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Gamecock club reaches highest membership ever
Let the games begin!
long-awaited and promising season kicks off Thursday night with that other Carolina August 28, 2013 • Volume 35 • Issue 22
2 • Spurs & Feathers
August 28, 2013
Hand Writing
By Brian Hand bhand@spursandfeathers.com
sity of South Carolina we are unable to speculate about recruiting until the prospect signs a National-Letter-ofRecently we had the opportunity to meet Intent. We are under the same rules as with the Gamecock Club chapter presieach member of the coaching staff and dents and many other important people administration. from around Gamecock Nation at the anWe will make sure and include all nual Board of Directors kickoff meeting of this information in our publicaat Williams-Brice Stadium. tions when they officially sign and the It was quite a treat as we had the chance information is made available by the to interact with some great people who University of South Carolina athletics really had some great things to say about department. Another question we have the all-new Spurs & Feathers. consistently received is when will my Their feedback was reminiscent of all publication arrive in the mail. of the feedback we have been receiving We will be going to print every Sunafter the inaugural magazine and the first day afternoon after the football game newspaper of the athletic year. and the newspaper will be mailed out Seeing and hearing all the great things every Monday morning — the rest is from people via email, phone calls and up to the Post Office. Let us know if social media messages has been someyou see delays in your delivery. thing we are extremely proud of. The newspaper itself will be availIn addition to the plethora of positive able every Monday on www.spursandcomments we have also heard many ques- feathers.com. tions and I wanted to take some time to We have also been asked if spuranswer some of them. sandfeathers.com will always be a free One of the main questions we keep website to visit. hearing is whether or not there will be It definitely will be if you are a recruiting news in Spurs & Feathers. The Gamecock Club member or a publicaaccess to everyone. answer is yes and no. tion subscriber, but only if you are one of All Gamecock Club members and pubUnder the NCAA compliance rules and these two. On Sept. 2, the official Spurs & lication subscribers are being put into a with our current contract with the Univer- Feathers website will no longer have free system by our website provider and you will receive a special password to get into the system. More information will be made available in the coming days. Finally, we hope you have been enjoying all that the new Spurs & Feathers has to offer in regards to not only the magazine and newspaper, but also with our website and social media avenues. In addition to the publications and regular coverage of all things Gamecocks, our website if you have not seen also has a special feature done daily called “What’s Going on in Gamecock Nation.” The special daily article features links to stories from across the state, region and nation talking about the Gamecocks. We want it to be a one-stop shop for all Gamecock Club members and publication subscribers to go to see links to other stories from around Gamecock nation. Next week, we are also going to start featuring blogs from Bart Wright and “Voice of the Gamecocks” Andy Demetra
on the official Spurs & Feathers website. More surprises will also be unveiled over the course of the athletic year. We are also linking to our stories and many other thoughts and tidbits on our social media avenues. If you have not already, please like us on Facebook at Spurs & Feathers. You can also follow us on Twitter @SpursFeathers. Thanks again for all your positive remarks so far. Please keep sending along your thoughts. If you are not currently a Gamecock Club member, please take time to consider becoming one of the 16,300 members of the club to help impact the 385 Gamecock student-athletes. As part of joining the Gamecock Club you will be able to visit our members-only website and by joining at the Century level or above you will receive the newspaper and the three magazines in the mail. If you aren’t a member (yet), you can still subscribe to Spurs & Feathers for just $50 a year. This will get you the publications and access to the members-only website. Call 800-559-2311 to subscribe. GO GAMECOCKS!
Spurs & Feathers • 3
August 28, 2013
Spurs & Feathers
What’s Inside? - Table of Contents
Published by Aiken Communications, Inc.
Contact Us: 218 Richland Ave. W. Aiken, SC 29801 (803) 335-1399
To subscribe: Please call 800-559-2311; annual subscription price is $50
Football season-opener preview...............................4
Scott B. Hunter
2014 Football schedule released...............................6
Publisher & President Aiken Communications, Inc.
Tim O’Briant
Gamecock Club membership grows........................7
General Manager tobriant@spursandfeathers.com (803) 335-1400 Ext. 500
Five Gamecocks named to coaches’ Preseason All-SEC Team................................................8
Brian Hand
Dawn Staley teaches players to “be the change”...........................................................9
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) 644-2349
Kathy Boyette
Frank Martin will do “whatever it takes”...............10 Basketball sesaon ticket information....................11 Steve Spurrier speaks at Touchdown Club......................................................12
Gamecock sand volleyball begins inaugural season............................................15 Checking in with men’s soccer................................16
Send address changes to: Spurs & Feathers, P.O. Box 456, Aiken, SC 29801
“You are a booster if ...” ...............................................21 Excellence in academics and athletics..................22 Support your team and a good cause at Border Bash....................................23 Marty Simpson profile................................................24
Postal Information:
Postmaster:
All of the information in the Spurs & Feathers’ newspaper will be mailed out to Gamecock Club members and subscribers early each week, but if you want the information before the hard copy arrives in your hand you can visit www.spursandfeathers.com. Each edition will be made available the Monday after each football game. Check www.spursandfeathers.com regularly for daily information on all things going on in the Gamecock nation. You can also like us on Facebook at Spurs & Feathers and follow us on Twitter @SpursFeathers.
Volleyball seniors lead youth...................................14
Advertising Sales Manager (803) 644-2349 kboyette@spursandfeathers.com Postage paid at 2001 Dixiana Rd., West Columbia, SC 29172. Periodical application pending. Spurs & Feathers is published 22 times a year, coming out weekly from Aug. 21 through Dec. 4 and bi-monthly from Jan. 29 through June 25.
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News from the Gamecock backfield......................26 Football ranked No. 6 by AP.....................................27 Upcoming events: Gamecock Club.......................28 Grounds crew sees fruits of its labor on gameday..................................17 “Inside the Chart” with Andy Demetra.....................................................20
Defense shines in final scrimmage........................29 It’s time for Carolina football!...................................30 Gamecock Sports Quick Hits....................................31
4 • Spurs & Feathers
August 28, 2013
photo by allen sharpe
The sell out crowd will be a huge advantage for the Gamecocks in South Carolina’s season opener against North Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium on Thursday.
Sports most meaningful opening day arrives By BART WRIGHT Contributing Writer The ritual of renewal is upon us once again as different colored uniforms finally come to Williams-Brice Stadium with national television cameras, The Entrance and everything else we live for in college football. This is more than just the start of a football season, for a lot of us it’s our favorite time of the year, this year and every year. No other sport starts quite like football when seasons can be leveraged this way or that, on the outcome of The Opener. Baseball is treated with more cultural reverence, possibly from the tradition of Presidents throwing out the first pitch, but in that sport, as in basketball or hockey, as soon as it’s over, it’s just a game. Wake up the next day and shake it off. Only in football does the meaning of The Opener carry such heft that it can throw a team in a funk for a month or more, relegating the season to a level of mediocrity no one saw coming, or it can lift a squad to a new level of awareness and performance. Analytically, this is what The Opener looks like: No surprise, North Carolina should become Carolina’s first victim. Steve Spurrier is 22-1 in season openers as a college coach and the only time he lost came when he coached Duke and met defeat on this
same field, 27-21 to the Gamecocks. Carolina has a lot of questions to answer on defense with a number of new faces, particularly at linebacker, about to take their first test, but there are fundamental reasons that lean heavily in favor of the home team Thursday night in Columbia. Yes, it starts with Jadeveon Clowney, quite possibly the best defensive player in the nation and the best player on that side of the ball to ever wear a Gamecocks’ jersey. But a starting quarterback who is 17-3 weighs heavily in this one and oh yes, Connor Shaw is undefeated in 10 home starts. Reasons for this victory: CORE STRENGTH – In his second year, UNC Coach Larry Fedora’s speed offense fits the trend of underachieving teams searching for an edge, but the program is at least two more recruiting classes away from the ability to compete on a weekly basis with an upper level SEC team. DEFENSE – The Heels play a 4-2-5 as does Carolina under DC Lorenzo Ward. Ward learned his with Frank Beamer and DC Bud Foster at Virginia Tech. Foster played the key LB position for Beamer in college at Murray State and
photo by allen sharpe
Clowney and the Gamecock defense will have their hands full with the Tar Heel offense. knows it inside out. The Heels’ strain of the concept comes from TCU Coach Gary Patterson. With its double trouble offense at home, Carolina will benefit the most from seeing a familiar defense.
LESS DEFENSE – As a head coach, 13 of Fedora’s 23 losses have come in games his team led or was tied in the fourth quarter. Last year, the Heels lost to Wake Forest and Duke and gave up 68 points in a loss to Georgia Tech.
August 28, 2013
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6 • Spurs & Feathers
August 28, 2013
Home opener against Texas A&M leads off the 2014 football schedule University of South Carolina 2014 Football Schedule (Note: All dates subject to change) Thursday, August 28, vs Texas A&M* Saturday, September 6, vs East Carolina Saturday, September 13, vs Georgia* Saturday, September 20, at Vanderbilt* Saturday, September 27, vs Missouri* Saturday, October 4, at Kentucky* Saturday, October 18, vs Furman Saturday, October 25, at Auburn* Saturday, November 1, vs Tennessee* Saturday, November 15, at Florida* Johnny Football likely won’t be there next year when the Aggies come to Columbia.
First-ever faceoff with Aggies the debut of the SEC Network by Brian hand bhand@spursandfeathers.com When the 2014 South Carolina football schedule was announced, the first thing that jumped out was that the Gamecocks would be opening the season against Texas A&M at Williams-Brice Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 28. The game is the first contest of a season-opening three-game homestand. The other thing was that the contest would be the inaugural football game on the SEC Network, which is set to launch on Aug. 21, 2014. “It is exciting just like when we open against the Tar Heels next week,” South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner noted shortly after the schedule was un-
Saturday, November 22, vs South Alabama Saturday, November 29, at Clemson * Denotes SEC contest | Home games listed in bold
this program to be relevant. He has made us relevant and it is a great honor for our program and this University to be in this veiled to the public. “It is the primetime. position.” It is the first game of the college season. The first-ever meeting with the Aggies is It’s a big deal. Now in 2014 we are the part of a tough opening stretch in the 2014 opener and we are going to be in Columbia campaign that will see the Gamecocks against A&M. face off against an SEC opponent in five of “I think it is a real testament to Coach the first six weeks. Spurrier, his staff and his players and our After a non-conference home game great fan base to be selected. There are against East Carolina on Saturday, Sept. other options and for it to work out for us 6, South Carolina will then face Georgia, to be the Thursday night game and in this Vanderbilt, Missouri and Kentucky in concase to be launching the new network is secutive weeks. very exciting and I think it is wonderful Overall, the 2014 South Carolina footfor our program,” Tanner continued. ball schedule features seven home games Tanner thinks that there are a lot of in(Texas A&M, East Carolina, Georgia, gredients that go along with obtaining Missouri, Furman, Tennessee and South high-profile contests such as this, but at the Alabama). end of the day, you have to give credit to South Carolina will close out its 2014 Coach Spurrier. regular season on the road against Clem“This is his ninth season and he wanted son on Saturday, Nov. 29.
August 28, 2013
Spurs & Feathers • 7
Gamecock Club reaches unprecedented heights By BRIAN HAND bhand@spursandfeathers.com It has always been great to be a Gamecock, but lately it feels as if the athletic department at South Carolina is continuing to lift itself into rarefied air. In such exciting times for the South Carolina athletic department it is sometimes easy to forget all the great things that are done behind the scenes to allow student-athletes, coaches and administrators to be successful in their endeavors. These successful endeavors would not be plausible though without organizations such as the Gamecock Club providing over $13 million in scholarships and support to 385 Gamecock student-athletes. Under the direction of Executive Director Patrick McFarland along with the hard work of his great staff, the past two years have been banner years for the Gamecock Club. In fact, earlier this month the Gamecock Club surpassed 16,000 members for the first time. The current number is just over 16,300. When talking about surpassing 16,000 members and surpassing last year’s record by 1,100 members the pride in Gamecock fans is apparent in McFarland’s voice as he discusses the monumental accomplishment. “It is our second year of breaking an alltime record for membership in the Gamecock Club. Last year, we did over 15,000, which was a huge number and day for us. This year, we are over 16,000 so to have two years back-to-back is phenomenal and it is an extremely exciting accomplishment for the Gamecock Club and its members,” McFarland noted. South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner echoed McFarland’s thoughts. “The excitement level has never been higher for Gamecock Athletics as demonstrated by a second-consecutive record breaking year of Gamecock Club memberships,” said Tanner in a release by the athletic department. “The support of Gamecock fans is tremendous and our student-athletes will benefit greatly on and off the field due to their generosity.” Despite surpassing 16,000 members, McFarland and his staff are not going to be resting on their laurels as they always want the number of Gamecock Club members to go higher. “This number includes all of our Gamecock Club members Roost and above, our junior Gamecock Club members and our graduate memberships. We always want to continue to increase.” Buoyed by Tanner’s leadership at the helm, to continue the upward trend and to better serve their current stakeholders one of the
1 p.m. Gamecock Village is where we will be located on the Garnet Way. That opens at 1:30. We are going to have a tent – a brandnew tent with our new logo. You can’t miss us. It is a big white tent right where the team walks by. We have 3,000 car flags. You show your membership card you get a car flag. Those are going to go very fast. First 3,000 people get that. We also have 60,000 rally rags. So we have plenty to go around. You show your membership card for that as well and we will give you a rally rag. We want to pack the stadium with rally rags.” During halftime of the season opener against the Tar Heels, the Gamecock Club photo by brian hand will also recognize the chapter winners for Patrick McFarland talks with a Gamecock Club member and head women’s golf coach the Director’s Cup in two divisions (Garnet Kalen Harris at the annual Board of Directors kickoff meeting on Monday, Aug. 19. and Black). They will also honor the most improved chapter and the most valuable unique things that the Gamecock Club is something that was easily adjustable for chapter president. really working on is trying to improve their other purposes.” After the Gamecock Club Appreciation customer service. One of the first times the new Gamecock Day on Aug. 29, McFarland and his staff “That is something that is really big with Club logo is going to be used en masse is on will then return to work the next day to do Coach Tanner. It is really important to us Gamecock Club Appreciation Day, which what they do best, which is continue to send as well. It is hard to get our members exwill be held during the season opener against the Gamecock Club in directions previously cited about phone improvements, but that is North Carolina on Thursday, Aug. 29. unseen. something we have really improved upon. “We are celebrating (1) our members and Because as we all know, somebody has to We get a report every month on how we are (2) our record of 16,000. Parking lots open at answer the phone. doing on answering the phones … we are up considerably (from where we started). We do not want people to have to wait on the phone. When we are growing our membership we want to continue to increase our customer service as well.” To this end, the Gamecock Club is working hard to try and make it where you are not on hold for longer than 30 seconds. “It is kind of a different animal as you go through the year because there are certain times of the year where you are going to have really in-depth conversations with members and prospective members about tickets and their membership. Sometimes it is hard to get that 30 seconds and we do not want to rush anybody of the phone, but we do want to take care of as many people as possible.” Adding more staff to the Gamecock Club has made things such as trying not to keep people on hold for more than 30 seconds a possibility. In addition to the great things happening with the club, a new Gamecock Club logo has also been implemented over the past few weeks. The new Gamecock Club logo was devised as something that was “printable and something that you could embroider on a shirt. “We have gone through many different logos at the Gamecock Club, but we wanted something we could use for printing materials, for wearables, for our chapters to be able to use since in the little flag that says 1940 they can put their chapter name. We wanted
8 • Spurs & Feathers
Five Gamecocks earn spots on Coaches All-SEC Squad
August 28, 2013
SOUTH CAROLINA ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS Five members of the University of South Carolina football team earned spots on the 2013 preseason All-SEC squads as selected by the league’s 14 coaches, it was announced last week. Junior defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and junior all-purpose back Bruce Ellington earned spots on the first team, while tight end Rory “Busta” Anderson, offensive guard A.J. Cann and defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles were second-team selections. Ellington was also honored as a third-team pick as a return specialist. Clowney, a 6-6, 274-pounder from Rock Hill, S.C., was a unanimous All-America selection as a sophomore last season. The SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting after recording 54 tackles, including a school-record 23.5 tackles for loss and a schoolrecord 13.0 quarterback sacks. Clowney, the reigning Hendricks Award winner as the nation’s top defensive end, is a unanimous preseason first-team All-American heading into the 2013 campaign. Ellington, a 5-9, 196-pound junior from Moncks Corner, S.C., led the team with 600 receiving yards last season on 40 catches with seven touchdowns. He has been the Gamecocks’ top kickoff returner each of the last two years. In 2012, he returned 18 kickoffs for a net average of 22.6 yards. After not having a kickoff return in the first four games, his first return came against Missouri when he went 50 yards to set up an eventual Gamecock touchdown. Anderson is a 6-5, 242-pounder from Powder Springs, Ga. Anderson saw action in all 13 games last year and caught 14 passes for 271 yards. In his first two seasons, he has averaged 20.9 yards per catch and scored eight touchdowns on 22 career receptions. Cann is the most experienced offensive lineman on the Carolina team with 25 starts over the past two seasons, the most among any returning player on the Gamecocks’ roster. The 6-4, 314-pounder from Bamberg, S.C., was presented with the Everyday Hustle Award for the offense at the 2013 Garnet & Black Spring Game. He was a thirdteam All-SEC selection by Phil Steele last year. Quarles is a 6-4, 298-pound defensive tackle from Hodges, S.C. He has logged 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in his first two seasons for the Garnet & Black while making 17 career starts. His father, Buddy, also played for the Gamecocks. The Gamecocks will open the 2013 season on Thursday when they host the North Carolina Tar Heels at Williams-Brice Stadium. Game time is set for 6 p.m. and the contest will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Join the crew for Gamecock Club Appreciation gameday event
Photo by Travis Bell/SIDELINE CAROLINA
South Carolina’s Kelcy Quarles celebrates after taking down UAB quarterback Jonathan Perry, at right, during second-quarter action in Columbia, Sept. 15, 2012. 2013 Coaches Preseason All-SEC OFFENSE First Team QB - Aaron Murray, Georgia RB - Todd Gurley, Georgia RB - T.J. Yeldon, Alabama WR - Amari Cooper, Alabama WR - Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt TE - Arthur Lynch, Georgia OL - Jake Matthews, Texas A&M OL - Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama OL - Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State OL - Antonio Richardson, Tennessee C - Travis Swanson, Arkansas Second Team QB - Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M RB - LaDarius Perkins, Mississippi State RB - Tre Mason, Auburn WR - Mike Evans, Texas A&M WR - Donte Moncrief, Mississippi TE - Rory Anderson, South Carolina OL - Anthony Steen, Alabama OL - Ja’Wuan James, Tennessee OL - Wesley Johnson, Vanderbilt OL - *A.J. Cann, South Carolina OL - *Chris Burnette, Georgia OL - *Zach Fulton, Tennessee OL - *Jon Halapio, Florida C - Reese Dismukes, Auburn Third Team QB - AJ McCarron, Alabama RB - Alfred Blue, LSU RB - Keith Marshall, Georgia WR - *Odell Beckham Jr., LSU WR - *Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia
WR - *Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri TE - *Brian Vogler, Alabama TE - *C.J. Uzomah, Auburn OL - La’el Collins, LSU OL - David Hurd, Arkansas OL - Justin Britt, Missouri OL - Aaron Morris, Mississippi C - James Stone, Tennessee DEFENSE First Team DL - Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina DL - Dominique Easley, Florida DL - Anthony Johnson, LSU DL - Chris Smith, Arkansas LB - C.J. Mosley, Alabama LB - A.J. Johnson, Tennessee LB - Denzel Nkemdiche, Mississippi DB - Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama DB - Craig Loston, LSU DB - Andre Hal, Vanderbilt DB - Loucheiz Purifoy, Florida Second Team DL - Kelcy Quarles, South Carolina DL - Daniel McCullers, Tennessee DL - *Ed Stinson, Alabama DL - *Xzavier Dickson, Alabama DL - *Jeoffrey Pagan, Alabama LB - Lamin Barrow, LSU LB - Jordan Jenkins, Georgia LB - Adrian Hubbard, Alabama DB - Damian Swann, Georgia DB - Marcus Roberson, Florida DB - E.J. Gaines, Missouri DB - Deion Belue, Alabama Third Team
DL - *Dee Ford, Auburn DL - *C.J. Johnson, Mississippi DL - *Ronald Powell, Florida DL - *Alvin Dupree, Kentucky DL - *Denico Autry, Mississippi State LB - Avery Williamson, Kentucky LB - Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State LB - *Ronald Powell, Florida LB - *Trey DePriest, Alabama DB - Deshazor Everett, Texas A&M DB - Nickoe Whitley, Mississippi State DB - Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama DB - Charles Sawyer, Mississippi SPECIALISTS First Team PK - Carey Spear, Vanderbilt P - Kyle Christy, Florida RS - Odell Beckham Jr., LSU AP - Bruce Ellington, South Carolina Second Team PK - Cody Parkey, Auburn P - *Tyler Campbell, Mississippi P - *Cody Mandell, Alabama P - *Steven Clark, Auburn RS - Marcus Murphy, Missouri AP - Odell Beckham Jr., LSU Third Team PK - *Andrew Baggett, Missouri PK - *Zach Hocker, Arkansas P - Michael Palardy, Tennessee RS - Bruce Ellington, South Carolina AP - LaDarius Perkins, Mississippi State * - Ties
Join us as we celebrate Gamecock Club members at the South Carolina vs. North Carolina football game on Thursday, August 29! Look for the Gamecock Club tent inside of Gamecock Village (former Farmer’s Market site), open at 1:30 p.m. The first 3,000 members to show their membership card will receive a limitededition car flag! (Please Note: only 1 flag per member) The Gamecock Club tent is the only location to pick up a Gamecock Club Appreciation Day commemorative rally towel! Members will also be honored during a special halftime presentation. Thank you for your support of Gamecock Athletics and our student-athletes! The Spurs & Feathers crew will also be on hand to pass out copies of recent issues of the newspaper and the August slick magazine will be available for purchase.
August 28, 2013
Spurs & Feathers • 9
Dawn Staley wants student-athletes to ‘Be the Change’ BY BRIAN HAND bhand@spursandfeathers.com
said. INNERSOLE was started this past summer and it has done a lot for people over the past couple of months, but Staley is quick South Carolina head women’s basketball to point out that they are in this for the long coach Dawn Staley has a simple tagline for haul. the Gamecock women’s basketball program: “We’re kind of working through it. We are “be the change.” still kind of a very young organization so we That idea is permeated in not only everyare trying to figure out what’s our next move. thing that she does for her program, but also We are in the process right now of putting everything she does with her life. our proposals together for different national To this end to say that Staley had an intercompanies to join. In the process though we esting summer would be a vast understatehave partnered with a lot of local organizament. Much of Staley’s summer was devoted tions and shelters,” Staley said. to recruiting – which included a trip to LithuStaley started INNERSOLE not knowing ania – but the other parts were devoted to what kind of response that they would get. giving back and taking a trip to Africa for a “All of it was pretty grassroots. I went to self-described “trip of a lifetime.” my Twitter account and kind of just pushed The trip of the lifetime was part of a 10it. Gamecock people, Gamecock fans showed day trip with Bill Clinton and his daughter, out in numbers to support it. That is just me. I Chelsea, as part of work with the Clinton am more grassroots … I think INNERSOLE Foundation. is going to get big though to the point that “It has been a whirlwind. I was able to we are going to have to employ more people experience a lot of different things from and I think it is going to be something people deaf people hearing for the first time to local will constantly support because the need is so farmers learning how to harvest their land much. Hopefully it will continue to take off.” photo by barbara kinney to reuse some of the things that they use to Staley was also extremely appreciative Dawn Staley and former President Bill Clinton showing their support for South Carolina. throw away to a delegation of people who are of the way that people not only gave to the like-minded. They want to make the world a cause, but also how that they went above and better place,” Staley noted. beyond such as bringing in name brand shoes Staley was particularly moved by the sacri- that other children in schools were going to fices and efforts of President Clinton during have. the visit. “People gave from their hearts,” said Staley. “I always try and find kinks in peoples “I think it is easy to go out and buy any armor. I never could find one over the 10 cheap pair of sneakers, but I think those that days in President Clinton’s. He never tired of supported INNERSOLE bought the type of meeting people, talking to people, taking pic- sneakers that they would wear. If you give actures. He always made everyone that walked cording to how you dress, it speaks volumes up to him very comfortable. He was real of people.” accommodating, which is really hard to find Staley’s grassroots movement with INnowadays,” Staley mused. NERSOLE is not unlike what she is trying Intricately involved in the community since to do with her basketball program at South her arrival in Columbia, Staley this past Carolina. summer did not just impact people in other “I can honestly say that I have felt every parts of the world as she also started INNER- bump in the road throughout my five years. SOLE. The bumps meaning good bumps, bad INNERSOLE was created to provide new bumps. I’ve felt it. I’ve lived the journey. sneakers to children who are homeless and Most of the time as a player when I played I children who are in need. didn’t really enjoy the journey because I did Staley said that the INNERSOLE grassnot stop long enough to kind of exhale and roots movement was created solely because kind of see and enjoy it so my career went by there was a need. in a whirlwind. It was mainly because it was “This past weekend we actually gave out good. close to 500 pairs of sneakers and every “When I came here to South Carolina we single face lit up. Parents were very gracious had some harsh times and I felt it. It made and grateful for the thing checked off their me really continue to fight to get out of it list for back to school. Sneakers are someand once we were out of it you can kind of thing to this day that I really like. I am in look back and recollect on those hard times sneakers 95 percent of my life. Growing up and really enjoy the good times. I am happy I did not really care what I looked like from with the direction of our program, but with my ankles up as long as I had a new pair of me, personally – and I am going to be selfish sneakers. I don’t want little kids to get robbed about it – I’ve yet to win a national champiof that feeling. It’s small, but yet it has a big onship or be a part of a national championimpact on how you look at your day,” Staley ship team. That fuels me to continue to not
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August 28, 2013
ever let my guard down in regards to recruiting, in regards to coaching, in regards to ultimately winning that national championship,” Staley continued. Staley has guided the Gamecocks to a 92-66 record over her five years with the program. The Gamecocks have picked up back-to-back 25-win seasons. This trajectory has Staley excited about the present and future of Gamecock women’s basketball. “We are just slowly trying to build the foundation. Once the foundation’s built we can continue to expand. Hopefully we can build trophy cases that house national championship trophies.” Before they do that, the focus now is on having the South Carolina women’s basketball student-athletes “be the change.” “It do goes by so fast (their college career),” Staley said. “I think sometimes they can get lost in what they’re doing. That is why we have community service. That is why we do life skills stuff. That is why we kind of open them to not just basketball and not just academics but other ways in which they need to learn culturally. “We try to expose them to all different types of things because the world is going to throw different things at them and they have to be ready to dodge some bullets and kind of navigate their way through the real world.”
photo by allen sharpe
photos by allen sharpe
Frank Martin notes it is hard to “sustain, maintain and grow (Gamecock men’s basketball)” without the great support from the fans.
Martin willing to do whatever it takes By brian hand bhand@spursandfeathers.com
“If you want the fans to come to the game, you have to go to them.” Sounds simple, but second-year head coach Frank Martin is willing to do whatever it takes to get South Carolina fans excited about Gamecock men’s basketball. To this end, Martin has been doing all the little things to show Gamecock fans just how excited he is about all the things that surround the program at the moment. “You cannot sit back and expect them to go to you … you have to make yourself available to them and you have to provide a service to them that is a little deeper than just basketball. “It’s what we try to do. It is not just about trying to figure out a way to run a back screen so you can throw a lob and try to dunk a ball. The job encompasses a lot of different responsibilities. “Fan experience, promotion, all those things kind of come with the job. I enjoy it. I love connecting with fans. I love the passion of fans. I love being around people that care,” Martin said. One of the things that makes Martin unique to many other basketball coaches and one of the ways that he bests connects with not only Gamecock fans, but college basketball fans is his utilization of social media. In fact, Martin was recently tabbed by The Sporting News as one of the top-10 follows in all of college basketball for his understanding and use of Twitter. Martin actually began his use of Twitter to better understand his student-athletes as
a coach. “I joined Twitter because I banned my team from using Twitter and a couple of the players were affected like it really, really bothered them. That made me understand, I probably need to learn more about this because it is important to them. “Here is what I know. It is the way young people communicate. It is not going away and as an educator I have a responsibility in preparing the people that we coach to manage every aspect of their life and social media is one of them,” Martin said. Since joining Twitter, Martin has discovered that it is a great way to allow fans to get to know him a little bit more and that he is “really enjoying it.” “It (Twitter) has a lot of hiccups and if you do not know how to manage it can get you in trouble. At the same time it has a lot of good if you know how to deal with it.” Martin readily acknowledges that while it is all well and good to engage Gamecock fans via social media at the end of the day it is going to take a concerted effort from everyone involved in Gamecock nation to place the program back to where it should be. “When you first take a job, you are so excited about the job and the whole thing, but you really don’t know what’s right and wrong about the job. Now that I’ve got a better understanding of all the good and the bad, I feel more comfortable in what I am trying to manage. “There is a lot that needs to change around here, starting with winning and losing on down the line to the last possible thing that you can imagine … you can’t change everything in one day. You can’t change every-
thing in one year. You have to kind of prioritize and figure out what’s the first thing you really, really have to deal with and go and try and fix that … because of that then the second thing you are trying to change becomes a little easier,” Martin added. Martin feels that they have definitely moved the program forward in a year-anda-half. “I think we’re more connected with our fan base, with this community. I think we from a playing standpoint laid a foundation of how we want to play and some of the things that are possible if you play a certain way. Now this year, we need to take it a step forward little-by-little,” Martin remarked. One of those steps is getting all Gamecock fans to buy into the forward progress currently in place for South Carolina men’s basketball. “I was disappointed – and disappointed is not the word – in the crowd that we had for the first game last year. I would have thought we would have had a better crowd. That’s okay. That showed me that we’ve got a lot of work to do. The most important part is that we play the game the right way so that the fans want to come watch us. If you don’t play the right way the fans aren’t going to want to come and watch you … so we’ve got to make sure and let fans know, ‘hey, come look at us, you might enjoy this.’ “It is hard to sustain, maintain and grow without your fans and what I have seen here is that this university has great fans. It’s got people who care. The fan support, the passion they bring with them is off the rocker and we need that in our arena. We are not there yet. We have to get that same atmosphere in our building.”
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South Carolina unveils new ticket adjustments for men’s basketball
The University of South Carolina Athletics Department has announced a new season ticket pricing structure for Gamecock men’s basketball, making it easier and more affordable to catch great college basketball. A new lower level family ticket plan, and price adjustments to benefit the season ticket holder highlight the new structure. “Gamecock fans will want to get the best seats for an exciting 2013-14 basketball season,” Athletics Director Ray Tanner said. “By taking advantage of this new ticket plan and getting close to the action, fans can match the passion of Coach Martin’s young and talented team and make Colonial Life Arena a big home court advantage for the Gamecocks.” The new pricing structure provides a benefit to the season ticket
Photo by Allen Sharpe
Men’s basketball hopes to pack Colonial Life Arena this season. holder through savings of approximately 20 percent from the total cost of single-game tickets for every game of the season. Also new
for the 2013-14 campaign is the Coke Zero Family Section (section 109), which includes season tickets for four, a Coke Zero/Gamecock
branded T-Shirt and drinks for each game. This is an exciting addition to the lower level season ticket pricing this season. “We know the passion South Carolina fans have, and our team needs to feel that energy every game at Colonial Life Arena,” Gamecock head coach Frank Martin said. “We are excited about building that type of culture around Gamecock basketball. Night in, and night out, our opponent needs to feel that energy and passion, and having our fans loud and excited each game at Colonial Life Arena this season is an important part of that process.” The new pricing structure is listed below: Lower Level Seating: Gamecock Club Members: $260 University Faculty/Staff: $210
Coke Zero Family Section (Four season tickets/four T-Shirts/four drinks for each game/section 109): $600 Upper Level Seating: $200 (no Gamecock Club membership required) University Faculty/Staff: $160 End Zone seating (Four upper level seats): $360 Individual game pricing will now be $20 for a lower level seat, $14 for an upper level seat, and group ticket (15 ticket minimum) pricing will be $10 per seat. Reserve your season tickets for the 2013-14 campaign by placing a deposit at Gamecocksonline.com/ Tickets or by calling 1-800-4SCFANS. Submitted by South Carolina Athletics Media Relations.
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HBC: Let’s show the ACC and those Tar Heel people what noise and SEC fans are all about By mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
packed with people. We had a complete sell out and people were there before the ball was kicked off … this wasn’t Georgia, University of South Carolina football Tennessee or Clemson, this was Central head coach Steve Spurrier addressed the Florida,” Spurrier said. “I said ‘dang, these Columbia Touchdown Club during its people at South Carolina love football.’” meeting on Friday, Aug. 16 at Seawell’s. Spurrier went on to say that he has enSpurrier touched on many subjects during joyed playing Thursday night nationallyhis time, including the 2013 Gamecock televised openers. “Usually to start a football team. season, classes haven’t really started and The Head Ball Coach opened his remarks its a pretty good deal to get on national by reminiscing about his first year. Spurrier television,” Spurrier noted. “We’ve been noted that the thing that struck him while fortunate to win all of them. We got Vandy riding the bus with the team to the stadium last year and we were very fortunate to win the first time was how many fans were that one.” looking for tickets to the game. He then went on to talk about some of his “We were playing Central Florida, this early teams, noting that they were good game is on national TV and the streets were teams, but they still hadn’t learned how to
win in the fourth quarter. “Our guys are doing that a lot better now, and that’s because we’ve got a lot better players now,” Spurrier added. Getting those better players to change the culture was something that Spurrier called a team effort from the other players, the coaches and the fans. Spurrier also talked about the facilities improvement and the fact that since 2005 the number of single donors to give $1 million or more has gone from one to about 10 donors now. These improvements can be seen in the weight room, the football facilities, the Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center and the Rice Athletic Center, both of which benefit the whole Athletics Department. “Our assistant coaches have gotten a lot
Photo by Allen Sharpe
Coach Steve Spurrier poses for pictures during South Carolina’s media day prior to the 2013 season. Spurrier is ready for kickoff.
better now too … we really do have an excellent group of guys right now,” Spurrier said. “They can not only coach, they can recruit, they get along, and they know what we’re trying to achieve here.” He also credited Stephon Gilmore, who was an early enrollee in 2008, to help bring in high caliber players from inside the state. “Stephon came, who was Mr. Football, then Alshon [Jeffrey] came and it starts snowballing after that … I always tell people that Stephon Gilmore was one of our key early recruits to get the ball rolling. “Then of course the next year Marcus Lattimore came, and a bunch of players came with him. Then after that Jadeveon Clowney came, and Stephon was a big reason we got Clowney because they went to the same high school,” Spurrier continued. Spurrier concluded that there was a lot that went into getting the program to where it is now. “So that’s how you do it, you get your facilities up to par, you get the players in and you win some key games like the ‘09 Clemson game … and the Florida game in 2010 to win the Eastern Division championship down there,” Spurrier said. Spurrier then addressed the 2013 version of the football squad, saying there are many unknown players on the team. “We had the second fewest players named to the Preseason All-SEC Team to Kentucky … and we’ve only got four true seniors on this team,” Spurrier explained. “We don’t have a whole lot of experience, but I think we do
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do at the right positions. “These freshmen linebackers though, you’re going to love watching them play … they can fly around, and they’ve really made plays out there in practice thus far,” Spurrier noted. “Of course we’ve got a pretty good defensive line, and Jadeveon is back out there doing well.” He then discussed the offensive side of the ball by saying, “Offensively, we’ve probably got about the best looking offensive line out there size wise … but again we’ve got to block better than we did last year.” Spurrier continued to say that with the experience returning, hopefully that should happen this season. Spurrier said the offense was not statistically intimidating last year, but they did score touchdowns instead of field goals in many situations. He added that this is something he hopes to continue this season by capitalizing on some of the talented players at the skill positions. Overall, the Head Ball Coach is ready for the season to get started, and he is cautiously optimistic about this year’s team. Of preseason rankings Spurrier said, “Right now, you get picked to be pretty
good, but you don’t know if you are or not. You just know that you have a chance to be good. “At this time last year, Dabo’s favorite USC, Southern Cal, was preseason number one … and it ended up they didn’t even finish in the top-25,” Spurrier joked. Spurrier is prepared to lead the Gamecocks into the season opener against North Carolina on Aug. 29. “They broke all kinds of offensive records up there last year, but I think our defense is better than any of those they played last year. “They’re supposed to have that fastpaced, up-tempo type offense, so we’ll have to see if their hand signals are working for them by showing them what Williams-Brice Stadium noise can be when they come in here on that Thursday night,” Spurrier added. Spurrier said that he and the players are both excited for the season and counting down the days until it begins. “We’re looking forward to it, and we’re looking forward to making it a loud night at WilliamsBrice. Let’s show the ACC and those Tar Heel people what noise and SEC fans are all about,” Spurrier concluded. Photo by Allen Sharpe
Spurrier sitting with Jadeveon Clowney and Chaz Sutton during football media day.
Photo by Allen Sharpe
Spurrier and defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward taking in a Gamecock preseason practice.
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Senior captains help lead young squad By mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
student-athletes. “We’ve definitely had to take a leadership role because this summer we had to teach Experience is a valuable commodity on them our system and all the things that the any college athletic team, but it will be even coaches weren’t able to do right when they more important for South Carolina’s volley- got into school … we had to be the first ones ball team this season. The Gamecocks’ ros- to bring them into the program and show ter boasts a great amount of talent, but it is them how we do things,” Craft said. mostly in the form of youth, which includes “It’s been a lot different than the three pre10 freshmen. vious years because we used to do open gym The exceptions to this are the only two just to kind of have fun and play together, seniors on the team, who are two of the three but here it had to be serious because they team captains. Juliette Thévenin and Lindhad no clue what they were getting into,” sey Craft will play important roles that will Thévenin confirmed. “We had to teach them help determine how far this team will be everything, the basics and stuff, and it has able to go in the cutthroat SEC. made it easier on the coaches because the “I think it’s been crucial to have them, and players know what to expect in practice.” obviously they have earned the respect of Swanson has said that the two seniors and the team because they were voted two of the the third captain, Kellie McNeil, create a three captains,” head coach Scott Swanson good mixture to lead the group. said. “Juliette and Lindsey are a little more voThe leadership roles for these players had cal than Kellie, but Kellie is someone who to start early with such a big class of newalways works hard, always goes for every comers. Over the summer Thévenin and ball,” Swanson explained. “She’s got a calm Craft organized open gym for the team to presence about her, so they are a good mixget them working during the time period ture. the coaches are not allowed contact with the “Juliette is more of the court presence be-
cause she’s our go-to hitter. Lindsey is more of our player who takes care of the communication stuff on or off the court; keeping the kids organized and also works really, really hard and leads by example that way” Swanson continued. “Kellie as our setter, she’s on the court all the time setting the ball. She’s the quarterback, and she is that person the kids can go talk to and learn from her experiences because this is her second school.” The seniors have learned to lead by example and through encouragement as they have developed into the team leaders. “We’re vocal when we need to be, but we try to just lead by example so they will follow along,” Craft noted. “I think we’ve all been really good with keeping up with classes, volleyball, grades and staying healthy. I think the freshmen just need to follow us and listen to what the coaches and the trainers say, and everything will be good,” Thévenin echoed. Both the coaching staff and the players are ready to get the season underway after working hard throughout the summer and preseason camp. “I think we’re very ready, even though we
South Carolina Athletic Media Relations
Seniors Juliette Thévenin (left), Lindsey Craft (right) in action. These seniors have taken leadership roles to guide the young team.
always get nervous every year. I think we’re definitely ready; we’ve been doing all the right things in the gym,” Craft said. “We’ve improved a lot and I’m excited to actually play somebody else other than ourselves.” Swanson echoes the sentiment of being ready to face a different opponent after putting in the time and effort throughout the preseason. “We’re very excited to finally play a real opponent … once we get everybody full-go, we have a lot of options. It’s good to have depth for sure, even though our depth is young,” Swanson said. The team has not set specific goals because they will need to see how well everyone comes together against some of the best competition in the country that resides in the SEC portion of the schedule. With 10 freshmen and a transfer, the group will be largely an unknown quantity until it begins conference play. “That first SEC match will give us a gauge of where we’re at as a team. Since there are so many new players I don’t know if we know that exactly yet because we haven’t played an SEC team yet. Definitely in the next couple months we will know where we’re at for sure,” Craft said. “We’re just reaching as high as we can. If we can make the tournament, that would be great. I’m always going for it, and it would be a great senior gift,” Thévenin said. “We just have to keep doing what we do well and just control what we can.” If the talent, athleticism and youth can all come together with the experience, then the program could continue the progression that it has seen under Swanson’s guidance.
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South carolina athletics media relations
Moritz Moritz is at the helm of South Carolina’s first new athletic program since 1997.
First year of sand volleyball underway By MIKE kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com The announcement of South Carolina’s newest sport came on Feb. 28, 2013 as sand volleyball was officially added with the program led by head coach Moritz Moritz. This the first sport added to the athletic department since 1997. “Nobody knew what it took basically building something from the ground up … figuring out ‘where do we start, what are the most important components of building this program?’” Moritz said. Moritz said that the funding package for the brand new program was fantastic, especially for a new head coach. He said the facilities that are scheduled to be built are great, but then he had to go to the next step in building the program. “Really for us it was jumping on the recruiting as soon as possible because for us, when we did add, for what recruiting is these days we were behind the eight ball,” Moritz noted. “Really finding our feet and trying to figure out how to build and develop a brand new product was big. So basically we learned it, we’re learning stuff every day and we hit the ground running.” The athletes needed for sand volleyball are slightly different than those for indoor volleyball because only two players are on the court at a time. This doesn’t allow for the level of specialization that can sometimes be seen in indoor volleyball. “While the skill sets are very similar, it’s a completely different game. That’s a really neat part of the process,” Moritz noted. “The polished beach volleyball athletes, they can do everything. Great ball control kids, great communicators and every facet of the game they have a high level of execution, whereas in the indoor game you can specialize. “It’s kind of neat that the onus is on the student-athlete … it’s just you and your partner and you have to be good at everything,” Moritz said. “There is no hiding in beach volleyball; it’s you or your partner and somehow you’re involved. It’s a lot more pressure, but at the same time the beach volleyball athlete … they kind of thrive on that, ‘it’s on me now’ mentality.” The roster will be fluid for the team until
January; there are eight players who will begin training right away. There is also a tryout planned for walk-on players in September, and then it may change again with the addition of some crossover players from the indoor volleyball team, which Moritz calls a blessing. “In theory we could be training about 20 players in the sand in January, and for a coach that’s awesome because you have this wealth of resources and different types of play that can challenge each other in competition,” Moritz explained. “We can joke about having the ability to have lots of ‘little Bruce Ellingtons’; somebody that is going to be super successful on the indoor side and super successful on the beach side as well. “One of the huge things for us is developing the culture of the team itself. It’s not beach volleyball versus indoor volleyball; it’s this volleyball community and big volleyball group that supports each other in everything we do,” Moritz added. Training for the season could not begin until classes started, so now that the student-athletes are on campus practices can start. Strength and conditioning, technique and team chemistry are the major goals for the fall in order to get the athletes to peak in March and April when the competition season actually begins. Moritz said the team will start with individual work for the first three weeks with a focus on getting the new student-athletes up to speed with the South Carolina strength and conditioning staff and programs. “We’ll start full training about Sept. 16, so we’ll go for about six weeks where we’re going every day and really hammering the fundamentals, the basics of execution and communication,” Moritz said. “Then January is when we jump in, school starts back and a week later we’re in full training and we’re gearing up for the season. “It’s crazy to think that it’s so far away, but I’m a coach and I’ve done this for long enough to know that it’s going to be here tomorrow it feels like,” Moritz added. The countdown to the first match has officially begun now that they athletes are on campus, and Moritz and the team are primed to get out and start working.
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New look for Conference USA men’s soccer in 2013 By BRIAN HAND bhand@spursandfeathers.com
members in soccer in 2013 will now feature Old Dominion, who has been to nine of the last The University of South Caro- 11 NCAA Tournaments, along lina men’s soccer team has been with 2011 national runners-up a member of Conference USA Charlotte and 2005 national since the 2005 season. runner-up New Mexico. ConferThe Gamecocks have been ex- ence USA will also still boast tremely successful since joining Florida International, Kentucky, one of the toughest conferences Marshall, Tulsa and UAB along in all of college soccer. South with the Gamecocks. Carolina claimed the 2005 and Current Conference USA 2010 Conference USA Tournamembers Old Dominion, New ment crowns and the 2011 Con- Mexico, Charlotte, Tulsa, Kenference USA regular-season title. tucky and UAB all participated The perennial conference and in the NCAA Tournament last NCAA contenders will be facseason. ing off against some new teams Entering his 36th season in in conference play in 2013 as charge of the Gamecock men’s the Conference USA has expesoccer program, Mark Berson rienced a shakeup due to recent notes that having such high qualconference realignment. ity programs in your league can The loaded Conference USA only be looked at as a good thing.
“When you play that caliber of schedule it helps your RPI, it helps your opportunities as far as getting into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team. We will have our work cut out for us that will be for sure. The players that we recruit to the University of South Carolina come here to play for championships. That is our objective and we are anxious to get started,” Berson said. In its history, South Carolina men’s soccer has made 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing to the national quarterfinals four times and the national semifinals twice. The Gamecocks were national runner-ups in 1993. Proud history aside, the Gamecocks commence the 2013 season as a relatively young squad,
but according to Berson the expectations entering the current campaign are the same as they always are. “Our expectation really doesn’t change whether we have a young team or an experienced group coming back. Our expectation is to compete for the Conference USA championship and to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. I think this team will have a very tough assignment with the quality of schedule we have. Out of the 18 teams we face in the regular season, nine went to the NCAA Tournament. That is a good thing. It is going to show us where the bar is and we are going to need to come along and learn as we move along. I think we will be a different team in October than we are in September.”
South carolina athletics media relations
Head coach Mark Berson (center) and the Gamecock men’s soccer coaching staff have a tough schedule ahead in 2013. Berson is joined again this year on the coaching staff by former players Joey Worthen (left) and Spencer Lewis (right).
Spencer Lewis has seen both sides of men’s soccer program By MIKE KUCHARSKI mike@spursandfeathers.com Spencer Lewis played his college soccer for Gamecocks’ head coach Mark Berson, and now he is working with him as a member of the coaching staff. Lewis was a fouryear letterwinner from 2005-09, and he is back at South Carolina, hired in the spring of 2012. Before coming back to Carolina, Lewis most recently served as an assistant and interim head coach at Newberry College. Lewis was at Newberry in 2010 and 2011, and he served as the interim head coach in the spring of 2011. “I like a lot of things about coaching, a lot of ideas about it, but I wanted to see if it was actually what I wanted to do,” Lewis said. “It didn’t take me long to realize that this is what I wanted to do and start getting some ideas of where I’d like to go with it. “From playing here and traveling all over the country, I kind of know what each program is like, and I know the University of South Carolina, for men’s soccer, is pretty much as good as it gets as far as facilities and resources. I knew that I would love to be back at this level,” Lewis continued. Lewis talked about the breaks that led to him getting the chance to work on Berson’s staff, and credited his good relationship with the staff during his time at Newberry as an asset to getting his position. “I know how fortunate I am to be in the
situation I am. It’s something that definitely is humbling, and I enjoy what I do and who I work with. I love being here; I love what I’m doing,” Lewis said. “A lot of where I am and what I do is a lot of faith. That’s a big part of who I am. I really believe that I am where I’m supposed to be; I think I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.” Competing in the deep Conference USA and earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament are team goals that Lewis can talk about from experience. Lewis was a member of the 2005 Gamecock team that won the Conference USA championship. “I try to give my experiences when they come in, but I don’t want to be the guy who always talks about them. I want them to experience it for themselves,” Lewis explained. “Obviously me and [assistant coach] Joey [Worthen] are both here to give them some insight and push them toward that.” Training sessions are very important to Berson, and he manages the team philosophy during training allowing Lewis and Worthen get involved on the individual level working with the student-athletes. “I really enjoy that part, getting to work with guys and get out there and show them the things I see, and develop that individual relationship with them,” Lewis noted. Lewis has also had a focus on the recruiting trail particularly since last season, and it has been one of his biggest responsibilities. Recruiting is something Lewis enjoys for
the travel and getting to watch players from all over, which he credits to the program’s resources. He added those resources allow him to have no limits in what players he can scout and recruit. The recruiting class is large this year, and some of the players will be asked to contribute early. Lewis said the onus of fitting in is on the newcomers, and to their credit, they have come in fit and ready to contribute right away. This preparation and ability has helped them earn the respect of the upperclassmen. “I like the chemistry we have in the locker room. It’s been a good preseason; everybody is excited. We’re really just ready to get going and see if this team has what it takes to make a run in Conference USA and ultimately in the NCAA Tournament,” Lewis said. Lewis recognizes that the Gamecocks play in an incredibly deep conference and schedule stout non-conference competition. He notes that one-goal games and tight competition go a long way in determining how a season plays out. “We have one of the toughest schedules in the country and that is something we’ll always do here. If you play those games, that’s ultimately what is going to help you make runs in the conference and NCAA tournaments,” Lewis said.”It’s a very fine line between being able to make a run or not even having the chance.” Lewis is thankful for the opportunity to
coach in the program, and enjoys working with both the coaches and players. “I’m excited to be here; I think we have a great staff. I think the guys chemistry in the staff is great, and the players see that too,” Lewis explained. “We’ve got a good idea of what we’re trying to do here and Coach has given us a lot of responsibility. That’s the fun part of it … I think me and Joey both have a lot to offer the guys. “Ever since the end of last season we’ve been anticipating this and getting ready. We’ve got the team in a good spot … I’m just excited for it to get going,” Lewis said.
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Stadium care is a year-long process highlighted on gamedays By mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
and May, when the grass is coming out of dormancy,” Cox noted. “We start fertility programs and purification process that we All fans will be excited for game day this do then to try and get the grass ready for week, and the grounds crew for South Car- this time of year. olina will be no different. The crowds will “In a sense the summertime is very busy see the fruition of all their hard work. because that’s the time when the Bermuda Heading into the season opener at all the grass is very active and really growing. stadiums, not just Williams-Brice, this There’s not as much activity going on so staff can see how all the months and hours we’re not as busy preparing fields for play of preparation have paid off. like we are right now. It slows down a little The sense of satisfaction gained from see- bit, but we’re busy in different ways,” Cox ing this final product is one of the biggest continued. perks of the job for Clark Cox, the AssisThe practice fields require as much work tant AD for Sports Turf and Landscaping. as the game fields, but do not get the same “The most satisfying thing we do is when recognition by the public. However, these you put a lot of hard work and time in, you facilities are extremely important to the get to see the fruits of your labor,” Cox coaches and student-athletes because the said. “When you can sit back on a Friday amount of use they receive. Cox confirmed before a game after everything is painted that there is the same amount of time and and everything looks really good, it’s reeffort put into the practice fields as the ally satisfying to know the hard work those game fields, and from a management standdays has paid off. When you know you’ve point they may be more important due to put a good field out there that is safe and the frequency of use. playable, it feels really good too.” The weather this summer has made the Cox describes the upkeep of the fields as job a little more complex with the amount a year-round challenge to get the playing of rain that has fallen in the Columbia area. surfaces where they need to be. The work “This season has been the wettest season starts when grass is sprouting and continin many, many years, and so far football ues throughout the summer and fall. practice has been on the stadium field “We begin our preparations - well it more than they normally are because our seems like they never stop anymore - a lot practice fields are so wet,” Cox said. “We of our growing and things we do culturally wish we had our new practice fields a year to the grass we begin way back in April earlier … we are really seeing that need
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all photos by allen sharpe
Pictured above and below is the grounds crew painting the field inside Williams-Brice Stadium. The job requires the full staff of 11 a day and a half to complete before gameday. for new practice fields. They’re really going to have good drainage and this would be a great year to have that. “Unfortunately there’s not a whole lot we can do once they get to a certain point as far as being wet. We just have to let mother nature dry us out. When we get rained on several days in a row, then there isn’t a whole lot that we can do,” Cox commented. Despite the weather, Cox and his staff of 11 employees have been working hard to provide the best playing surfaces possible for the Gamecock studentathletes. Now the staff is finalizing preparations for all of the game fields as the fall seasons begin. “Biggest thing coming up
with the games is the logo painting, especially with football having to line the field. It takes our entire staff a day and a half to complete. We’ll really be ratcheting things up,” Cox said. Like the Gamecock fans, the grounds crew is looking forward to the fall sports seasons getting underway. “It’s a lot more fun preparing for a big game than it is preparing for practice. There’s just that excitement that goes along with it,” Cox said. “The most fun is probably gameday; they’re pretty cool. Especially with the excitement that has been building and the success that we’ve had the last couple of years, gamedays are pretty exciting from that standpoint.”
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Overall, I had a pretty good summer. Our daughter turned two, our family took a vacation to San Diego, and I caught up on some reading. I managed to stay off Twitter for a whole day (okay, it was eight hours. Baby steps). I even tamed the wilderness known as our side yard, left orphaned by another long season of Gamecock baseball. But every summer, as Columbia finds new, more perverse ways to torture us with humidity, my mind starts to wander. I should be enjoying the long days, the free weekends, and the ample chances to unwind. Then again, who am I kidding? I miss the challenge of painting a picture, and bringing a game to life for listeners. I miss traveling around the SEC, building bonhomie with the coaches and players. I miss digging through statistics, looking for a number that could be useful during a broadcast. The sound of waves lapping on the Intercoastal Waterway is nice, but it doesn’t compare to the sonic delight of 80,000 screaming fans at Williams-Brice Stadium. Summer is over. And I couldn’t be more thrilled.
August 28, 2013
Andy Demetra
Contributing Writer The Gamecocks kick off the 2013 season Thursday with a prime-time matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Williams-Brice Stadium. And with it, I get to kick off another season of “Inside The Chart.” I’m happy to be bringing my “Inside The Chart” blog from GamecocksOnline.com to the new Spurs & Feathers newspaper, magazine and digital editions. As a broadcaster, my life revolves around my “chart,” a simple, double-sided manila en-
velope with sheets of legal-sized paper stapled to it. This chart allows me to quickly look up and identify – “spot” -- players during my play-by-play. But my chart also contains all of the information I need to deliver a crisp, thorough account of a game. There’s a reason I bolted out of the press box at Razorback Stadium when a rogue wind blew my chart out of my hands, sending it fluttering to the empty bleachers below. If I don’t have my chart, I can’t do my job. For a two-hour broadcast, I’ll spend anywhere from 12-14 hours composing my chart. I love doing sleuth work on players, and fishing out interesting stories that my audience will remember. If you listen to my broadcasts, you also know I’m a statistics lover – not surprising, given I grew up in a family of math majors (even though my math skills remain black sheep-ish). I enjoy crunching numbers that highlight a player’s impact, or which give a clue to the outcome of a game. I’m also fortunate, as “Voice of the Gamecocks,” to have a level of access that others don’t. Watching practice, picking
coaches’ brains, and chatting with players gives me a sense of what to expect during a game. I need to anticipate what might happen – after all, my job depends on keeping up with the action. I love going behind the scenes, and seeing how a game plan comes together. That’s my goal here: to give you a level of detail on the Gamecocks that you can’t find anywhere else. The playbook wrinkle that allowed South Carolina basketball to avenge a loss to Mississippi State last year? I want to tell you that (Frank Martin installed some plays from his Kansas State days when he faced Oklahoma). Wide receiver Damiere Byrd’s pre-game superstition? I want to tell you that (the speedster eats a pack of gummy bears). I hope, with my articles and blog posts, that you’ll gain a more informed perspective on the Gamecocks during the year. If I entice you to listen to a few more of our radio broadcasts, all the better. Other than that, I only have one other hope: that summer stay as far away as possible.
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August 28, 2013
Compliance Corner You are a representative of athletics interest (booster) if you: Presented by the Office of Compliance Services
they may not be involved in the recruiting process off the University of South Carolina campus. If parents of a prospect should contact you with questions about your son or daugh• Contribute to the Athletics Department or its booster organizations (e.g. Gamecock ter’s athletic experience at South Carolina, you should direct their questions to the Club) coaching staff. • Join or participate in South Carolina’s various Athletics Department booster groups (e.g. sport specific “friends of” groups, etc.) If you are a South Carolina alum, you may discuss your general educational experi• Hold, or have ever held season tickets ences at Carolina; however, you may not discuss athletics. • Have a guardianship role over a student-athlete (i.e., parent or legal guardian) • Provide allowable benefits (e.g., summer jobs) to enrolled student-athletes University of South Carolina Athletics • Promote Gamecock Athletics in any way Office of Compliance Services Rice Athletics Building Remember, once you are identified as a booster, you retain that identity forever. 1304 Heyward St. Boosters are bound by NCAA, Southeastern Conference and University of South Columbia, SC 29208 Carolina rules. As a result, boosters are responsible for notifying the University of Phone: 803-777-1519 South Carolina Office of Compliance Services of any potential rules violations. Even Fax: 803-777-9070 if a violation is unintentional, the eligibility of a prospective student-athlete (recruit) Email: athcompl@mailbox.sc.edu or enrolled student-athlete could be placed in jeopardy. Twitter @UofSCCompliance Parents of enrolled student-athletes are considered boosters; therefore, generally
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August 28, 2013
Sophomore runner Kayla Lampe displays dual excellence
Athletics and academics both important for Lampe and Gamecock cross country team By MIKE kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
South Carolina Athletic Media Relations
The Gamecock cross country team boasted the second-highest team GPA in the nation last fall, and sophomore Kayla Lampe additionally earned special recognition. Lampe excelled not only on the courses, but also with academics. “The highlight for me was regionals for outdoor track and running that race, running my best time and qualifying for nationals,” Lampe said of last year. “I was going in not ranked to go to nationals and I finished a lot higher than I expected, so that was a really cool experience.” Lampe’s excellence was not limited to competition, even though she was a member of the SEC All-Freshman team and finished eighth at the NCAA Southeast Regional to make the All-Region team. Her finish at the Regional and her merit in the classroom earned her USTFCCCA AllAcademic status. Lampe was one of 115 student-athletes to earn this recognition by compiling a GPA of 3.25 or above and finishing in the top-15 at the NCAA Regional. Academics played an important role in Lampe deciding to come to South Carolina for school from Pennsylvania. Lampe is a nursing major, and the College of Nursing played into the decision as well. “I would say definitely a combination of the two [athletics and academics] … I came down here and fell in love with the school,” Lampe explained. “I fell in love with the program, both athletic and academic, and it just seemed like a good fit for me. “I know they have a really good nursing program here. It’s very competitive here, obviously they only accept so many people to the upper division. I felt pretty confident that I could do that,” Lampe continued. “One of the things that I really liked is that you can do both nursing and compete and
be an athlete. In a lot of schools it’s really hard to do that, and they don’t work with you as much.” Lampe said the nursing program is challenging, especially now that she is progressing further into the material. This semester will involve her participating in clinicals at a hospital one day a week from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. as part of her 16 credit-hour course load. Lampe said she was confident that the coach could work around the schedule and even allow her to do workouts on her own if needed. Lampe has been challenged by some of the courses, particularly the microbiology lab which involved a great deal of cumulative memorization. Her favorite classes thus far are either anatomy or biophysical pathology. “It was really interesting to me. I love science and anything that has to do with the medical side of things,” Lampe said. The team aspects and the combination of athletics and academics have still been constant in Lampe’s career at South Carolina, and it is one of the things that she likes the most about being a Gamecock. “We’re here to be athletes, but we’re also here to get a degree and do well in class. I think one of the things that really helps with that is having such a good academic team behind us … I think a lot of the determination that we put into training we also put into our academics. “We spend so much time together and we’re all working for a common purpose, so it brings us together. I think we feed off each other’s competitiveness. It’s like one big family and everybody is just looking out for each other,” Lampe said. With this focus, Lampe and the cross country team should be able to continue to be one of the groups with the highest academic standards in the nation, and they look forward to competition on the courses as well.
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August 28, 2013
Stepping across borders for a great cause By mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
soformed a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, The Border Bash Foundation. An event that started 20 years “It’s now all for charity, and ago as a pep rally hosted by that’s what our focus is,” Authe Augusta Gamecock Club gusta Gamecock Club presiand the Augusta Bulldog Club dent Tom Rogers explained. has grown by leaps and bounds “Now with the corporation, we into a must-attend event for take in more money and accept fans of the squads in the Cen- grant requests from charities tral Savannah River Area. The and give them to children’s ad20th Annual Border Bash Cel- vocacy charities. ebration is set to get underway “We are close to raising $1 on Sept. 6, the night before the million. This year we hope to South Carolina-Georgia game. top the million dollar mark in The first time the event was charitable givings. It took us held it was hosted in a hoawhile to get there, but we feel tel ballroom with about 100 like it is a worthwhile cause,” people, then after a couple of Rogers added. years it began to grow. As the The process to make the ancrowds grew it moved down nual event a success is not just by the river to make it more of confined to September as the a true Border Bash, and they process for the Border Bash began charging for entry. begins the January before the The entry fees were collected rivalry showdown. They then and donated to the children’s’ have a few meetings throughhospital in the beginning. Afout the course of the ensuing ter a few years they co-sponmonths. They close out their
preparations with a walk through a few days before the event. “It is a lot of work, man, but it is sure worth it,” noted Rogers. There are many people involved, about 150 volunteers every time, including help from the soldiers at Fort Gordon, doing different jobs to put on the event. The Border Bash Foundation board has seven members and about 35 advisory members representing different groups involved with the event. The attendance numbers last year were close to 10,000 people, and Rogers said attendance is usually 8-10 thousand. During the event the South Carolina and Georgia cheerleaders and mascots will be performing leading up to the two bands that play later in the night. “It’s a family-oriented event,
and it starts at 4 p.m. That’s when most of the families come between 4-9 p.m., and that’s when the cheerleaders are done. That’s when the headlining band takes over and it’s a little more of a party atmosphere,” Rogers said. The headline band will be Blackberry Smoke, a band that Rogers said has a “Lynard Skynyrd-feel.” Performing prior to them will be Joe Stevenson Band, a popular local group in the CSRA. Rogers noted that the night is a lot of fun, but it is all done for a bigger purpose. “The most fun part is November to the first of December when we hand out the checks to these charities that receive the funds,” Rogers said. “That is the most fun to me because all the hard work has paid off and you see all the smiling faces. That’s the joy of it really.”
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August 28, 2013
Where are they now? - Marty Simpson development company during that time, which continues now as Blue Eyed Panda, LLC. Simpson coached his team to the playoffs four times, including the state championship game in 1998. He also won a state championship with Spring Valley as a player in 1988. “I was looking for something that would make me nervous again, like when I was on the field,” Simpson said. “I never got pre-game jitters before sales meetings, even big ones, and my former students always told me I should do stand-up comedy. So one day I went out and tried it. “I love the instant gratification of hearing the audience laugh,” Simpson said. “There are really two goals in doing stand-up, one obviously is to get the audience to laugh, but first you have to get the people in the club to stop talking. My first attempt was at an open-mic night, and I didn’t kill it. I did get the audience to quiet down, which I found out later was a huge win.” After that, Simpson was featured on a BET show and won the Clean Comedy Challenge in 2012. You can see him perform in Columbia on Sept. 29. Simpson’s most recent video production, a faux infomercial, or as Simpson puts it, “an infauxmercial,” can be found on his YouTube channel along with the “Domination” videos. The “infauxmercial” advertises the “Pregnidgerator,” a refrigerator shaped like a pregnant stomach used to sneak food into movies, Simpson’s YouTube channel can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/comedianmartysimpson. More information about his comedy, performance dates and “Domination” follow-up Photo courtesy of Marty Simpson Kickstarter.com campaign can be found by visiting his site at: http://www.MartySimpson.com. Former Gamecock placekicker and punter Marty Simpson now has a career as a stand-up comic, among many other endeavors. Simpson may be best known by South Carolina fans for his YouTube series “Domination: South Carolina vs. Clemson Rivalry.” By MIKE KUCHARSKI mike@spursandfeathers.com Marty Simpson is one of three kickers in Gamecock history to make a field goal off the ground from 50-plus yards, but today his interest is comedy. South Carolina fans appreciate his work as a four-year letterwinner from 1991-95, including leading the team in scoring in 1992. Simpson also booted the fourth-longest punt in program history, a 79-yarder against Vanderbilt in 1992. Now fans can appreciate his take on the Palmetto State’s biggest rivalry in a series of YouTube videos entitled “Domination: South Carolina vs. Clemson Rivalry.” The series came out last year during the week before the annual rivalry showdown. “It was cool to know that Thursday before
the game people were watching it at work and sending it around and getting excited about the game,” Simpson said. These videos are a must-watch for any Gamecock fan who has not seen them, or watch them again if you have, because they are highly entertaining. “It makes me happy to know that future prospective Clemson math students will Google the phrase ‘Clemson Math’ and see my videos on the front page right next to Clemson.edu web addresses,” Simpson added. Simpson said creating the “Domination” videos took a huge amount of time and energy with him working about 80 hours over six days. “From a time management and business point of view, doing those videos was hugely irresponsible, but it was totally worth it,” Simpson said. He has an idea of starting an Indiegogo.com
Crowd-Funding Campaign to raise financial support for doing a set of follow-up videos this season. This gives Gamecock fans who enjoyed the videos the opportunity to financially contribute. The support received would influence what he might actually produce, with a wide range of possibilities in the works. Simpson said if half the fans who watched the video pledged just one dollar to the campaign, he could raise enough money to make more videos as well as rationalize losing all that time making the original series. The videos are fun and satisfying for Simpson, but he said that he prefers doing stand-up comedy. The transition to comedy came for Simpson after he was a high school teacher, director of school drama productions and football coach at Ben Lippen School. He also ran his own multimedia production and website
August 28, 2013
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August 28, 2013
Walk-on fullback Connor McLaurin earns scholarship for his hard work By MIKE kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
“I had a big block on somebody … and he [head coach Steve Spurrier] said ‘for a big block in the preseason, Connor McLaurin, we’re going to give you a scholarship.’ Of course everybody went crazy, and I was definitely excited about it,” McLaurin said. “It’s definitely a blessing. “Now, I just have to get better every day … I wasn’t even focused on the scholarship in the first place. I don’t play for that; I play to try and win a championship and try to make this team better,” McLaurin continued. McLaurin is currently atop the depth chart at the fullback position, but he knows through his own hard work that nothing is guaranteed. “You have to just keep working, keep working and when the opportunity comes, you’ve got to take it. I’ve worked hard dur-
ing the offseason for the past few years now, and when the opportunity came, I did what I could. “Right now I’m starting yes, but I’ve got to keep it. I’ve got to get better every day to make sure that somebody else doesn’t take my spot and help the team the best that I can,” McLaurin explained. The fullback position is focused on hardnosed running and pass-blocking in South Carolina’s offense, despite seeing the fullbacks make a number of catches in the most recent scrimmage. “We’re more traditional … we pass-block and run-block a lot. We’re not traditionally going to get the ball. Just a typical fullback; we clear the way for the running back and protect the quarterback,” McLaurin said of his assignments. Running backs coach Everette Sands has
been instrumental in McLaurin’s development. “He’s an awesome coach … he really helps you understand the game. When you understand the game, it slows it down for you and you can play a lot faster, so that really helps me,” McLaurin said of his positional coach. McLaurin, like the rest of the team, is looking forward to getting on the field to take on North Carolina on Aug. 29. He also echoed the sentiment of daily improvement that has been preached to the team throughout camp. “We’re definitely ready to see some other colors on the field other than garnet, black and white … it will be a big game,” McLaurin said. “We’ve got a lot to work on, but we’ll be ready…we just have to keep getting better every day.”
he made the most of his touches by rushing for 53 yards. He broke a 22-yard run up the middle and an 11-yard run while maintaing his balance to the right side. Despite his terrific individual efforts, Davis is quick to give credit to the offensive lineman for his successes. “A lot of times it’s not up to me, it’s up to the offensive line. I saw all green grass thanks to the offensive line. AJ Cann and those guys up front do a great job blocking for me,” Davis said. Sands plans to utilize Brandon Wilds and Shon Carson in the backfield as well, rather than giving 100 percent of the work to Davis. SIDELINE CAROLINA /travis bell “Those guys know that they’re going to Mike Davis dives into the end zone for a score against Arkansas at home last season. play. We’ve got to have all three of them to be as successful as we can be,” Sands said. “You will see them early in the game. It’s not going to be in the fourth quarter trying to get them in. They will play early,” Sands noted. Davis said that he would like to see the bulk of the carries, but understands that the coaches will make the decision of who By Mike Kucharski after practice on Tuesday, Aug. 20. gets the ball based on who is playing well. mike@spursandfeathers.com “Right now, Mike is a little bit ahead. Davis noted that he felt confident in his He’s going to be the starter,” running ability to handle a large workload, up to After an offseason that saw Mike Davis backs coach Everette Sands said. “He 25 carries a game. get stronger and faster, the preseason made a few more plays in the scrimmage “As an individual I feel like I’m capable has gone well enough for him to sepasituations … they can all get it done, he of those type of things. That’s the reason rate from the other running backs to be just made a few more plays.” why I came here. It’s up to the coaches named the starter heading into the seaDavis only carried the ball four times in with whatever they want to do and who is son. Davis was announced as the starter the Gamecocks’s second scrimmage, but playing well,” Davis said.
Both Davis and Sands said they are ready to see live action against another team, and they are counting down the days until Thursday night against North Carolina. “I think we’re all ready to go against someone else. You know, camp has been long, and two-a-days have been very long. I’d say everyone is ready to play against North Carolina,” Davis said. “I think my top three backs have done a good job and I am looking forward to Thursday,” Sands confirmed.
The fullback position is often overlooked when fans talk about the offense, but Connor McLaurin’s efforts have been recognized by the Gamecock coaching staff. McLaurin was recently awarded a scholarship for the 2013-14 academic year for his work on the field. McLaurin has been putting in efforts as a walk-on after switching from linebacker to fullback in 2011 and playing mainly on special teams. He earned the Weight Room award for the offense at the Garnet & Black spring game and has impressed in camp thus far as well. The scholarship was announced to the team during a practice session after he put in more great work.
Mike Davis gets the call as starting tailback
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August 28, 2013
Gamecocks earn a program-best ranking, sixth in AP preseason tally By BRIAN HAND bhand@spursandfeathers.com
Carolina is sixth while Texas A&M is seventh. In the USA Today preseason poll, South Carolina is sevJust minutes before taking the field enth while Texas A&M is sixth. for their second scrimmage of the The top-5 is the same in both preyear inside Williams-Brice Stadium season polls with Alabama leading on Saturday, Aug. 17, the 2013 South the way followed by Ohio State, OrCarolina football team learned that egon, Stanford and Georgia, who did it had been ranked a preseason receive one first-place vote in the AP program-best sixth in the Associated preseason top-25. Ohio State also Press poll. claimed one first-place vote, while South Carolina earns the sixth Alabama obtained the 58 other firstplace nod from the AP 15 days after place votes. being tabbed No. 7 in the USA TOAfter the switch putting South DAY coaches’ poll. Carolina sixth and Texas A&M sevSouth Carolina concluded the 2012 enth in the AP poll, the rest of the season eighth in the final AP poll top-10 is the same in each poll with and seventh in the final coaches’ Clemson eighth, Louisville ninth poll. and Florida 10th. In the AP preseason poll, South The SEC leads the nation with six
teams ranked in the top-25. LSU at 12th is the only SEC team in the AP preseason top-25 outside of the top-10. After putting together a fairly good scrimmage on Aug. 17, South Carolina wide receiver Jody Fuller echoed the comments that have been made by numerous coaches and players in fall camp by noting that being ranked so highly in the preseason is nice, but there is still work to be done. “You like to see your school up there high, but, I mean, you still have to work. No matter (if) you are 25 or 1 you still have to prove yourself and keep that ranking. It doesn’t mean much right now. You just have to play ball,” noted Fuller.
2013 AP College Football Preseason Top-25 1. Alabama 2. Ohio State 3. Oregon 4. Stanford 5. Georgia 6. South Carolina 7. Texas A&M 8. Clemson 9. Louisville 10. Florida 11. Florida State 12. LSU 13. Oklahoma State
14. Notre Dame 15. Texas 16. Oklahoma 17. Michigan 18. Nebraska 19. Boise State 20. TCU 21. UCLA 22. Northwestern 23. Wisconsin 24. Southern Cal 25. Oregon State
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Aiken County Kickoff Event
August 26th from 6-9 p.m. at the Shrine Club. Contact Chris Fulmer at (803) 270-7050 for more details.
Fairfield County Football Kickoff Meeting
August 28, 2013
Oct. 19 - Tennessee (Knoxville, TN) COST: Early Bird (Before Sept.15th) $ 50/seat After Sept.15th $ 55/seat) Departure Time & Place Jason Deli’s Parking Lot ( W.O Ezell Blvd. Spartanburg) Departure Time: TBA (once game time is confirmed)
August 27th at 7p.m. at the Fairfield Cove Restaurant at 1418 US Hwy. 321 S., Winnsboro, S.C. All Gamecock Club members and fans are invited. For more information call Gene Schofield (803) 337-8850 or Chris Blackwelder Please make Check payable to : (803) 635-2357 Spartanburg County Gamecock Club Mail to: P.O Box 5146, Spartanburg, SC 29304
20th Annual 2013 South Carolina – Georgia Please remember reserve bus seats DO NOT include Border Bash September 6th at 4p.m. at the Augusta Common in Augusta, Ga. The event will feature live music, cheerleaders, and mascots from both South Carolina and Georgia. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Children 12 and under are free, and VIP tickets are available. Visit borderbash.net for more information.
Greenville County UGA Bus Trip
Saturday September 7th, 2013 $40.00 per person (Includes Bus, Box Lunch, Drinks/Water) •The bus will arrive at 10AM as the K- Mart Lot, Hwy 29/I-185 •The bus will depart at 10:30AM •Reservations: Call Dan at (864) 244-3739, Joan at (864) 316-5756, or T. Wayne at (864) 901-8462
Bus Parking- Georgia Game
September 7th, 2013 Athens, GA Classic Center (300 N. Thomas Street) •Gamecock buses have parked here for years •Arrangements by the Greenville County Gamecock Club •Total cost is $50.00 per bus •To reserve call Dan Drew at (864) 244-3739
Spartanburg County Gamecock Club
“Leave the driving to us!” First come, first serve so don’t wait; seats will fill up fast! 2013 Away Football Game Bus Trips Sept. 7 - Georgia (Athens, GA) COST: Early Bird (Before Aug. 1st) $ 45/seat After Aug. 1st $ 50/seat) Departure Time & Place Jason Deli’s Parking Lot ( W.O Ezell Blvd. Spartanburg) For more information please contact Glen Cox at (864) 597-8380
game tickets. Please contact Glenn Cox, (864) 597-8380, with questions.
The Edgefield County Bus Trip To Georgia There are fifty seats available and will be reserved on a “first come, first served” basis. The cost is $35.00 Per seat. The Edgefield County Gamecock Club will provide cups, ice, plates, napkins and a variety of soft drinks and mixers. Food will not be provided. Feel free to bring coolers with your tailgating food. The bus will depart from the Johnston, S.C. municipal parking lot at a time TBD. To reserve your seats, contact Edgefield County Gamecock Club President Frank Davis at (803) 275-7056 (cell); (803) 275-4786 (home) or by email: lfrankdavis@bellsouth.net. Deadline is September 1st. Seats are likely to sell out so get in touch ASAP!
Spartanburg County Gamecock Club – September Meeting Thursday, September 19th 7pm at Spartanburg Downtown Marriott Convention Center Admission if FREE and the meeting is open to all Gamecock fans Guest Speaker will be Phil Kornblut, Host of the syndicated radio show SportsTalk. Phil will give us his insights and thoughts on Summer Practices and the 2013 football season. Come early & listen to Phil as he broadcasts his statewide radio program LIVE from Spartanburg, 6-7pm!
Don’t forget to check the calendar on SpursandFeathers.com for all upcoming Gamecock Club and South Carolina events.
Upcoming South Carolina Athletics Events zz August 29 Football vs. North Carolina..........................................6 p.m. zz August 30 Volleyball vs. South Carolina State........................... 10 a.m. Cross Country Carolina Challenge (5K)......................6 p.m. Volleyball vs. Florida International.............................7 p.m. Men’s Soccer vs. East Tennessee State.......................7 p.m. Women’s Soccer at Boston University................................7:30 p.m. zz August 31 Volleyball vs. High Point..............................................3 p.m. zz September 1 Women’s Soccer at Northeastern...............................................1 p.m. zz September 2 Men’s Soccer at Clemson................................................................7 p.m. Home events are bold
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August 28, 2013
Defense shines in scrimmage By mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com
terbacks twice (Jarmari Smith and Ronnie Martin) and break up many other plays as well. Smith played well in the defensive backThe defense was the story of the day in field with the pick and good coverage, includSouth Carolina’s scrimmage at Williamsing another pass breakup, after switching to Brice Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 17. defense from running back in camp. “Our defensive team was a lot better today The offense did mange to score two touchthan they were in the first scrimmage,” head downs and see some success running the ball. coach Steve Spurrier commented. “They did The tailbacks were led by Mike Davis who a lot of good things. The offense had a few ran for 53 yards on four carries, including good plays here and there, but a lot of backbreaking off a 22-yard chunk up the middle. wards plays - a lot of penalties, a lot of sacks, Davis also had an 11-yard carry over the things like that.” right side where he was able to keep his balThe defense was able to generate constant ance and almost pick up a first down after a pressure on the quarterbacks with the charge Clowney sack had moved the offense backled by standout defensive end Jadeveon wards. Clowney. On two plays in the first series, True freshman running back David WilClowney had pressure that would have led to liams ran five times for 12 yards and a touchsacks if he was able to take the quarterback down. Williams finished a drive scoring from down in the scrimmage situation. He was in one yard out after his eight-yard sweep to the the backfield on many other occasions. right set the offense up at the one. Also Bran“We acted like we didn’t even try to block don Wilds picked up 20 yards and Shon CarClowney today,” Spurrier said. “I don’t think son ran for 11 yards on three carries each. any time he was blocked … hopefully he’s The receivers were led by Jody Fuller who that good.” caught five passes for 49 yards. Shamier “Jadeveon is a special athlete. He deserves Jeffrey and Damiere Byrd each caught one all the praise he gets,” added defensive coordi- pass for 21 yards, and tight end Jerell Adams nator Lorenzo Ward. caught one ball for 12 yards. The whole defensive line generated good Pharoh Cooper showed why the coaches pressure throughout the scrimmage, which switched him to offense with a couple of big limited what the passing attack was able to do plays late in the scrimmage. Cooper made for the offense. The defensive backfield also a spectacular leaping catch down the left contributed to holding the offense in check sideline for 35 yards to put the offense at the through the air with strong play from the unit. 10-yard line, then capped the drive from there “We have some pass rushers here. Everyon a catch and run on the opposite sideline. body thinks it’s just Jadeveon, but we’ve got “Pharoh Cooper made a couple of catches some other guys who can get to the quarterright there at the end of the scrimmage,” Spurback,” Ward said. “Hopefully we can do it rier noted. “We finally got him in there. We’ve during the season.” got to get him in more often. He can catch and The defense was able to intercept the quarlooks like he can make some plays.”
SIDELINE CAROLINA/TRAVIS BELL
South Carolina tight end Jerell Adams had one catch for 12 yards in the scrimmage.
submitted photo
Gamecock Club member John Griggs poses with Spurrier in front of a 62 Impala SS Chevrolet.
Henderson hosts Darlington party By mike kucharski mike@spursandfeathers.com Eldon Henderson is not the president of the Darlington County Gamecock Club, but he was kind enough to be the gracious host of the chapter’s annual summer/pool party on July 11, 2013. Despite the rainy weather, an excellent covered set-up equipped with plenty of Gamecock accouterments provided the backdrop for some great Gamecock fellowship, food and fun. “This is always a fun event that helps to build the anticipation for the fall, and it gives us something to do between the end of baseball season and the beginning of football,” Henderson said. “This has grown each year; it started with 25 to 30 people, and now we will get between 90 and 100.” Henderson owns an Ace Hardware store, which helps him provide the tents, chairs, tables, fans and beautifully-landscaped backyard to host the summer party. Henderson gives credit to his wife, Debra, for helping to get everything put together for the celebration. Debra takes care of coordinating the food, and she starts the planning as early as two to three weeks out. In an interesting twist, “the nicest Clemson fan you’ll ever meet,” C.W. Grant, takes care of the grilling for those in attendance. “C.W. and I have been friends for 50 years, and we have never fought,” Henderson said. “We may root for opposite teams during the game, but we can still watch it together. Even when we disagree, we never fight.” Henderson’s fanhood goes back to the time when he was a child as he has been a Gamecock fan since back in grammar school. Henderson said that his mother has been a fan since all the way back when John Roche played basketball at Carolina, so the Gamecocks have been a part of his family’s history. There are many great memories that Henderson can recall, with some of his favorites coming from the baseball field when Hank Small and Earl Bass were Gamecocks on the diamond in the 1970s. Jeff Grantz, quarterback during the ‘70s as well, provides more
historical highlights for Henderson. The athlete who had the biggest impact for Henderson was Tommy Suggs, the Gamecock quarterback who led Carolina to the 1969 ACC Championship. “He was a real superstar, and he was from the area,” Henderson said. “He came from between Lamar and Hartsville, and the way he played just really drew us all in.” Suggs remains around the program, and he can now be heard as the color analyst for South Carolina football on the IMG Sports Networks. Coordination between chapter President Jim Griffin and Gamecock Club staff allowed special guests Clyde Wrenn, former star pitcher Nolan Belcher and Cocky all to be present at the party. Both Wrenn and Blecher got the chance to talk with the crowd and meet Gamecock Club members, while even telling fun stories like the origination of Belcher’s pre-game backflip. The night’s events lived up to Henderson’s description as a fun event with great food and fellowship, and the Darlington county chapter was able to deliver a great summer party in spite of the inclement weather.
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It’s time for Carolina Football! So much Gamecock news to read, so little time to find it all By ed girardeau ed@spursandfeathers.com
tations would run rampant. Chris Fulmer, Aiken County’s Gamecock Club President, and I shared our offices in the same location. This is the best time of year! Summer is Every year we would have the same predicwinding down and the threat of 100 degree tion, “undefeated godays are behind us. ing into the Tennessee It’s still hot, but for South Carolina, it’s cergame, baby!” That tainly bearable. And as August counts down, never happened and it the anticipation of the first game becomes kind of became more greater and greater. We’re undefeated, and of a laugh than realistalk is always optimistic. tic. My how times have I can remember in the 70s and 80s, there changed. was never enough to read in order to get With a senior quarready for the game. Quite frankly, it basically terback with a 17-3 came down to two things: The State newspaEd Girardeau career record returnper’s coverage of sports and Spurs and Feathing, off back-to-back Contributing 11-2 seasons, and the ers. On campus, we did have The Gamecock and there was also the afternoon paper, The most highly regarded Editor Record, which I did not get to read often. I football player in colalso would go to the newsstand and search lege football, it leads all of us to believe that for magazines, Athlon or Sports Illustrated, the sky is the limit. I remember Todd Ellis among others. I can remember, if SI even talking about a National Championship when mentioned us, it was cause for celebration. If he lead the Gamecocks in the 1980s. It didn’t the Gamecocks were ranked, well then we happen, needless to say, but boy it made would be excited, and the incredible expecAugust an exciting time! Now when we talk
about it, its not just us, but pundits on the national level. Preseason magazines all have us ranked in the top 10 (an Athlon supplement in today’s paper had us ranked 5th). Beating Clemson four straight years? Georgia three straight? It is a great time to be a Gamecock! And if you’re like me, you spend time everyday looking for stories to read in preparation. Now, its not just two publications, but the Internet provides countless stories, on the hope of great things for the Gamecocks. I would spend hours reading the boards, get tips on great stories, and go through them all. Even scouting out the oppositions sites to read up of what we can expect from them. (By the way, one of the most fun things in the world to do is after a big win to go to the opponents sites, local newspapers particularly, and read the comments after the story. Last year’s comments in the AJC from Georgia “supporters” was classic! Total meltdown. But I digress.) Our editorial team has come up with an excellent tool which will save valuable time every day in your scouting for stories. Go
to www.spursandfeathers.com and click on the “current news and notes” link. That will lead you to a page for that day’s best stories. From lots of different sites. Brian and Mike Kucharski are excellent writers, but they can’t be in all of the places, at all of the times, talking to all of the people who are out there and extremely interesting Gamecocks, current and past. So as a service to Gamecock Club members and subscribers, you can easily find stories from around the state and nation; on all of THE Carolina sports family. This will also include some of the pay sites (gogamecocks.com, gamecockcentral.com, thebigspur.com, etc.) and these may not be available to all viewers. I started using this and it has really satisfied my hunger for information and has saved quite a bit of time. So I encourage you to take advantage of it. Our family’s wait on the most highly anticipated season of all time is upon us. I look forward to seeing all of you at Williams-Brice on Thursday night. Time for some payback and to show UNC who the Real CAROLINA is!
“With a senior quarterback with a 17-3 career record returning, off back to back 11-2 seasons, and the most highly regarded football player in college football, it leads all of us to believe that the sky is the limit.” - Ed Girardeau Photo by Allen Sharpe
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Gamecock Sports Quick Hits - Roundup staff reports
Men’s and women’s golf earn preseason top-20 rankings Both South Carolina golf teams received preseason accolades from Golfweek this past week on the strength of their returning talent. The women’s team will begin the season ranked 20th, and the men’s team earned a ranking of 18th. The women’s team finished 20th at the 2012 NCAA Championship and have four of the five golfers back from last season’s postseason lineup. The returning class is highlighted by Suzie Lee, Justine Dreher, Sarah Schmelzel and Mary Fran Hillow. Over the summer Schmelzel earned a fifth-place finish at the Trans National Amateur Championship. Dreher competed internationally for France, finished tied for third at the Women’s Swiss International Amateur Championship and advanced to the Final 16 at the Ladies’ British Amateur Championship. Incoming freshman Katelyn Dambaugh will come in ready to compete as she advanced to the match play portion of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship during the summer. Rising sophomore Chelsey Couch competed in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. The men’s team earned a victory in one tournament and four runner-up finishes on its way to postseason play last year. After placing second at the SEC Championship and tied for second at the NCAA Columbus Regional, the Gamecocks finished tied for 27th at the NCAA Championship. Experience returns from the postseason lineup last year in the forms of Caleb Sturgeon, Sean Kelly, Matt NeSmith and Will Starke. Kelly advanced to match play at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Champioship over the summer, and NeSmith and Starke both qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship as well. NeSmith was also also named as a PING Honorable Mention All-American and patricipated in the PGA St. Jude Classic.
PNU and WatchESPN. The game is schedule for a 3 p.m. ET kickoff at Regal Soccer Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. The volleyball team will have its match at Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 13 featured on ESPNU and WatchESPN also. The match is slated to get under way at 6 p.m. ET at the Stephen C. O’connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.
Men’s tennis duo wins title South Carolina men’s tennis players Chip Cox and Kyle Koch earned the doubles title at the ITA National Collegiate Summer Championships on Aug. 13. The victory allows the duo to participate in the ITA Men’s All-American Championships beginning on Oct. 3 in Tulsa, Okla. The pair will have a wild card spot in the doubles main draw and the singles qualifying round of the event. Cox and Koch were the top-seeded doubles team in the tournament and won with scores of 8-2, 8-5, 8-3, 9-7 and 8-1. The 9-7 battle in the semifinals saw the Gamecocks down the pairing of Alex Lawson and Nicolas Montoya of Notre Dame, after the Fighting Irish duo had upset the tournament’s second seed. The Gamecock pair came out on fire in the finals getting up by a score of 7-0, on the way to the 8-1 victory. Both players advance to the round of 16 in singles competition as well. The duo will be the first Gamecock doubles team to play in the ITA All-American Championship since 1999.
Gamecocks close out 2013 IAAF World Championships
South Carolina Athletic Media Relations The 2013 IAAF World Championships drew to a close with a silver medal for Team USA in the men’s 4x100-meter relay. Team USA won the overall medal count with 25 (six gold, 13 silver, six bronze). South Carolina head coach Curtis Frye oversaw the sprint and hurdle crew in Moscow. His group claimed nine medals, including a medal in every event. Team USA brings home three gold medals (David Oliver - 110mH, LaShawn Merritt - 400m, 4x400m Relay), five National television coverage for silvers (Justin Gatlin - 100m, Ryan Wilson - 110mH, Tony McQuay - 400m, Michael Tinwomen’s soccer, volleyball sley -400mH and the 4x100m Relay) and one The SEC announced the broadcast schedules bronze (Curtis Mitchell - 200m) for both women’s soccer and volleyball this South Carolina assistant head coach Delepast week, and South Carolina’s teams will thea Quarles served as Team USA’s jumps and each be making a national television appearmultis coach for the women’s team. The group ance this fall. Both broadcasts will feature claimed a gold (Brittney Reese - long jump) the Gamecocks on the road in conference and two silvers (Jennifer Suhr - pole vault and matchups. Brigetta Barrett - high jump) to win medals in The women’s soccer team will have its game three of their five events. at Tennessee on Sunday, Oct. 6 shown on ESAll three former Gamecocks finished in the
South Carolina Athletic Media Relations
The women’s soccer team will be featured on ESPNU as they travel to Tennessee on Oct. 6. top five of their events. US outdoor champion Natasha Hastings posted a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter dash and added another 4x400meter relay medal to her resume with a silver. Hastings has won two world championship gold medals in the event in 2007 and 2009 to go with her 2008 Olympic gold medal. Defending world champion Lashinda Demus collected a bronze medal in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. In the last three major international competitions, Demus won the 2011 world title, the 2012 London Olympic silver and the 2013 world championship bronze. Jason Richardson narrowly missed the podium in the 110-meter hurdles, crossing the line in fourth place by .03 seconds despite hitting the final hurdle. Like Demus, Richardson has also been a mainstay on the international scene, winning the 2011 world gold, the 2012 Olympic silver and collecting a fourth-place finish in Moscow. Rising senior Jeannelle Scheper made her IAAF World Championship debut, competing for St. Lucia in the high jump. Scheper finished 13th in her qualifying group. Kierre Beckles, who just completed her collegiate eligibility, represented Barbados in the women’s 110-meter hurdles. She finished 31st overall in the opening heats.
also served as head track coach at Tulane (1995) and Coastal Carolina (2001-04). In 2003, he earned Big South Coach of the Year and Southeast Region Coach of the Year at Coastal Carolina. Allden led the Gamecocks to their best finish in the SEC Championship in program history in 1999. That was also the only year in program history that two runners earned AllSEC laurels.
Equestrian team adds two to reigning SEC Champs
The South Carolina equestrian team added two new riders to their team; they are Georgia native Makayla Clegg and Lisa Perri from Pennsylvania. Clegg will join the western team and is expected to compete in reining. Clegg has an impressive resumé including a first place finish in NRHA Rookie I at the Mrach Dixie Reining Horse Association and the Regional Open Freestyle Reserve Champions both in 2013, just to name a few of her accolades. Clegg also boasts 3.89 GPA in high school while serving as president of the Walton County 4-H Horse Club and co-captain of the Walton Young Riders Varsity Mounted Drill Team that won the 2012 and 2013 sate and reAndrew Allden joins track and gional 4-H freestyle championships. Perri will join South Carolina’s hunt seat field, cross country staff team as the lone hunt seat signee from the Andrew Allden will be an assistant coach spring signing period. Perri boasts the highest for the South Carolina track and field team equation score at the USPC Championships overseeing distances and cross country for the East from 2010-2012. She was the CCHSA Gamecocks. Allden previously was the Game- equation champion from 2009-2011 and was cock cross country coach from 1996-2000. pinned top-10 at The Devon Horse Show. PerOver the past nine years, Allden has coached ri also was an honor roll member and earned many professional and amateur athletes in advanced scores in Pennsylvania’s annual the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina statewide standardized test in mathematics while running AA Elite Coaching. Allden and writing all four years of high school.
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