LB 41 Hunter Joyer FB 42 Keanu Neal DB 43 Kyle Crofoot LS 44 Leon Orr DL 45 Antonio Riles DL 46 Drew Ferris LS 46 LeAndre Rembert LB 48 William Few P 49 Darrin Kitchens LB 50 Octavius Jackson OL 51 Michael Taylor LB 52 Steven Stipe LB 53 Cody Adams LB 54 Cameron Dillard OL 55 Darious Cummings DL 55 Roderick Johnson OL 56 Andre Palmer LB 57 Caleb Brantley DL 57 Dakota Wilson DL 63 Trip Thurman OL 64 Kyle Koehne OL 67 Jon Halapio OL 69 Nick Davis OL 70 D.J. Humphries OL 72 Jonotthan Harrison OL 73 Tyler Moore OL 74 Trenton Brown OL 75 Chaz Green OL 76 Max Garcia OL 77 Ian Silberman OL 78 Trevon Young OL 79 Quinteze Williams OL 79 Matthew Fuchs OL 81 Marqui Hawkins WR 81 Darius Masline WR 82 Bair Diamond TE 83 Solomon Patton WR 84 Colin Thompson TE 85 Chris Thompson WR 86 Raphael Andrades WR 87 Tevin Westbrook TE 87 A.J. Mobley WR 88 Clay Burton TE 89 Alvin Bailey WR 90 Jonathan Bullard DL 91 Joey Ivie DL 92 Connor Gilboy P 93 Dallas Stubbs P 94 Bryan Cox, Jr. DL 95 Alex McCalister DL 95 Francisco Velez K 96 Sterling Stanley DL 97 Brad Phillips K 99 Jay-nard Bostwick DL
Hgt. Wgt. Cl. Hometown/High School/Last College 6’ 0” 221 RSR Live Oak/Suwannee/UCF/Sante Fe 5’ 9” 198 SO Ocala/Forest 5’ 9” 180 FR Lake Worth/Forest Hill 6’ 4” 211 RFR Tampa/Berkeley Prep 6’ 2” 226 FR Kingsland, Ga./Camden County 5’ 11” 240 JR Wesley Chapel/Tampa Catholic 6’ 1” 206 FR Bushnell/South Sumter 6’ 4” 220 RSO Windemere/The First Academy 6’ 5” 302 RJR New Port Richey/Gulf 6’ 4” 287 FR Lawrenceville, Ga./Archer 6’ 0” 205 RJR Carlsbad, Calif./San Diego Jewish Academy 5’ 8” 238 FR Alachua/Santa Fe 5’ 8” 164 FR Tampa/Plant 6’ 2” 237 SR Homestead/Homestead 6’ 4” 304 FR Moultrie, Ga./Colquitt County 6’ 0” 233 RJR Atlanta, Ga./Westlake 204 FR Waycross, Ga./Pierce County 5’ 11” 6’ 0” 233 RSO Ocala/North Marion 6’ 4” 297 FR Canton, Mich./Plymouth Canton 6’ 1” 305 JR Titusville/Astronaut/East Mississippi 6’ 5” 316 FR Delray Beach/American Heritage 5’ 11” 213 FR Ocala/Lake Weir 6’ 2” 313 FR Crescent City/Crescent City 5’ 11” 260 RSO Bradenton/Braden River 6’ 5” 315 RSO Dover, Del./Dover 6’ 5” 315 RSR Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral 6’ 3” 320 RSR St. Petersburg/St. Petersburg Catholic 6’ 3” 251 FR Salt Lake City, Utah/Buchholz (Gainesville) 6’ 5” 285 SO Union, N.C./Mallard Creek 6’ 3” 310 RSR Groveland/South Lake 6’ 5” 320 RSO Clearwater/Countryside/St. Petersburg 6’ 8” 361 JR Albany, Ga./Westover/Georgia Military 6’ 5” 300 RJR Tampa/Tampa Catholic 6’ 4” 311 RJR Norcross, Ga./Norcross/Maryland 6’ 5” 306 RJR Orange Park/Fleming Island 6’ 4” 272 FR Bradenton/Braden River 6’ 4” 280 RFR Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek 6’ 2” 246 RFR Gainesville/Buchholz 6’ 1” 213 FR Columbus, Ga./Carver 5’ 8” 172 RFR Jacksonville/Raines 6’ 4” 228 RFR Fort Myers/Bishop Verot 5’ 9” 177 SR Mobile, Ala./Murphy 6’ 4” 258 RFR Warminster, Pa./Archbishop Wood 6’ 0” 167 FR Gainesville/Gainesville 6’ 0” 198 SO Tallahassee/Lincoln 6’ 5” 255 JR Coconut Creek/North Broward Prep 5’ 11” 219 RJR Fayetteville, Ga./Starr’s Mill/Sante Fe 6’ 4” 257 JR Venice/Venice Senior 5’ 11” 185 FR Seffner/Armwood 6’ 3” 270 SO Shelby, N.C./Crest Senior 6’ 3” 270 FR Dade City/Pasco 5’ 8” 180 FR Land O’Lakes/Sunlake 5’ 9” 151 RSO Gainesville/Gainesville/Santa Fe CC 6’ 3” 260 RFR Ft. Lauderdale/St. Thomas Aquinas 6’ 6” 238 RFR Clemmons, N.C./West Forsyth 5’ 9” 182 RJR Ocala/Trinity Catholic 5’ 11” 172 FR West Palm Beach/Dwyer 5’ 10” 195 SR Gainesville/Buchholz 6’ 3” 305 FR Port Saint Lucie/West Centennial
Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line - Brad Lawing Tight Ends - Derek Lewis Offensive Coordinator - Brent Pease Wide Receivers - Joker Phillips Defensive Backs - Travaris Robinson Running Backs - Brian White
18 • Spurs & Feathers
November 13, 2013
Sand volleyball amped up for fall competition by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
“There’s a lot of excitement for the weekend competition. We’re working hard in the weight room and everybody is doing their South Carolina’s sand volleyball team made best. We’re very excited to see another team final preparations for their fall competition and see how we work against them,” Frome last week before getting a sense of where said. they stack up against some of the best teams Moritz noted that he is starting to get to in the nation. work out some pairings and the ones that he Head coach Moritz Moritz said that the will use in the competition are fairly well team was “very ready” to play against difset. He said that there may be some adjustferent competition and they were excited to ments to matchup with the teams during the see how they matchup with Florida State and weekend, but he likes the way the duos are Georgia State. competing together. “It’s good to get out there and see some dif“We are continuing to stress that you want ferent competition. I told the team the most to be that player that can play with any other important thing is not wins and losses this partner, that everyone will want to play with weekend, but that we just need to go out and because you can do anything,” Moritz said. compete. We will get a good sense of where “We want them all to be versatile and adapt we are and where we need to be playing to anything that is happening on the court or these teams, so that can help us a lot going in the match. forward,” Moritz commented. “We are telling them ‘be that player that Sophomore Maddie Frome agreed with can complement any other player. If they are Moritz saying that the team’s level of excite- a good blocker, then you be tremendous on ment is very high before playing against outPlease see Volleyball, Page 30 side competition.
photo by Mike Kucharski
Moritz and the Gamecocks faced off against FSU and Georgia State this past weekend.
Men’s golf has strong finish to fall schedule by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
The Gamecock men’s golf team captured team titles at the Badger Invitational and Wendy’s Kiawah Classic each by over 20 strokes to close out their fall schedule on an upswing. “I think winning is contagious and it always helps to accomplish that. The thing that I was most impressed with was that we got contributions from everybody the last two events,” head coach Bill McDonald said. “Everybody seemed to be playing really well this past week and it should give them a lot of confidence in the offseason. Hopefully we use that to springboard into the spring with a little tougher schedule and accomplish some good things then.” McDonald said he has been pleased with the solid play throughout the roster because there is no way to compete at this level unless you have everyone playing well. He was happy to see all five golfers were almost in the top-20, Will Murphy tied for 21st, and two finished in the top-five as well. He said that is evidence of the team’s depth which will be a strength going forward. “The overall atmosphere of the team this fall was excellent. We’ve got great leadership from our team captain Caleb (Sturgeon) … I feel good with the way that everybody has
contributed,” McDonald noted. “Ben (Dietrich) really stepped in the last two events and as a freshman I think he handled himself extremely well. “We’ve had great play from Will Starke, Caleb Sturgeon and Matt NeSmith obviously and Will Murphy has been really solid for us as well,” McDonald continued. The team will have some time to relax, which McDonald said will be beneficial for them after playing full summer and collegiate
schedules in addition to their school work. He added they will individually set goals for each player’s work over the break, but they will really just need to take the time to catch their breath. “I’m very pleased with the fall. I think we’ve got some work to do since we’re playing in arguably the toughest conference in the country,” McDonald commented. “I think we’ve got some work to do to compete at the highest level in our conference and nationally, but it’s
work that we can accomplish. “We’re obviously wanting to be very competitive and peak at the right time around conference and regionals and we’ll set some goals when they come back in January that are more specific to each individual based on how the fall went. Every year it’s about the same. We want to be in the mix for the SEC Championship and have a chance to play for a National Championship,” McDonald concluded.
Spurs & Feathers • 19
November 13, 2013
Gamecock pride brings community together by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com The Darlington County Gamecock Club may not have as many members as some other chapters, but president Jimmy Griffin said there is great support from the local community for every sport. “We’ve got a lot of interest out here in all sports. That’s what makes our club go so good; everybody down here is really sportsminded and the area is really heavy with Gamecocks. We get a lot of support in this area in everything that we do,” Griffin said. “We get great cooperation out of the community. “The last few years we’ve gained a few fans in the area. Naturally when you win, you win a few fans over … it’s really good to see all the Carolina flags and stickers waving down in this area,” Griffin added. There have been a number of local athletes that have gone on to play for the Gamecocks, including Jeff Grantz among others. Currently on the South Carolina men’s basketball team is guard Jaylen Shaw who helped Hartsville win back-to-back state championships. Griffin said that being able to cheer on one of your own as a Gamecock always makes games even more fun. Griffin said that it takes a lot of work to make run and organize the chapters, but he said that it is definitely worth it to help out South Carolina Athletics. The Darlington county chapter holds about four meetings each year, a summer party to start off the year, a kickoff party in August to prepare for football season, a Christmas party and a barbecue fundraiser in January. Another special event the chapter does is taking part in the local Christmas parade every year. “We take part in the Christmas parade with Cocky. We get Gamecocks, Gamecock golf carts and Cocky all to be in the Christmas parade in Hartsville. It’s always a fun time to get together and do that,” Griffin said. The Darlington County Gamecock Club held their elections on Nov. 4 and Griffin was elected to serve his third term as chapter president. Other Board members elected were Woody Barfield as vice president, Curtis Tyner as treasurer and Sandy Gaskins as secretary. “I am very fortunate in the Board that I’ve got. My vice president is a good friend of mine; we’ve been friends since the ‘50s and he played ball at Carolina (football 1960-62). The secretary is a retired school teacher and the treasurer is president of a bank, so you couldn’t go wrong with either one of those,” Griffin commented. Griffin is proud of his chapter even though
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Jimmy Griffin with Steve Spurrier. it is sometimes tough to compare to some of the larger chapters. The Darlington county chapter won the Executive Director’s Cup twice which is a point of pride for Griffin and the local Gamecock Club members. “The biggest thing with our club that we’re proud of is the response that we get from the community in all the activities we have … the first year that we had coach Spurrier here we had 800 people show up and the following year when he came we had over 600 despite some really bad wether,” Griffin recalled. “The one that we’re most proud of is two years ago when there was the Fan Fest all around the state and the event at Darlington Race Track was cancelled due to bad weather. A couple of weeks later, (Gamecock Club Executive Director) Patrick (McFarland) called me and said ‘coach Spurrier is coming to Hartsville Monday to make up that bad weather event in Darlington.’ “He called me on a Thursday afternoon to say they were coming that Monday. Well we found a place and still had over 300 people come out on that short of notice. We were really happy about that and that just shows you the kind of support that we have here,” Griffin continued. Griffin said that he has been blessed to be a part of such a great community and great organization. He added that he has been extremely pleased with the involvement that has led to meeting great people, forging great friendships and providing incredible fellowship with other Gamecock fans. Griffin said he loves the team philosophy of the Gamecock Club and the cooperation between his group and other chapters as well. “It’s just great for all of us to get together and work as a team for South Carolina Athletics with such great people. It just seems like everything is going great right now with the Gamecock Club and on the field this year,” Griffin concluded.
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20 • Spurs & Feathers
November 13, 2013
Taking tailgating to a whole new level by mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
and each team will cook brisket, ribs and a Boston butt for judging. Fulmer said the National Collegiate TailgatWhen it comes to barbecue, the Ultimate ing Championships are a bit different because Tailgeters know how to set up for a football they do not focus on the barbecue as much, game which was confirmed when they were but it is a place where the Ultimate Tailgaters named the 2013 National Collegiate Tailgathave felt at home by winning the Championing Champions this past August. ship this year and runner-up last year. Chris and Kathy Fulmer of the Aiken “Those are more about the tailgating. They County Gamecock Club and the Ultimate grade you on your team spirit, tailgate set Tailgaters BBQ team have competed in the up and it’s more like tailgate foods … your World BBQ Food finger foods,” Championships the “A lot of these people are really Fulmer noted. past two years by “It’s pretty being named Grand into the barbecue side and not much whatChampions at qual- really the football, but we love ever you want ifying events. to cook and both. So we have our Gamecock put on the The Ultimate Tailgaters are table that will enthusiastic Game- canopies up, Gamecock banners please the cock fans and they and a Gamecock flag.” judges.” have taken their Fulmer said skills for tailgating that everyto competitions, thing started but never at the from a group expense of missof Gamecock ing a Carolina football game. This year Chris fans tailgating before the football games and Fulmer had to scramble at the qualification in that is something he has been doing since he September where they cooked at noon in one was young. of the last competitions that would qualify for “My dad owned a grocery store … and my the World BBQ Championship. This put them dad started taking me to the games in the late back in Columbia at 6 p.m. before the 7 p.m. 1960s with my brothers. That was our day,” kickoff against Kentucky. Fulmer recalled. “My dad always set aside “Of course you know I’m a diehard Game- those Saturdays for us to go up to the game cock fan so my deal in the fall is that I won’t and have a good time. We tailgated back miss a football game. Luckily both years this when I don’t even know if you could call it has been on the open date, so that is a reason tailgating quite honestly.” that we came out as well,” Fulmer explained. He added that everything developed from Fulmer said that they did not get into barthose times and it is something that he has becue for competitions, rather it is just some- loved ever since. The Ultimate Tailgaters thing that developed from their time tailgatwere formed in 1994 and he became more ing before football games. involved in the cooking side that has led them “I’ll be honest with you, we have a big to these competitions today. tailgate group that has been around about Wherever they compete, the Fulmers make 20 years, the Ultimate Tailgaters, and the sure to show off their Gamecock pride. He barbecue kind of came from that,” Fulmer ex- said that you meet a lot off good people, have plained. “We always cook up a lot of things at a good time and there is great fellowship to be our tailgate and we’ve really gotten more into had at those events. the competitions in the last four or five years. “A lot of these people are really into the bar“In the last three years we really got into becue side and not really the football, but we the competition side of barbecuing and prob- love both. So we have our Gamecock canoably did about 20 contests this year. They’re pies up, Gamecock banners and a Gamecock mostly in the early part of the year … we’ve flag,” Fulmer said. “It’s kind of neat because done a couple in the fall. Only if it’s a night we have a lot of people come up during the football game have we squeezed a couple in, competition and comment to us about South but I won’t miss a game,” Fulmer continued. Carolina. The Ultimate Tailgaters are one of about “We’re kind of excited to be carrying the 90 teams competing in Las Vegas, Nev. from South Carolina Gamecock torch out here. around the world in the World BBQ ChamWe’ve got our Gamecock Pride, we’re going pionship, although the vast majority of teams to try and do them proud out here and we’re are from the United States. There are seven going to have some fun doing it,” Fulmer teams in the competition from South Carolina concluded.
~ Chris Fulmer
submitted photo
November 13, 2013
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Gamecocks in the NFL (through Week 9) Arizona Cardinals John Abraham - DE Started six of eight games for the Cardinals and made 15 tackles (13 solo) and three sacks this season. He has forced two fumbles and deflected two passes. Jasper Brinkley - LB Started three games and played in seven for the Cardinals and compiled 25 tackles (21 solo) and one pass deflection. Atlanta Falcons Partick DiMarco - FB Started four games and played in six this season for the Falcons and has made three catches for 25 yards. photo by travis bell/sideline carolina Cliff Matthews - DE Former Gamecock and current Buffalo Bill Stephon Gilmore after picking up a Georgia Has played in all eight games for the Falfumble during third-quarter action in Athens, Ga. on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011. cons this season and tallied two tackles. Travian Robertson - DT Robertson has appeared in one game for the a total of 50 punts for a 45.7 yard average season while compiling six tackles (all soFalcons. with 16 downed inside the 20 yard line and lo). Robinson has also recovered one fumble a long of 59 yards.Lanning has also comand has two pass deflections. Buffalo Bills pleted his only passing attempt on the seaStephon Gilmore - CB son for an 11-yard touchdown and made an Ryan Succop - K Has played in four games and started two extra point in his only attempt on the year. Served as the placekicker and kickoff speafter returning from a wrist injury. Comcialist for all nine of the Chiefs’ games. Sucpiled 16 tackles (12 solo) and deflected two Dallas Cowboys cop is 18-for-21 on field goals with a long passes on the year. DeVonte Holloman - LB of 51 yards and has made all 23 of his extra Played in six games for the Cowboys, point attempts. He has had 34 touchbacks Carolina Panthers compiling five tackles and recovered one in 50 kickoffs giving an average opponent Captain Munnerlyn - CB fumble. starting field position at the 25 yard line. Started all eight games for the Panthers Rokevious Watkins - OL while collecting 34 tackles (23 solo) and six Detroit Lions Watkins was promoted from the Chiefs pass deflections. He also has one intercepDevin Taylor - DE practice squad to the active roster on Oct. tion that he returned for a touchdown, one Has played in six games and totaled six 30. forced fumble and one fumble recovery. tackles (four solo), one sack and one forced Travelle Wharton - G fumble for the Lions. New York Jets Has appeared in all eight games and started Antonio Allen - S four for the Panthers this season. Houston Texans Started seven games and played in all nine Johnathan Joseph - CB for the Jets this year, collecting 49 tackles Chicago Bears Started all eight games for the Texans this (29 solo) and one sack this season. Allen Alshon Jeffery - WR year. Joseph has made 18 tackles and has also has a blocked punt, four pass deflecStarted seven of eight games this season, nine pass deflections. He also has one inter- tions, one interception and one touchdown compiling 38 catches for 621 yards and ception on the season. on the year. three touchdowns. He is averaging 16.3 D.J. Swearinger - SS yards per catch and has rushed seven times Seen action in all eight games while making Philadelphia Eagles for 89 yards. two starts. He has made 21 tackles (19 solo) Clifton Geathers - DE this season. Has played in all nine games this season Cincinnati Bengals while compiling five tackles (3 solo) on the TJ Johnson - C Jacksonville Jaguars season. Johnson is on the Bengals practice squad Ace Sanders - WR/PR and has not appeared in any games this Started three games and played in seven for San Diego Chargers season. the Jaguars this year. He has 16 catches for Melvin Ingram - LB 182 yards for an 11.4 yard per recaption av- Suffered a torn ACL in May and is currentCleveland Browns erage. Sanders has also returned eight punts ly on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Tori Gurley - WR and one kick this year for 33 and 23 yards Ingram has returned to practice and must be Was promoted from the Browns practice respectively. activated by Week 11 to play this season. squad to active roster. He has one catch for 15 yards in three games. Kansas City Chiefs Byron Jerideau, - DT Spencer Lanning - P Dunta Robinson - CB A reserve player for the Chargers who has Punted in all nine games for the Browns for Played in four games and started one this not seen action this season due to shoulder
surgery. San Francisco 49ers Chris Culliver - CB Culliver is on injured reserve and out for the season with at torn ACL. Marcus Lattimore - RB Lattimore is on the reserve/non-fooball injury list with the knee injury he suffered against Tennessee last season as a Gamecock. He is not expected to play this season while recovering from surgery. Seattle Seahawks Lemuel Jeanpierre - G/C Appeared in all nine games for the Seahawks, starting two. Sidney Rice - WR Has a torn ACL and is out for the season, but started six games for the Seahawks and played in eight. Rice had 15 catches for 231 yards, an average of 15.4 yards per catch, and three touchdowns on the year. St. Louis Rams Jared Cook - TE Cook has started seven games playing in all nine for the Rams this year while compiling 32 catches for 411 yards. He is averaging 12.8 yards per catch and has scored three touchdowns this season. Darian Stewart - S Started five games and played in six for the Rams. Has made 20 tackles (16 solo), has one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also has one pass deflection this season. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jamon Meredith - OT Appeared in all eight games and started one for the Buccaneers this season.
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November 13, 2013
Spread your 2014 Gamecock Club Membership out over the next three months We highly recommend taking advantage of this membership payment option. You must enroll in this three-month payment plan option by November 27th. Please see below for a chart showing your monthly installments should you to take advantage of this offer. To enroll in a payment plan, please log into your AccountManager by visiting
www.GamecocksOnline.com/Tickets, or contact the Gamecock Club at 803.777.4276 or GamecockClub@sc.edu. As a reminder, the renewal deadline for 2014 Gamecock Club membership is January 31, 2014. Thank you for your support of South Carolina Athletics. It’s great to be a Gamecock! (Story by the Gamecock Club)
submitted photo
Pictured is 2 1/2 year old Hayden Henderson enjoying his first Gamecock football game at the Mississippi State game. He is the son of Chuck and Renee Henderson.
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November 13, 2013
Seeking Advertising Sales Executive If you love the Gamecocks and have a proven track record of sales success there is an opportunity to join the Spurs & Feathers team. The successful candidate will be responsible for sales around the State of South Carolina for advertising in the newspaper, magazine and web site. Please email your resume and a cover letter to General Manager Tim O’Briant at tobriant@spursandfeathers.
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November 13, 2013
Gamecock Radio/Television Information The Gamecock Sports Network from IMG College counts 34 affiliate stations for the 2013-14 season. For Sirius/XM subscribers, follow the Gamecock Radio Twitter page for weekly updates on channel information for Gamecock broadcasts. The weekly Carolina Calls show will air from 7-8 p.m. on the flagship station of the Gamecocks, WNKT-FM (107.5 FM), and over the Internet at www.GamecocksOnline.com. The show takes place each week at Wild Wing Café, located at 729 Lady Street in the Vista. Wild Wing Café, which is South Carolina’s home for the best wings south of Buffalo, has 12 locations in the Palmetto State. Visit www. wildwingcafe.com for more information.
Inside the Roost
South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner and Derek Scott from the Gamecock Sports Network from IMG College host an hour long radio show every Monday night at 7 p.m. from Hilton Columbia Center in the Vista. The show is broadcast on 107.5 FM and features discussions on current issues with Ray Tanner and interviews with coaches and athletics department staff.
South Carolina-Florida television
The game will be at 7 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN2.
2013-14 Radio Affiliates City Abbeville Johnston/Aiken Allendale Anderson Camden Camden Charleston Charleston Chesterfield Clinton Columbia Columbia Florence Florence Florence Florence/Lamar Gaffney Gaffney Greenville Greenville Hilton Head Kingstree Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach Newberry Rock Hill/Lancaster Rock Hill/Lancaster Seneca Seneca Spartanburg Sumter Sumter Union Woodruff
Call Letters
Frequency
WZLA-FM WKSX-FM WDOG-FM WRIX-FM WPUB-FM WCAM-AM WWIK-FM WTMZ-AM WVSZ-FM WPCC-AM WISW-AM WNKT-FM WHYM-AM WOLH-AM WOLH-FM WFRK-FM WZZQ-FM WZZQ-AM WROO-FM WGVL-AM WGZO-FM WDKD-AM WSYN-FM WHSC-AM WKDK-AM WRHM-FM WVSZ-FM WSNW-AM WSNW-FM WSPG-AM WIBZ-FM WDXY-AM WBCU-AM WQUL-AM
92.9 92.7 93.5 103.1 102.7 1590 98.9 910 107.3 1410 1320 107.5 1260 1230 98.9 95.3 104.3 1500 96.7 1440 103.1 1310 103.1 1050 1240 107.1 107.3 1150 103.5 1400 95.5 1240 1460 1510
Football Basketball Coaches Shows Baseball X X X X X X X X X X Women’s Basketball X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
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November 13, 2013
Meet the 2013-14 South Carolina men’s basketball team **Preseason: stats based off 2012-13 season; Johnson now eligible immediately (South Carolina Athletics Media Relations)
photo by allen sharpe
Sophomore forward Michael Carrera was named to the 2012-13 SEC All-Freshman Team.
photo by allen sharpe
Demetrius Henry averaged 18.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game during prep school last season at Faith Baptist Christian.
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November 13, 2013
Welcome to college basketball’s version of shock therapy. Don’t be alarmed. You won’t feel any electrical currents. Just a series of sharp whistles administered by men in black and white-striped shirts. You may experience some discomfort and you’ll definitely experience some ringing in the But in the Andy Demetra ears. end, you’ll be betContributing Writer ter off for it. In an effort to boost scoring, the NCAA basketball rules committee has enacted a series of 28 rule changes for the upcoming season. Officials have been instructed to crack down on the clutching, grabbing and excessive contact that have turned them into choppy, inartistic muckfests. Last year, scoring in Division I dipped to its lowest level (67.7 ppg) since 1952. Field-goal shooting (43.3%) reached its lowest level since 1965. As ESPN analyst Jay Bilas wrote, “the quality of play simply isn’t matching up to the quality of players and coaches.” By giving players more freedom of movement, the NCAA believes that scoring will return to healthier levels. Across the country, players have had to reprogram the way they defend. A play that barely would’ve raised an eyebrow last year will now draw a foul – and likely, a lot of groans from fans. But before you complain too loudly about the new whistles, there’s a potential side effect to this shock treatment. Head coach Frank Martin says it could give his team a big edge.
“The way we guard is not conducive to more fouls,” Martin told me. Because of the way Martin teaches defense, South Carolina could adapt to the rules faster than others. In the early season, that could lead to more free throws, more lineup mismatches – and, perhaps, more wins. “The coaches’ principles that we play by, it almost feeds into our hands,” senior Brenton Williams said. So why are the Gamecocks well equipped to handle the new rules? Martin hates hand-checking. “[The coaches] already tell us not to use our hands, even before the refs came and told us it was a new rule,” Williams told me. How serious is Martin about policing handchecks at practice? “Even without referees, when guys put their hands on the guy with the ball, we stop practice and we talk about it,” he said. “Sometimes we yak at them. Sometimes we pull them out.” The Gamecocks don’t like to gamble for steals. Teams that like to pressure the ball may be in for a rude awakening this year. Don’t count the Gamecocks among them. “I’m into making people play fast. I’m not into stealing,” he explained. The numbers support that. In six seasons as a head coach, Martin’s teams have never ranked highly in steal percentage, or the percentage of a team’s defensive possessions that results in a steal (the Gamecocks finished 318th nationally last year). Martin doesn’t like the unnecessary rotations that a whiffed steal attempt creates. “We’re not too much into being overly aggressive,” Williams added. As a result, the Gamecocks could avoid fouls more easily than other teams. Holding off the ball – an area of concentration for officials – isn’t something Martin teaches, either. “We’re not into grabbing people away from the ball. We’re not into
chucking cutters. Our strategy does not include any of these things,” he said. Martin wants his team’s length to force opponents into taking uncomfortable shots. Clutching and grabbing off the ball only hinders that. Last year, South Carolina ranked 329th out of 347 Division I teams in average height (75.1”) according to college basketball stats guru Ken Pomeroy. The Gamecocks were the shortest power-conference team in the nation and by a wide margin. In the heat of the halfcourt, the Gamecocks may have had to resort to those holding tactics as they chased taller opponents around the floor. But a beefed-up roster that includes 6’8” freshmen Demetrius Henry and Desmond Ringer, along with tall guards like 6’5” Sindarius Thornwell and 6’3” transfer Tyrone Johnson, should give Martin the length he desires – and the length that should make holding off the ball unnecessary. Please see inside, Page 30
photo by Allen sharpe
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November 13, 2013
Meet the 2013-14 South Carolina women’s basketball team **Preseason: stats based off 2012-13 season (South Carolina Athletics Media Relations)
photo by allen sharpe
Elem Ibiam saw action in 30 games last year for the Gamecocks.
photo by allen sharpe
Alaina Coates came to Carolina as a McDonald’s and a Parade All-American.
November 13, 2013
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Gamecock Club Upcoming Events Fairfield County Gamecock Club Meeting Tuesday, November 19th at 7:00 p.m. Upcoming South Carolina Athletics Events All Gamecock Club members and fans are invited to the Fairfield Cove Restaurant (1418 Hwy 321 Bypass zz November 12 South, Winnsboro, S.C. 29180) for the Fairfield NewYork City Gamecock Club County Gamecock Club business meeting. The meal Weekly Football Game-Watching Event Men’s Basketball at Baylor...........................................................3 p.m. will be a Dutch treat and there will be great door prizes. Saturdays at The Mason Jar. Additionally, a 2012 Outback Bowl autographed The best place to watch Gamecock football if you zz November 13 Steve Spurrier football will be raffled. Tickets will only can’t be at Williams-Brice! be sold at the meeting and you must be present to win. Located at 43 E 30th Street in Manhattan, with a Volleyball at Florida.......................................................................7 p.m. Gamecock-inspired menu and discounts for Game- Guest speaker will be Jay Brown,Assistant Director of the Gamecock Club.Aspecial thanks to Carolina cock fans. Call them at: (212) 213-3587. Men’s Soccer vs. Tulsa at C-USA Tournament......................3 p.m. Wings (Blythewood), Frank’s Carwash, Jewelry For more information, check out the website at: Warehouse Garnet and Black Traditions, and Scotties’ www.nycgamecocks.com or email chapter president zz November 14 Café and Grill (Blythewood) for their generous donaJR Buzzelli at gamecockclubofgny@gmail.com. tions to the Fairfield County Gamecock Club. Women’s Basketball vs. College of Charleston........8 p.m. Florence County Gamecock Club invites you to a Colleton County Gamecock Club - Pep Rally Pre-Florida Rally zz November 15 Thursday, November 14, 2013 at RedboneAlley in Monday, Nov. 25 from 6-8 p.m. Walterboro Elks Lodge at 236 Milestone Ln. in Florence from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Cross Country at NCAA Southeast Regionals...................12 p.m. All Gamecock Club members and fans are invited Walterboro, S.C. 29488. Fun for all ages! DJ and Cocky will be present with to attend the Florence County Gamecock Club PreVolleyball vs. Alabama................................................7 p.m. Florida Pep Rally on Thursday, November 14, from raffle tickets for awesome prizes. For more information contact Lori Beard at lori@ 4:30-6:30 p.m. at RedboneAlley in Florence. Men’s Soccer at Conference USA Tournament....................... TBA docheno.com or (843) 909-1919. KenArd will be hosting his daily sports talk show from there which airs on 98.9 ESPN radio. Fans will zz November 16 have an opportunity to tell Ken about some of their Kershaw County Gamecock Club Meeting Langston Moore, former Gamecock great and current favorite games, plays and stories on the radio. Football vs. Florida......................................................7 p.m. Gamecock Radio Sideline reporter, will address the Redbone has graciously offered special prices on Kershaw County Gamecock Club on the Monday beer, liquor and appetizers. Be sure to bring your zz November 17 business cards as there will be some giveaways. No (November 25) before the Carolina-Clemson game! The event will be held at Gadget’s in Camden and is RSVPs are necessary. If you have any questions, Volleyball vs. Missouri.......................................... 1:30 p.m. please call Rod Jernigan at Jernigan Law Firm (843) free of charge! The bar and the restaurant will be open for your convenience. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. 664-0540. Women’s Basketball vs. Seton Hall............................3 p.m. with Langston Moore speaking approx. 6:50-7 p.m. ALL GAMECOCK FANSAND FRIENDSARE Savannah Gamecock Club Social Men’s Basketball at Clemson.....................................................5 p.m. WELCOME! You do not have to be a Gamecock Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. Club member to attend. There will also be raffle B&D Burgers - 209 W. Congress St. Savannah, Ga. Men’s Soccer at Conference USA Tournament....................... TBA drawings and a drink special if you have on Garnet Get to know other fellow Gamecocks, hear from and Black. Come on out with your Kershaw County some of the Gamecock Club staff members and Home events listed in Bold Gamecock friends and get ready to make it 5 INA talk about future events. Don’t forget to bring your ROW against “that school in the upstate.” Contact business card for the raffle; prize is a signed Steve Spurrier football. RSVP by Nov. 13 to Reeves Skeen Gamecock Club President Casey Robinson for more Don’t forget to check the calendar on www.spursandfeathers.com for all upcoming events. information at (803) 669-0273. at reeves.skeen@gmail.com. Reminder from Gamecock Club: Please remember that the Gamecock Club renewal deadline is January 31, 2014.
Gamecock Club Holiday Hours
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November 13, 2013
Records are meant to be broken
The lack of a football game on a Saturday can leave one lost. It is such a habit from week to week that the break can leave you looking around wondering what to do. Fortunately, that was alleviated at USC as basketball started. The women and men started with a bang with two blowouts on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The women were not challenged by Charleston Southern, winning 99-29, so what can we tell from that? Ed Girardeau Check the scores of the big Contributing Editor time programs in women’s basketball and the scores against teams like that: UConn, Tennessee, Baylor, etc. The final score will be something like 99-29. Are we ready to challenge the elite programs? I think we will find out that we are before this year is over. The men about doubled up Longwood in the opener, 82-44. Longwood was outsized and just could not handle the Gamecocks’ smothering defense. And we had heard that Ty Johnson would be good. He is. Johnson led all scorers with 18 points and he is a smooth player. Add in Mindaugas Kacinas’ 14 rebounds it was a good win for the Gamecocks. Now things will get interesting at Baylor this week, #25 in the AP, and at Clemson next Sunday. Who says we don’t play anybody in basketball until January?
But football is really never out of our minds as we kept up with Missouri/Kentucky, Auburn/ Tennessee and Vanderbilt/Florida while watching basketball. I am officially a huge War Eagle fan. If we are to win the East, it comes down to Auburn beating Georgia (yes, I know Georgia plays Kentucky, too). That will be the game to watch for us at 3:30. In the perfect world, Georgia loses and we play for the 6-2 finish, eliminate the Dawgs and put the pressure on Missouri (yes, I will also be a big Rebel fan and/or Aggie, as Mizzou will need to lose one of those two as well, but that’s not until next week). The Gamecocks will be playing for the longest home winning streak in their history (16) as last week the record of tying 15 straight home wins was accomplished against Mississippi State. The original record was set starting with the last home game of 1978 against Wake Forest, a 37-14 win, and ended with the last home game in 1980 which was also against Wake Forest, and was a 39-38 win which was a game that the Gamecocks trailed late in the game after a fourth quarter rally by the Demon Deacons. Gary Harper threw a long touchdown pass with less than a minute and USC went for two and won the game by the one point. George Rogers had 177 yards rushing that day and the win very probably enabled Rogers to win the Heisman as a loss would have severely hurt his chances. Carolina would lose the home opener in 1981 against Ole Miss to stop the streak.
The other memorable win in that streak was the home finale in 1979, as Clemson came in ranked #13 in the nation. Leading 13-9 late in the fourth quarter, Carolina lined up to punt at their own 16 with Jay Feltz being the punter. Feltz got off the kick of his career, an 82-yard bomb to the two yard line. The Gamecocks would need every yard as Clemson marched inside the five but threw out of the back of the end zone on fourth down and the celebration was on. I was a sophomore at USC and my roommate thought it be a good idea to run around on the field after the game. We jumped the rail and went running with a policeman trailing right behind me. At some point he looked up and realized there were people running all over the place (of course we don’t do this anymore), so he stopped his pursuit. I ended up in the arms of one of our offensive linemen who picked me up and was throwing me up in the air. When I got away, I made my way to Harper who was stripped of his chin strap, but still had the game ball. We stood in front of the West Stands and I came up with the well thought out, “good game!” He responded with, “it was a good game wasn’t it?” He turned and shook the ball at the fans and they just roared. It is one of my favorite moments in Carolina football! Once the year is over we will take time to look back and highlight all the great moments that have occurred. Here’s to seeing these records run up a good bit higher in the weeks to
come! Free throws On Friday, November 1, there was a memorial held for former Head Coach Warren Giese who passed away September 12. It was held at the Lettermen’s Lounge at Williams-Brice. Coach Giese’s Pastor from St. Paul Lutheran, Rev. Tony Metze, spoke as did the Luthern Campus minister Rev. Frank W. Anderson. Speaking at the memorial were Giese’s former players Jim Merck, Steve Satterfield and Nelson Weston. Former Gamecock football player Mike Fair, who served in the South Carolina State Senate with Giese spoke, as did Coach Giese’s son Barney Giese. We share our sympathies with the family and remember an important part of our Gamecock history. We also have something new in this week’s Spurs. It’s a roster brought to you by Simplified Office Systems (SOS). For your convenience, pull it out and take it to the stadium with both the Gamecocks and the Florida rosters. We appreciate Kevin Hunter and his staff for printing these up and making them available to us. And they just so happen to have a selection of the Carolina Copier or Printer! The perfect copier/ printer for your Gamecocks office, corporate, home or otherwise. Check out these Garnet and Black, Gator Trapping, Tiger Taming, Fighting Gamecock Machines! And keep up with the players with the roster printed by the Carolina Printer! Go Cocks! Beat Florida!
matches. Sophomore Jordan Loney was a part of three of the four splits as the Gamecocks will use defense. If you need to attack, then you have the experience to build toward its competition to be able to play with anyone.’ I think they season this spring. are getting there and understanding that The team and Moritz have enjoyed their first pretty well,” Moritz continued. week practicing in their newly-completed home Frome said that the team members are getting facility. Moritz said that it is great to have a place in synch with one another, learning how to play that they can call their own and the facility is intogether and communicating well. credible for them. There are still scoreboards and “A lot of the partners are working really well a few other details to be completed, but Moritz with each other and luckily everybody plays well and the team have been pleased to be able to together anyway. All the matchings are working have the place to come every day that is specifiwell and he (Moritz) definitely thought through it cally for them. a lot. It has been great,” Frome commented. Frome echoed Moritz’s excitement to have The Gamecocks competed against Florida their own home to practice and play and lauded State and Georgia State in pool play on Saturday, the facility as an asset to the program. Nov. 9 at the Seminole Sand Volleyball Com“It’s awesome. It’s definitely one of the best plex. Each match was decided by two sets to 21 facilities in the country for sure. They definitely points and South Carolina won four sets to split took care of us here so we love it. The whole
team is loving it,” Frome said. The team has had multiple guests at practices lately including coach Tanner and other members of the administration as they check in on the newest Gamecock team and their new facility. Moritz said it was special when Tanner came out and addressed the team on the first day of practice on the new courts and the show of support means a lot to the team. Another first for the team was when the indoor volleyball student-athletes got the chance to come work out with the team recently. Moritz said that it was great to see all the players come out and show enthusiasm to get out in the sand despite the poor weather one of the days. “It’s fun to see everyone come out and it is just a little preview of what we will get in January when we get all the girls out here,” Moritz noted. “It’s nice to see the support that we have
throughout the program in our volleyball family.” The Gamecocks are now focusing on the task at hand and keeping with the theme of firsts, they hope to play well in their first matches. Moritz is excited to really see where the team stands heading into the break. “We will learn a lot about our team and where we are this weekend, but I have stressed that the results aren’t the most important thing,” Mortiz noted before competition last Saturday. “We just want to go out and show these teams ‘hey, we’re here and we’re serious about this.’ “We know that we want to get to that level and measuring where we are will tell us where we need to go. It will give us the taste of competition and help us to figure out what areas we will work on going forward getting ready for the spring season,” Moritz concluded.
inside, cont. from page 27
officiating won’t change his team’s attitude on defense. “We’re physical when the ball is shot. We want to box out and we go to the offensive glass. We don’t give in to contact,” he said. Still, the Gamecocks received their first dose of shock therapy in their 84-72 exhibition win over USC Aiken at Colonial Life Arena. With a crew that included SEC veterans Ted Valentine and Tony Greene, officials
called a total of 55 fouls, including 29 in the first half. Last year, Division I games averaged 35.7 fouls total. That’s the irony of the officiating crackdown: to clean the game up, games might get messier. But the new rules will also create opportunities for teams that can adapt better. Can South Carolina take advantage? Don’t be shocked.
volleyball, cont. from page 18
The new hand-checking rules will reward teams who attack the rim. The Gamecocks finished 5th in the SEC last year in Free Throw-Point Distribution Percentage, or the percentage of a team’s overall points that come from the free-throw line. Martin has always drilled his teams to play “inside-
out” – to work the ball into the lane on every halfcourt possession. With the crackdown on hand-checking inside the three-point line, teams that make a habit of getting into the paint can draw more fouls than ever before. “We’ve got to program our guys to be ultraaggressive going to the rim now,” Martin said. Martin is quick to point out that the tighter
November 13, 2013
Spurs & Feathers • 31
32 • Spurs & Feathers
November 13, 2013