Jim 'N Nicks Cougar Classic (Recap)

Dec. 29th: James Madison won over South Carolina State Univ. 84-75

Dec. 29th: College of Charleston defeated Mercer 84-74

Dec. 30th: Mercer held on to win over SC State 76-73

Dec. 30th: The Cougars won the Cougar Classic blasting JMU 76-53

(Photo courtesy of J.Trabert)

The College of Charleston drops their third straight

I didn't make it to Columbia for Cremins's second return to his alma mater this year, but I did catch the game on the tube. It was a great day for college basketball with Memphis taking on one of our old favorites, the Georgetown Hoyas and showing why the Tigers deserve to be ranked second in the nation. Memphis is quick, strong and aggresive, they just have such a great squad. (Photo courtesy of the Bushido)

But back to the College, the Cougs took on the Gamecocks and had three different 15 point leads but unfortunately the Cocks had hot hands from behind the arc, keeping them in the game and the College just couldn't answer. At times, I felt the old "live by the three, die by the three" mantra nagging the Cougs. Tony White Jr. had another great game, but the Cougs still didn't get the extra pass around the horn to find the open shot. We kept falling into traps on the wings and simply took deep shots that we just didn't have a chance to drop. And I hate to put it on the refs, but they simply made a bad call on a foul against the Cougs at the end of the game, which put the nails in the coffin. Cougs lost 82-85.

Cougs lose on the road at Florida State

The Cougs lost a close one to the Noles 61-66 tonight! Do to the holiday schedule, we're only going to do score-posts until the new year-sorry Maroon Nation. If you happen to catch a game and want to send me your own thoughts of your experience, by all means, send me an e-mail or leave your thoughts in the comments section.

(Photo courtesy of Lauren Sauer-FSU Cheerleader)

Live by the three, die by the three

Cougs lose on the Road to Chattanooga
The Cougs lost to Chattanooga on Saturday 86-70 dropping to 4-4, (1-1 SoCon). Tony White Jr. led the Cougs with 12 points; Jeremy Simmons was just short of a double-double with 10-points and 8 rebounds.

The Good: The Cougs did come-back from a 20 point deficit 30-8 in the first. And the College of Charleston set a new school record for 3-point attempts.

The Bad: The Cougs only made 10 of the 39 attempted shots from behind the arc.

The Ugly: UTC scored 44 points in the paint compared to the Cougs 18 and the Mocs out rebounded the Cougs 56-36.

Bonus: And finally, Dustin, Jermaine, Antwaine and Tony all had four-fouls, which is either good-tough aggressive “D”, bad officiating or ugly defense.

Photo of Jeremy Simmons guarding UTC’s Qavotstaraj Waddell courtesy of the Chattanooga Times Free Press

Sure Erin Andrews is hot, but what about Davidson making Playboy's Top 25 list?

I read in the Post & Courier the other day about Erin Andrews leading Playboy's "America's Sexiest Sportscaster" survey, which is great that they show a bit of color in their sports' commentary, but how could they miss the SoCon's very own Davidson Wildcats making Playboy's "Top 25 in the Tip Off '08"?

From Hef's Magazine: "#22 Davidson: Last season was a magical one on the Davidson campus as coach Bob McKillop's team won 29 games and advanced to the NCAA tournament, a rare thrill for this little North Carolina college. The top four scorers return. Guard Stephen Curry leads the offensive (he scored 21.5 points a game last season). His running mate, senior Jason Richards, provides experience and a threat from the perimeter. The frontcourt is deep and talented. X factor: Can this mid-major team handle the spotlight? Expectations are suddenly high. Don't miss: Early season tests against North Carolina on November 14th and Duke on December 1st could open America's eyes on how good this club is.

Random Shots: You can vote for your favorite sideline sportscaster at playboy.com/sexiestsportscaster
(Photo courtesy of Sidelinehotties.com)

College of Charleston Baseball Update from Mark Etheridge

The following article written by Mark ethridge (sebaseball.rivals.com)

Talk about it in The Dugout
Last season College of Charleston led the nation in batting average (.350), runs (552), and slugging % (570). With all that offense it is hard to fathom how they were an unlikely omission from Regional play.

This spring the Cougars will rely on more on pitching and defense as they attempt to defend their Southern Conference regular season title.

"We will be deeper on the mound and better defensively," said Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Scott Foxhall. "The question is whether we can be as good as we have traditionally been offensively. Will the new guys answer the bell? I think the talent is here ... maybe as talented a team overall as we have had."

Head coach John Pawlowski's squad lost their entire infield including the catcher along with the weekend rotation.

College of Charleston will have a different look this season
Gone are top hitters Chris Campbell (.385/12/82), Graham Maiden (382/10/42), Ben Lasater (.376/15/54), Alex Garabedian (.353/13/58), and Oliver Marmol (.345/7/45). The quintet totaled 57 home runs - more than five of the ten SoCon team totals last season.

Also missing are pitchers Nick Chigges (11-1/3.52), Jeff Beliveau (3-2/4.56), and Michael Bunton (4-2/6.72). The trio combined to start 44 of the 58 games last season.

Fortunately, there are some Cougars returning with experience to blend with an impressive group of newcomers.

Michael Harrington (.364/13/66) is the top returning hitter. He'll play a corner outfield spot and hit third or fourth. The other two outfield starters also return in Gabe Marchant (.299/8/47/16 sbs) and Stuart Haywood (.389/1/37/10 sbs). Jedd Cordisco (.333/2/11) provides speed as the fourth outfielder.

The infield will have a different look as the newcomers lead the way. Defensive whiz Austin Morgan is a junior college transfer behind the plate. The left side has a pair of juco transfers as probable starters. Jeremie Tice is a middle of the order type who will play third. Mike Hentz is a strong defensive option at short.

Second base is a competition between junior college transfer Brandon Sizemore and returnee Joey Bergman (.418/1/14). Michael Kohn (.312/9/42) is a candidate at first and DH along with junior college transfer Joash Brodin. Brodin comes from the same school that produced former Kentucky slugger Ryan Strieby and has some similarities.

The pitching staff gets a boost from Danny Meszaros who missed 2007 with labrum surgery. Jake Goldberg (6-1/3.72) did well last season and will get an opportunity for an enhanced role this year. The coaches are excited about junior college transfer lefty Austin Garrett. Garrett may be the team's best arm. Other starting candidates include Clay Caulfield and Ole Miss transfer Jesse Simpson.

Top bullpen options include freshman Casey Lucchese and junior Jordan Tiegs.

The team got a huge boost this fall from Kohn - a first baseman/DH a season ago. Kohn worked on the mound and was phenomenal earning a chance to be the Cougar closer. His emergence is a real key since the bullpen -- normally a Charleston strength -- was a liability last season.

If Kohn, a senior pitching for the first time in college can close games, there is no reason to expect anything less than another successful campaign for the Cougars at renovated Patriots Point.

A Thrilling Win For The Cougs Against Western Carolina!

The College of Charleston Cougars won their third straight game this season and their ninth straight game over the Western Carolina Catamounts on Saturday, improving to 4-3. The Cougars will head to Chattanooga for their next game on Saturday, December 15th.

Jermaine Johnson earned SoCon Honors, as Player of the Week, with his career-high 26 points, and tying his career best 14 rebounds. Jermaine was excellent from the charity-stripe hitting 7 of 8, and cool as a Kennedy in the last 5-minutes of the game, putting 8 points on the board and grabbing 4 rebounds to secure a Cougar win! Andrew Goudelock added 25 points with a career-high 15 assists. Antwaine Wiggins and Jeremy Simmons both had 11-points as the Cougars brought home their first SoCon win of the season.

The key to the Cougs' win here is more than just the BMOC (Johnson) but also the depth of the College's bench: the Cougs bench outscored the Catamounts 34-4. The College shot 55.2% from the field in the first, but only 40% in the second half allowing Western Carolina to get back into the game, as they outscored the Cougs in the second-half 52-46. The Cougs still need to work on their shots from behind the arc, but they definitely have improved dramatically (since last season) from the charity-stripe.

Teams-1st---2nd--Total
CofC---40---46---86
WCU---32---52---84

Ja-Marco...Ja-Polo....

Despite my best efforts last night, and the luke-warm acceptance received as I began this little, school-yard-ditty as I sat right next to a line-up of Chas Southern boys, JaMarco Warren still scored 21-points against the Cougs. Warren is a scrappy little guy, who seems to get lost in traffic which makes him a huge asset for the Bucs.

(Picture courtesy of Tyrone Walker/Post & Courier)

Cougs Win Over Charleston Southern! Improve to 3-3 for the season!

The Cougs found their groove last night in the second half at North Charleston Coliseum, despite letting the Buccaneers hang around all night, winning 79 to 70. This victory in Coach Cremins 800th career game boosted his all-time record to 479-321 over a span of 17-seasons. And the Cougs improved to 3-3 for the season. CSU fell to 3-3 as they loss to their longest standing rival spanning the past 42 years. The College leads this rivalry 46-22 all-time.

Click here for Post & Courier article

The Cougars controlled the pace of the game and did a superb job of keeping the Bucs forward Chris Moore contained as well as their BMOC Knysas (Did he pronounce that “nice ass”-any Lithuanians out there who want to give a help with pronouncing this kids’ name?) But as you know the old adage about closing one window, another "Ja-Marco…Ja-Polo" opens, JaMarco-Ja-Polo Warren led the Bucs with 21.

From the Den

The Cougs did a great job of moving the ball and opening up lanes to take it to the hoop; as a result Jermaine Johnson had his first double-double, grabbing 10 boards while putting 21 points (8-11 FG/5-10 FT) just shy of his career-high. Tony White Jr. was consistent and scrappy last night putting 17 points (5-10 FG/3-4 FT) on the board, hitting 4-6 from behind the arc. Dustin Scott added another 10-points (4-6 FG/1-2 FT/1-3 3FG). Antwaine Wiggins and Marcus Hammond combined for 10-points.

Bench production:
Goudelock (as seen in this Tyrone Walker picture courtesy of the P&C) with two steals and a few other attempts (we like this kid’s effort) joined Jeremy Simmons with 9-points, Diarra came in for a few minutes to shake things up and Donovan Monroe hit one of four three-ball attempts. Not bad bench production and the team seemed pretty fluid during the interchange.

Scoreboard---Record---1st---2nd---Final
Chas Southern (3-4)---29---41---70
The Bucs shot 36.4% (28-77) from the field, 87.5% (7-8) from the charity stripe and 26.9% (7-26) from behind the arc.
College of Charleston (3-3)---26---53---79
The Cougs shot 47% (31-66) from the field, 43.5% from the charity stripe and 23.3% from behind the arc.

Cougs Face Charleston Southern in the Battle of the Holy City tonight!

The Citadel defeated Charleston Southern for the first time in nine years on Monday night winning, 76-73 at the Coliseum, finally preventing Chas Southern from gaining enough "So-mentum" to be in contention with the College of Charleston.

Which brings us to tonight's game: first let's do a bit of house-keeping, to answer WB's question, no-there isn't a trophy (yet) just bragging rights for who the Holy City Champ is. Secondly, I know it seems odd for those of us who served in the Peace Corps or who save lives as Emergency Room Doctors can't get a free pass for tonight's game, but EMT, Cops, Meter-Maids, etc can, but that's just how it is. It usually works that way across the board. Military discount at the IHOP but nothing for those of us who served in Africa fighting AIDS and other diseases. Just go with it, shell out the 10-bucks and cheer on the Cougs tonight!

(Photo credit: JET via phone @ El Cid library)

Reminder: Game vs Chas Southern at the North Chuck Coliseum Wednesday Night!

The Cougs will face Chas. Southern (7 pm) on Wednesday night at the North Chuck Coliseum, for the annual City Champs match-up (Chas Southern plays El Cid tonight).

Hootie (sans Blowfish) will get things started with a stunning performance of the National Anthem. Before the game the Charleston Nine (local firefighters who died in the Sofa-Super Store blaze this past July) will be honored and all local Po-pos, fire-fighters, EMS, garbage men and military personnel in the area get in free to the game.

Cougs win on the road at Fordham, 73-68

Quite honestly, there was a bit of confusion in regards to who was whom when it came to the Fordham and College of Charleston fans last December at John Kresse Arena; maroon and white are both school’s colors and the universal-collegiate-gray t-shirt was quite prevalent at the game. To much surprise Fordham had quite a large fan base here in Charleston, and with the student section off for the Christmas break, I almost felt outnumbered at our own place. The Cougs battled to beat Fordham by 10 (65-56) last season and I was a bit worried things might be more hostile this time in New York.

Despite getting off to a rough start this season, both teams and schools are quite similar in size, reputation and record. The only difference this season was that the Cougs haven’t been home all season and with another road trip to a hostile environment, things didn’t look promising.

Stop Spreading the News…
I’ll be the first to apologize for not making the trip to NYC, but as it is I am allergic to the Bronx. And what can I say? Not many Southerners decide to retire and live in NYC (my justification for the high turnout of Rams fans at Kresse last season).

I did catch the game on ESPN radio as Blackie and I headed to Charlotte on Saturday and despite the wonderful, half-fuzzed AM broadcast, I was quite concerned to hear Jeremy Simmons take a knee to the back of the head, but glad to hear that he was fine, just sitting out as a precaution. The Cougs had the lead at the half by 10-points (34-24) and despite a well executed effort at the end of the game, the Cougs held on to win by 5, with a final score of 68-58.
From the Den
Despite coming off the bench, Donavan Monroe led the Cougs with 15-points, Tony White Jr. and Goudelock both scored 12. Jermaine was in foul trouble early, but who said that was a bad thing? As long as they are smart fouls that help establish your dominance in the paint and not just lazy-lapses of judgment, the CofC Sports Fan says, “Foul On Brother”! Slipping into his spot was the “Rally from Mali” (West Africa), 6’10”, 235 lb center, Konimba Diarra who played for twelve minutes, hitting 2-4 (50 %) for 4 points in his first chance at double-digit minutes of playing time. (You know this kid is a senior and I am finally thinking that if he wants to make an impact on this Cougar team, this is the season to do it. So Konimba get tough in there and show us what you got!)

The Rams outscored us in the second half, 44-39, but the Cougs held on, played smart and won by (everyone get ready for this) hitting 7 of 8 free-throws in the final seconds of the game. The Cougs shot 51% (25-49) from the field and 73% (16-22) from the Charity-Stripe.

Press Play
The Cougars are now 2-3 on the season, tied with the Citadel for 4th in the SoCon (Southern Division) and our next game will be against Chas Southern this Wednesday. The Citadel plays Chas. Southern on Monday, so it would appear this will be one of those battles for Holy City bragging rights again this year! Go Cougs!

Cougs Announce Additions

From the CofC Sports Official Web-Site:
"College of Charleston coach Bobby Cremins announced Wednesday the signing of point guard Quasim Pugh and forward Matt Sundberg to national letters of intent for the 2008-09 season.
Pugh (5-11, 165) is from St. Thomas More High School in Oakdale, Conn., while Sundberg (6-6, 185) prepped at Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga.
“We are excited about these two young men coming to the College of Charleston," The will definitely make our team better," said Cremins, whose teams plays at Fordham at 1:00 on Saturday. “Quasim is a very exciting point guard from New York City who can handle and push the ball up the court. He plays with a lot of energy and is a tremendous passer. He is also coached by Jere Quinn, one of the highly regarded coaches in the country.“Matt is a very athletic wing player and an excellent shooter. He is versatile and can play three positions. Matt knows how to play and will help our team with his perimeter shooting.”

Cougs lose to Houston, slip to 1-3

The Cougs didn’t have much left in the tank for their game against Houston in the final round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico. Simply put we just didn’t have an answer for their big man, Robert McKiver.

But we did learn a few things from this tourney down in Puerto Rico

1-This (CofC) Cougar team is balanced, we’ve had a different scoring leader in our four games.

2-The Cougs are young but I believe by the end of the year this will be an outstanding squad of players.

3-Cuban-styled shirts with our logo are still cool, even though our team didn’t play in Cuba during this tournament and Bobby and the Cougs staff didn’t have stogies hanging out of their mouths.

CofC makes record comeback to defeat Temple!

On our second excursion into the local bar scene to watch the Cougs on ESPNU, the “James Edward” Trio headed to George’s Sports Bar to catch last nights’ CofC basketball game against Temple in their second game of the O’Reilly Auto Parts ESPNU Puerto Rico Tipoff.


It’s never a good vibe when you get some 5-Star-A-hole Memphis fan old enough to be your father talking smack to you about your team when your beloved Cougs are trailing by 25 at the half (50-25), turning the ball over or when they continue to throw up the trey as soon as they begin trailing. In fact, sometimes you just have to be the better person, remain calm and seated in order for the aforementioned degenerate to step away from your table and to get out of your face. (Full disclosure: Indeed, if the Cougs weren’t 2-12, 16.7% from behind the arc in the first half, I probably wouldn’t complain about this sort of rookie mistake).



And the beatings will continue
I am not quite sure what I did to disrupt my Karma points that night, but it seemed one bad play, one bad pass and one terribly rushed shot happened right after another. And this obnoxious “distinguished” Memphis guy has now entered the, “I know Bobby Cremins and he isn’t going to stay at the College but one more year”. Good grief, someone put a lid on this guy.



Our server seemed to bring the gloom as well: What’s that? No Bobby Cremins Show here at George’s Sports Bar this year. George sold the bar. Oh and there having the B.C. Show at California Dreaming this season; oh that seems like a great spot. Assuming no where else is available. But alas, none of this sports-bar hazing was a joke and the Cougars looked young and behind the eight ball throughout the first half. But on a bright note: at least they are hitting 83.3% from the charity stripe!



Don't call it a comeback
I am not sure if Coach Cremins gave the guys a dose of LL Cool Jay’s “Momma Said” at the half but the Cougs came out a little rusty but then all of the sudden became a more mature and developed team. Boom, I have been here for years! Tony White Jr. lowering the number of turnovers, getting the extra pass and the extra look, and dropping 3 from behind the arc. Antwaine Wiggins would become more of an offensive threat, the big men are getting angry in the paint and the team as a whole looked more fluid. The Cougars are back in this game, tying the score at 76 with 46 seconds left on the clock as Jermaine Johnson dropped his second attempt from the charity stripe (are you all watching this?) Jermaine is 5 for 6 from the foul line and the Cougs just made their largest comeback in team history.*


Momma Said!
Oh please don’t break my heart guys! Don’t tease us Cougars! Please don’t tease us. Ryan Brooks had just hit a trey less than a minute ago to give the Owls the lead, are they looking for him again? Luis Guzman just re-entered the game for the Owls. (Is that the same Luis Guzman from the show John From Cincinnati? Dang, that guy is good, nope, different Luis Guzman.) The Owls call a time-out and then rebound the ball to their high-scorer Dionte Christmas (31-points), he misses from the field. Cougs bring the ball down court with 12-seconds left, ball to Dustin Scott who drops it a three-ball at the buzzer! Count it! Cougs Win! Cougs Win! Now if that doesn’t make the ESPN Highlights tonight I will be pissed. (Note: Scott’s buzzer beater did make the ESPN Plays of the Day Highlights)



* On December 15, 2001, the Cougs were down 35-18 @ UNC-W before staging their comeback for a 60-58 win, a record response overcoming a 17-point deficit, which is now surpassed.

First Look @ Davidson and Our Loss to Arkansas

Last night we had our first look at Davidson and they look very tough, losing to the #1-ranked UNC Tarheels by just four points. And I doubt that it would be a stretch to say that Davidson if they stay healthy (read: Stephen Curry doesn’t hurt an appendage or ankle) and continue to develop from their big games against the likes of UNC, UCLA and Duke, the Wildcats could quite possibly win another SoCon Title. But let’s not anoint the Cats just yet, UT-C looked pretty good against Indiana and of course, the College will have plenty of time to watch Davidson in the SoCon before we meet on January 26, 2008. I recommend visiting WB's Davidson B-Ball Page from time to time.

I don’t have much to say about the loss to Arkansas tonight other than the point that you could tell that we have a lot of talent, but our team is quite young. Perhaps some of you might question the ‘talent’ comment when the Cougs only shot 28.6% from the field, but these comments are of course, reliant on one another because when you are down 14-points with 11-minutes on the clock, and all you throw up are three’s, and sadly, none of these shots from behind the arc are falling, then your percentage will go down.

The Cougs need to get back to basics (fundamentals) and work on getting more ball movement (without the high amount of turnovers) to get that extra pass, which usually leads to someone getting a nice open look at the basket. The Cougs just aren’t looking crisp at all. Give it to Davidson, across the board the players on their team have excellent fundamentals (both in shooting and passing). Their passes are normally crisp, designed and when you see the bounce pass from the Wildcats you will see thumbs down from the passer.

Simply put we need more aggressiveness from our big guys in the paint, better communication on the floor and fundamentals in the passing and shooting aspects of the team. I think these kids have a lot of heart and I know they will battle like hell, but we’ve seen it time and time before, show-boats can only go so far, but teams leave legacies.

Start with the basics Coach Cremins and let’s get a win down there in Puerto Rico.
The Cougars are now 0-2. Our next game will be against Temple.

Carolina First Center's Progress! (Viewed from the Cougar Club and Burns' Lane)

2007 O’Reilly ESPNU Puerto Rico Tip-Off

The Cougars face the #18 Arkansas Razorbacks tonight in the opening round of the 2007 O’Reilly ESPNU Puerto Rico (aka: the San Juan Shootout); tip-off is at 5:00 pm. The game will televise on ESPNU (we’re headed to a sports bar) and will be available on ESPN Radio 910-AM WTMZ.

The Cougs Drop their Season Opener on the road @ UNCW in Over-time

The Cougars dropped their season opener to UNCW in OT. Obviously we didn’t get the outcome the Maroon Nation was looking for, but we did learn a few things from this road game; mainly, that this is a talented team and they are scrappy. (Photo courtesy of CofC Sports)

From the Den
Scoring the most points for a CofC freshman since Rod Conner dropped 29 points against South Carolina State back in 1993, freshman guard, Andrew Goudelock led the Cougs with 27 points. Jermaine Johnson put 19 points on the board and pulled down 9 boards. Charleston’s other “BMOC”, recent transfer; Dustin Scott scored 12-points (5-10) and had 6-boards for his first game as a Cougar. Tony White, Jr. was 6 for 13 with 15 points.

The Cougars shot 50% (15-30) from the field in the first and went into half-time tied with UNC-Wilmington at 36. The Cougs dropped in scoring percentage from the field to 45.9% (17-37) in the second half, but increased in percentage from behind the arc, hitting 36.4% (4-11) but the Seahawks’ Daniel Fountain with 27 points) and Vladimir Kuljanin who scored 25 points were able to hold of the Charleston attack to win 98-91.

The Cougars’ next game is against Arkansas in the San Juan Shootout November 15th.

App State-itis??? Or Michiganitis, Cougs lose in exhibition game against Augusta State

As we all know the biggest shocker of this football season was App State (a powerhouse in their Division winning back-to-back National Championships) defeating Michigan at the “Big House”. Now that the shock is over and the Wolverines are back in action, I’d be hard pressed to think the Mountaineers could return to Ann Arbor and beat Michigan, but as the football season progressed we’ve learned one thing-no one is safe.

So it seems the “Michiganitis” plagued the Cougars in their exhibition game against Division II powerhouse Augusta State, losing 65-63. Not only do the two “upsetters” have the same initials (ASU) but the favored teams had similar heartbreaks at the end of the game as the Cougars watched Jaguars’ Ben Madgen dropped a trey with 7.3 left on the clock, but the Maroon Nation would be hard pressed to think they (Augusta State) could come into the house Kresse built later on this season and walk away with a victory.

The Cougars led 32-28 at the half, but ASU showed the Cougars what we need to work on before the regular season begins next Saturday, mainly stopping a big man (i.e. Jaguars’ 6-11, 305 lb. center Garret Siler who scored 24 points) in the paint. Tony White, Jr. led the Cougars with 18-points (15 in the 1st half).

But remember, this is an exhibition game and thankfully it doesn’t count. Augusta State returned all five of their starters and they are a good basketball team. And although we have Coach Cremins at the helm, he doesn’t have a magic wand. It takes time for even the most talented players to develop and reach their full potential.

We returned two starters (Jermaine Johnson and Tony White, Jr.) from last season. It would seem only natural that most of our scoring in this exhibition game came from the perimeter, when we scouted our new talent (freshman-guard Andrew Goudelock who scored 17 and freshman-shooting forward Antwaine Wiggins who scored 13) we knew they would be a threat from behind the arc. And with the addition of Dustin Scott this season, Jermaine will have some added muscle in the paint; we just need these guys to get mean and in sync-which will come.

Link to Charles Bennett’s article in the Post & Courier

The Cougars begin their season at UNC Wilmington, 7 pm, on November 10th! Go Cougs!

The Knicks are in town this week, practicing at Kresse Arena!

Here is a video clip for any of you interested from our friends at "Count-On-Two", with a slight edit from friends at the Bushido Way.

Magnolia Electric Company playing tonight at the Village Tavern in Mt. Pleasant 8:00 pm

It was about four years ago when Jay-Bird passed me Jason Molina's (link to My-Space Page), aka: Songs Ohia) album Magnolia Electric Company and Pyramid Electric Company-both had been recently released despite being conceived as a box-set. Jay-Bird told me, "I think you are going to like it, smooth and strong like Neil Young. Plus, Molina is from Loraine, Ohio and I know how you like those Buckeye-Bands (i.e. The Black Keys & O.A.R.)." Dang, calling out a fellow CofC Sports Fan on the O.A.R. as if he didn't dig "Crazy Hand of Poker" in college. Regardless, I liked the albums so much that I played out two copies of the album Magnolia Electric Company and just backed up a copy on my iTunes on Friday to help prepare for tonight's show. I have a handful of other Molina's albums on my iTunes, but for some reason MEC just gets me, great driving music by the way if you ever happen to be on a long road trip. (Photo from the band's My-Space page)

I digress; Molina is touring as Magnolia Electric Company (link to My-Space Page) with Michael Kapinus (keys, trumpet, voice), Mark Rice (drumset), Jason Groth (guitar & voice), & Mackie "Loosejeans" Hotpepper (bass) and they will be play tonight at the Village Tavern in Mt. Pleasant @ 8:00 pm.

Cremins Key-Note Speaker at TCC!

Coach Cremins will be the guest speaker for the 2007 Tallahassee Community College Sports Hall of Fame inductions ceremony on September 28th @ 7pm. Tickets are available through TCC's Athletic office at 201-8588.

Inductees:
TCC will induct Cincinnati Out-fielder Ryan Freel, who played for the Eagles for one season and helped them win their first Panhandle Conference Title in 1995. TCC & Florida State basketball player Kerry Thompson who helped the Eagles fight for their first thirty-win season, their first FCCAA State Tourney and was key in their fifty-four victories in the two-years he played for the squad before transferring in 1997 to FSU. Also being inducted is Tinsley Floyd a faculty member and a key supporter of the TCC Athletic Department in its' infancy.

Hopefully Coach's appearance will continue the tradition of talented players from TCC transferring to the College of Charleston.

Cremins Inducted Into New York City Basketball Hall of Fame

The 18th Annual New York City Basketball Hall of Fame inductees for 2007 are Bobby Cremins, Walter Berry, Al Bianchi, Mario Elie, Ed Pinckney, Hank Rosenstein, TV announcer Bob Wolff and the recently deceased basketball statistician Burt Beagle. Mr. Beagle who entered the NYC B Hall of Fame posthumously, passed earlier this year from cancer.

(Photo of Ed Pinckney, Hank Rosenstein, and TV announcer Bob Wolff courtesy of Baruch College, the City University of New York City)

Coach Cremins and Jim Courier will face off against Gov. Sanford and Pete Sampras for Bill Przybysz's Miracle Match Foundation

From http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/sep/19/harrell_back_as_force_scisa_girls_tennis16387/:

Pete Sampras and Jim Courier in a clinic prior to the big exhibition on Sunday
afternoon at North Charleston Coliseum? You can, but it'll cost you $500. That's
the price for each of the 10 spots in a noon-1 p.m. clinic with the former
greats prior to their 3 p.m. exhibition.
All of the proceeds from the clinic
will go to former tennis pro Bill Przybysz's Miracle Match Foundation, which
will donate a portion of the proceeds to the MUSC Children's Hospital. Przybysz,
a victim of Acute Monocytic Leukemia, is touring the Children's Hospital today.
Some of the families of children at the Children's Hospital will attend Sunday's
exhibition. For information on the clinic, contact Jessica Kersey (216-0442).
Another chance to meet Sampras and Courier in a special 1:30 p.m. VIP
reception will be available for courtside ticket-holders at $150 per seat.
Gov. Mark Sanford will team up with Sampras against College of Charleston
men's basketball coach Bobby Cremins and Courier in a celebrity doubles match.

Although Sampras is a formidable opponent on the court, I think Coach and Courier will get it done in this Dutch-Doubles event. Tickets are on sale at the coliseum ticket office, all Ticketmaster outlets including select Publix grocery stores, charge by phone (554-6060) and online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Carolina First Center's Progress

The new Kresse Arena is coming along folks. I'll try to get down there once a month to give you an update.

Davidson gets some tough competition

You are probably thinking that I am referring to the Davidson Wildcats having a chance to show they have what it takes as they represent the So-Con in the Wooden Classic on Dec. 8th, but no, I am not. Sure, Wildcats guard, Stephen Curry dropped a NCAA freshman record of trey's last season (122 three-pointers) and has a chance to show that he belongs on the short list of contenders, but I am talking about something serious here: Davidson continuing to have the ugliest mascot in College Sports. The Wildcats main contender is seen here (photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports) the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islander(s). What do you think? Do the Wildcats still have the ugliest mascot in college sports?

Welcome back students

For those of you new to the Maroon Nation, welcome-study hard and support your Cougars!

Cougar Prospect: Quasim Pugh

Here is the NY Daily News article regarding Quasim Pugh and his transfer to St. Thomas More to play for Coach Jerry Quinn his senior year of high school. At point-guard, Pugh prefers the fast-break offense (very nice) and is transferring to his third-high school in four years (started at Banneker and played two seasons at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts) to play with more athletic players and for more exposure. (Don’t worry kid; you made the CofC Sports Fan’s radar)

Pugh’s quote from the article regarding his future,

"Right now, College of Charleston is showing the
most interest, and I like them the most. I know coach (Bobby) Cremins is a
natural-born point guard coach.”

–It seems Mr. Pugh is also a smart kid; Cremins could develop this 5’10” point-guard into a sensation at the Pro-level and he probably would be an excellent fit in the College of Charleston/Bobby Cremins' "run-and-gun" style of play. We'll keep our eye on Quasim this next season and see how he grows physically and develops as a player now that he is on a team that is on more of a national level.

Cougars sign TCC stand-out!

Original post on April 1, 2007: Jamestown (Berkeley County) native and Tallahassee Community College standout, Dustin Scott signed with the College of Charleston as a Junior College transfer on Thursday at 3:30 pm. It has long been college basketball lore about Frank McGuire's pipeline to the Catholic School in New York City, but now it seems that the College of Charleston might have a similar pipeline to TCC, as Scott becomes the 3rd TCC player to don a Cougar uniform. Bernard Jackson who played for the Cougs from 2002-2005 and Marcus Johnson who played for the Cougs from 2003-2004, were both former TCC standouts. Look for Cremins to throw Scott into the mix as a starter this season as a forward.

As a freshman, Scott averaged 13.5-points and 8.5-boards per game, shooting 54% from the field. He continued his course of excellence in his sophomore year scoring 14-points and 8-boards per game, shooting 47% from the field. Scott leaves TCC with the all-time rebounding title, grabbing 534-rebounds in his 2-years playing for the Eagles.

Many of the bigs (i.e. Florida, Rocky Top and "Slick Rick" from Louisville) have courted Scott, but he decided after visiting the College that he wanted to play for the legendary Coach, Bobby Cremins. A very wise decision Mr. Scott.

Antwaine Wiggins signs with the College of Charleston

Original post on April 14, 2007
Antwaine Wiggins a three-star prospect as ranked by Scout.com signed with the College of Charleston Cougars on the 13th of April (Knoxville News). Wiggins averaged 26.3 points and 11 boards last season for Greeneville (Tenn) High and will be utilized as a shooting-forward-to hopefully fill the shoes of David Lawrence. And at 6-7, 180 lbs. Wiggins appears to be at least the right size (5 pounds lighter than D.L.) to fill those shoes. The hub-bub on George Street is that Wiggins will be a starter at small-forward as a true freshman this season. (Photo courtesy of Scouts.com)

Deal-Maker
What gave the College of Charleston the edge over App State as Wiggins choice to play basketball? Coach Cremins is your answer; said Antwaine, “He’s been through a lot and he’s like one of the greatest coaches ever and I thought it would be a privilege to play for someone with that prestige.” We've said a million-times, Coach Cremins is a recruiting-road-warrior.

Keeping Tabs: Alex Garabedian drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers

As you know, we here at the CofC Sports Fan took most of the summer off. But we thought it would be good to catch everyone up with former College of Charleston catcher, Alex Garabedian who was selected in the eight round (266-overall) of this year's MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Currently, Alex is hitting Alex Garabedian.229 with 22-hits in 96 at-bats, scoring 13-runs, 4-doubles, 2-home-runs and 14-RBIs (.308 on-base-percentage and a .333 slugging percentage) with the Ogden Raptors as a rookie in the Dodgers' farm-system.

The Coll of Charleston gets a verbal commitment from Sundberg for 2008

Harrison High School standout, Matt Sundberg made a verbal commitment on July 30, 2007 to come to the College after his senior year of high school 2008. Sundberg is a 6-6, 175 pound small forward from Kennesaw, Georgia, who plays with the AAU Atlanta Celtics (White) and the Inter strength (black) traveling teams in Georgia Under-17 squads.

Press
Rivals.com evaluation of Matt: "The 6-foot-5 wing from Harrison High School can stroke it from the wing but his understanding of the game makes his team better and helps the offense flow. He'll be a name to follow throughout the July period."

Youth Prep Star evaluated Sundberg as a "talented shooter who runs the court well".

Sundberg cited his decision to come to Charleston as an "existing relationship with one of the assistant coaches"; he was also recruited by Georgia, Western Kentucky and the Univ. of South Carolina
(Photo credits: UGA.Rivals.com)

Donovan Monroe signs with the Cougars!

Original post on April 2, 2007
Fork Union point-guard, Donovan Monroe committed to the College of Charleston for next season (ESPN Briefing Room). The ex-Parkwood basketball player, Charlotte Royals (AAU Team) and Waxhaw, N.C. native was courted by Virginia Tech, St. John’s and UNC-Wilmington among others. More than likely, the offer from V-tech came after Fork Union’s basketball team defeated the Hokies in two straight games last November. Monroe first landed on my radar back in February, when Coach Cremins (see: “Coach Cremins is a recruiting road warrior”) made a morning trip to watch Fork Union play UNC’s Junior Varsity Squad, Donovan Monroe scored 17-points during the game handing the Tarheels JV-Squad their first loss of the season.

Scout.com lists (Monroe) the 6’2; 180-lb combo-guard as a "talented scorer and mid-range offensive weapon, with areas of improvement regarding his ball-handling skills and on the defensive-side of the ball, as well as consistency". (I always love it when they mention how key a player is and how dependable they are with dropping “big-game” buckets, but then note “consistency” as a weakness.) Especially because Monroe was the only consistent player (read: offensive-threat: hitting from the perimeter, dropping baskets with his left hand in the paint and driving to the basket against a 2-3 Zone) on the Fork Union squad. Assuming Monroe’s main improvements are needed on the defensive-side of the ball is quite fortuitous for Donovan because the Factory on George Street turns out defensive-machines every year. Welcome aboard Mr. Monroe!

Skripkauskas a cross-word puzzler's dream come true?

If you want to know more about Tauras, check out Jeff Bonato’s “EXTRA POINT Warren grad spins his own wheel of fortune on court” article about Tauras Skripkauskas in today’s Lake County News-Sun. Bonato discussed Tauras being the only Warren High grad to currently be playing NCAA Division 1 level basketball (until this winter when three former teammates will join him) and his rise from a 5-8 kid on the freshman “B” team to a 6-3 senior who’s high school career was cut short due to injuries from his sudden growth spurts. Although side-lined most of his senior year, “T-Triple S-Triple-K” had the opportunity to watch a great coach, Chuck Ramsey and a lot of basketball.

After high school in 2005, Tauras returned to Lithuania thinking his basketball dreams where left behind in Gurnee, Illinois, but he was spotted “holding court” on the playground, returned to the States, worked hard at a few camps and caught the eye of a college scout who sent him packing to Maine, (See Photo: Tauras in right corner for the block-Credits: Bangornews.com) where he averaged 11-points and 8-boards per game at Lee High Academy Prep-School. And Lee High is also where “T-Triple S-Triple-K” caught the eye of Coach Bobby Cremins.

Although, “T-Triple S-Triple-K” didn’t get much play last season, he can hang his hat on the 5-points he scored in the hallowed halls of Rupp Arena against the U.K. Wildcats and now at 6-6, almost a foot taller than he was as a high school freshman, he can look forward to putting those (pardon the stereo-type) "Eastern-bloc" shooting skills to use on the court.

The only thing we at the CofC Sports Fan disagreed with Bonato about in his article was his thoughts regarding, “Skripkauskas” as a cross-word puzzler’s dream come true. Are you kidding us? We’re keeping “Skripkauskas” in our back pocket for the World's Scrabble Championship. What else are you going to do with a P, 3-S’s, 3-K’s, 2-A’s, and two other vowels?

Apprehension on posting the College of Charleston Basketball Recruits

I know the Maroon Nation has been dying to know who we have to fill the shoes of the four seniors who left this past season and I had eight posts from this past spring to put up on the board, but it was brought to my attention by fellow CofC Sports Fan Jamie Mellen, that in the game of recruitment, it is sometimes not the best thing to "tip your hand" so other teams know your strategy. And then I had a call from Rob Going who noted from a lawyer's stand-point that nothing is set in stone. To which I replied, everything is set in stone once you sign on the dotted-line; to which my buddy, third-year-law-student and fellow CofC Sports Fan Rob Going told me, "Not necessarily, you can post it, but you will look like an idiot when the kids don't show."

I hung-up with the conversation thinking Rob doesn't known anything, blast these law students, blah-blah-blah, then I picked up the paper to read that a young man named Tim Sexton, who had signed with the College to play baseball, decided last week to go ahead and play for the Los Angeles Dodgers instead, where of course, he will join former Coll of Charleston catcher, Alex Garabedian.

Dilemma? Yes, but I didn't spend 4-years at the College tripping over the bricks on our campus side-walks to have this be the first time I look like an idiot (for more idiot evidence see: Photo of Jed Trabert and Jamie Mellen before the So-Con Tourney). I am going back in and publishing the recruits and I will copy those posts over the next couple of days. After of course, I double-check to make sure none of these guys backed out.

Cougs sign Jeremy Simmons from Tucker High School (Tucker, Ga.)

Original post on April 9, 2007: The College of Charleston Cougars basketball team added depth to the roster in the power-forward position with the addition of Jeremy Simmons from Tucker High School (Tucker, Georgia). Simmons (6-7, 225) is ranked 17th among recruits in the state of Georgia and he was a major reason (especially his nasty dunk in the 4th quarter) the Tucker Tigers were able to defeat their Dekalb County rivals, Columbia High School for the Class 4A Championship in the state of Georgia. Simmons was also being recruited by Providence, Tulane, Ball State and even Vandy was looking at this young man. (Photo credits: Rivals.com)

The experience young Jeremy had in high school, coming from a team that had lost eight-seniors and four-starters last year and lost to Columbia twice during the regular season, to winning the state championship in their division (last March) as well as ending the Columbia Eagles 51-game-win-streak is of David and Goliath proportions. I just hope he can continue his development and carry this moxie onto the court for the Cougars.

Keeping Tabs: Josh Jackson enrolls at South Carolina State University

As the CofC Sports Fan mentioned back on May 15th, Josh Jackson will not return to the College of Charleston. The Orangeburg Times and Democrat announced today that Josh has enrolled at South Carolina State University and should play his final year of eligibility the 2008-2009 season. (Photo credits: The T & D)

We at the CofC Sports Fan were quite disappointed in Josh. Jackson was an All-State center from South Aiken High School who showed us he could really add depth to the team, as a sophomore, averaging 12.5 points and 5.8 boards a game while shooting over 50% from the field. But then his junior year (2006-2007) Josh showed the Maroon Nation that he didn't have the work-ethic to become a dominant force in the Southern Conference. As we watched Jermaine Johnson develop (both physically and mentally) and mature on and off the court, becoming a leader for the Cougars, Josh continued to struggle. but we will keep things on a certain level of comity and wish Josh well for doing his part and hope that he uses this year off to get in shape and grow as a player and a person.

Matt Sundberg makes a verbal commitment to play for the College of Charleston

Harrison High School standout, Matt Sundberg made a verbal commitment on July 30, 2007 to come to the College after his senior year of high school 2008. Sundberg is a 6-6, 175 pound small forward from Kennesaw, Georgia, who plays with the AAU Atlanta Celtics (White) and the Inter strength (black) traveling teams in Georgia Under-17 squads.

Press
Rivals.com evaluation of Matt: "The 6-foot-5 wing from Harrison High School can stroke it from the wing but his understanding of the game makes his team better and helps the offense flow. He'll be a name to follow throughout the July period."

Youth Prep Star evaluated Sundberg as a "talented shooter who runs the court well".

Sundberg was recruited by Georgia, Univ. of South Carolina
(Photo credits: UGA.Rivals.com)

Construction Progress on Cougarminiums!

Since it is summer and there isn't much going on, I thought I would share these updated pictures of what I like to call the Cougarminiums (aka, the old George Street Garage). I don't regret the single house downtown Charleston as an upper-classman, but these Cougarminiums are pretty tony, downtown abodes! (Photos by Jed Trabert)

Observations from above the rim and mid-majors hiring of older coaches

The guys from “Observations From Above the Rim” (a Charlotte Observer sports blog) made an interesting observation concerning mid-major schools hiring older coaches (i.e. CofC hiring Cremins who is 60 and Coastal Carolina hiring Cliff Ellis who is 61) it makes sense to get a coach who knows how to deal with the media (read: media exposure) and who has instant name recognition.

Of course, both points are quite valid, but they did leave out one major point: many coaches leave the “big schools” well before their coaching years are over. Normally this is due to not getting along with the Administration, the Boosters or the Media-especially after hitting a few “bumps in the road”. Having spoken to Coach Cremins on numerous occasions, you could tell that he truly missed the game, the interaction with “kids”, teaching and the thrill that only competition can provide. Coach just turned 60, which might be old for the big programs, but it is young for the rest of us-including mid-majors.

College of Charleston Basketball: 2007-2008 Schedule

Coach Cremins' sophomore season at the helm of the College of Charleston looks interesting. The Cougs will head to the Big Apple to face Fordham (Cougs are 1-0 vs the Rams) and San Juan, Puerto Rico to face the likes of Arkansas, East-Tenn., Houston, Miami, Providence, Temple and VCU. The SoCon added two games this season and we kick off conference play at West-Carolina on December 1st. Our conference home-opener will be against App. State on January 3rd.

2007-2008-CofC Basketball Schedule
Nov. 10 at UNC Wilmington
Nov. 15-18 at San Juan Shootout
Nov. 24 at Fordham
Nov. 28 Charleston Southern (North Charleston Coliseum)
Dec. 1 at Western Carolina
Dec. 15 at Chattanooga
Dec. 18 at Florida State
Dec. 22 at South Carolina
Dec. 29 Mercer (CofC Classic)
Dec. 30 James Madison/S.C. State (CofC Classic)
Jan. 3 Appalachian State
Jan. 5 Elon
Jan. 10 at Georgia Southern
Jan. 14 at The Citadel
Jan. 17 Wofford
Jan. 19 at Furman
Jan. 24 UNC Greensboro
Jan. 26 Davidson
Jan. 28 at Wofford
Feb. 2 The Citadel
Feb. 7 at Appalachian State
Feb. 9 at Davidson
Feb. 14 Chattanooga
Feb. 16 Western Carolina
Feb. 20 at Elon
Feb. 25 at UNC Greensboro
Feb. 28 Georgia Southern
Mar. 1 Furman
Mar. 7-10 SoCon Tournament (North Charleston Coliseum) The 2007-2008 Southern Conference basketball tournament will be held March 7-10 at the North Charleston Coliseum.

Who should fill the A.D. position at the College of Charleston? Gene Sapakoff thinks he has it answered.

The Post & Courier’s Gene Sapakoff has an interesting proposal for the Athletic Director’s vacancy at the College of Charleston.

Who should fill the spot left vacant by Jerry Baker? “No one”, Sapakoff suggests following the Modus-operandi of Vandy (which canceled their athletic department all together and have coaches deal directly with the administrative deans). Sapakoff’s suggests that without a football team, and with talented, “marquee”, head-coaches and the George Street “brain-trust” (Kresse, Ciuffo, Daniels and Evans) the College of Charleston doesn’t need an A.D.

Perhaps Sapakopff is over simplifying things here or perhaps not, I must admit, I am not totally sold on the idea (despite Sappy’s generous selections for the usage of the extra $150,000. As usual, I’d love to hear from you about this, so please leave your opinions in the comment section.

Click here for Gene Sapakoff’s article.

Happy Birthday Coach!

As the Nation turns 231, Coach Bobby Cremins turns 60! Happy Birthday Coach! We hope you don't consider this old enough to retire.

Photo credits, Jim Trabert taken in 2006 at the CofC vs U of Kentucky game.

Alice Manard takes the helm as the College's new skipper!

Former US Olympian, ICSA Women’s All-American and Captain of the Stanford Sailing Team, Alice Manard was named the new Director of Sailing Ops at the College of Charleston, replacing the legendary George Wood who left the College after 31-years at the helm this past February.

Alice should be an excellent fit for the Director’s position (i.e. responsible for all fund-raising efforts of the CofC Sailing Assoc.) considering her background in fundraising, both as an Olympic team member and her previous jobs (with Bain & Co.-NYC and Thomas Weisel Partners, LLC-San. Fran) consulting private equity firms.

Manard holds degrees from Stanford (1997, B.S. Chemical-Engineering) and the Kellogg School of Management Northwestern (2005, MBA-finance, accounting, biotech and management/strategy).

Photo courtesy of Team Courtenay Dey/Alice Manard: Olympic 470 Campaign)

The College of Charleston wins their 4th straight SoCon Title!

The College of Charleston Cougars won their 4th straight regular season Southern Conference Title this past weekend taking 2 of the 3 game series against Davidson. The Wildcats might have our number in the hardwood but the Cougars are kings of the diamond. The Cougars finished their regular season 39-17 (20-7 SoCon). The Cougs are the defending champs of the SoCon Tourney and have won 8-straight games at the Joe this year beating (then) 2nd ranked Univ. of South Carolina and the Citadel. (The Cougars defeated the Citadel 5-4 in last year's SoCon Tourney.)

The #1-seeded Cougars will play at 1-pm at Joe Riley Stadium against the winner of the Furman v. Wofford game! (Photo compliments of CofC Sports)

Jennifer Golden (SoCon Player of the Year is named to the NFCA All-Region Team

College of Charleston's 1st base-person, Jennifer Golden, was named to the 2007 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division All-Region second team for the Southeast on May 16.

The senior Golden, a transfer from Texas A&M from Conyers, Ga., was named the 2007 SoCon Player of the Year after finishing the season leading the league in batting average (.408), slugging percentage (.754), on base percentage (.495), runs batted in (64) and home runs (17). She was named the SoCon Player of the Week three times this season.

The 6'1" Golden started 57 of 59 games last season, leading the Cougs with .298 batting average, w/ a team high 12-homers and 36 RBIs, combining for a .545 slugging percentage from the right side of the plate. But the Southpaw's throwing arm was just as good on the defensive side of the ball with a 1.000 fielding percentage w/ 57 putouts and 6 assists.

Josh Jackson will not return to the Cougar line-up next season

This will be the last time you see Mr. Josh Jackson wearing a Cougar uniform as he has decided to transfer to another school. We will miss Josh, but he needs to do what is best for him. Although Jackson started under Coach Herrion, he did not find many starts and was briefly off the team under Coach Cremins due to Josh's attitude (or perhaps lack thereof).

It would have been something to see Josh and Jermaine ruling the paint next year as they did this last season but unfortunately, Josh needs to move on with his career. The CofC Sports Fan wishes Josh luck in all of his future aspirations.

The Tom Herrion Review

I was asked by the writer at Pitt-Blather.com my reaction to the hype and reporting of former CofC Coach Tom Herrion as Coach Herrion is joining the Pittsburgh staff as an assistant coach. By all means, leave a message in the comments section if you would like to add on to this-it would help give the Pitt-Blather a wider perspective from alums and fans (aka: The Maroon Nation!)

Tom Herrion did have large shoes to fill after Coach John Kresse left the College, but Kresse was his biggest supporter throughout the transition the Maroon Nation was at ease because Herrion had an excellent coaching pedigree and of course, Coach Kresse did stay on as Assist. A.D. so we all felt secure in letting Herrion take the wheel. We gave Tom a chance and it was a well deserved chance.

Tom Herrion was and is a good coach
I was a fan of Herrion for the first two seasons, that is, until I saw the tide turning towards a losing record in the third season and that is when I became apprehensive about where the program was headed. When Brad and I saw Coach Herrion at the CofC/Citadel "Turn back time" baseball game last year, I didn't want to meet him. But as you know, Bobo is impetuous, and practically forced me to have my picture with him (see photo). This turned out to be a very serendipitous meeting, because before then, I had bought the hype in the papers about the "hot head" Herrion, but I was fortunate enough to have some one on one time with Coach Herrion and I could tell that he truly cared about his (our) players. One of our players had just lost his mother and we spoke about that situation and how coach was there for the player and his family. Herrion regretted, but understood it was in the young man's best interest not to return to the College of Charleston.

Reach out and touch (the) Faithful
Herrion cared about the College of Charleston players, and I am sure had every fan had an intimate meeting with Coach Herrion, he probably would still be on the Cougars' side-lines. Unfortunately, if there was one mistake Herrion made at the College, it was that he didn't lobby (stroke) the Maroon Nation enough. And perhaps that is just that he was somewhat of a greenhorn at the game: you have to be 1-part coach, 1-part salesman (recruiter), 1-part cheerleader and 1-part politician (working the crowd: the alumni, the fans and the media). In fact, if you notice the main difference between a coach like Herrion and a coach like Bobby Cremins is that Cremins has gone out of his way to leave his footprints on the bricks surrounding George Street. And Cremins loves this interaction with the fans: If you pick up the receiver Cremins will make you a believer. (Full disclosure: Cremins autographed an 8x10 glossy for Mellen, Goldfinger and myself; as well as a basketball for my Mother).

The first season Herrion notched 25-wins, the G.A.S. title and the Cougs enjoyed March with a ticket to the NIT. We weren’t “Dancing” but hey, it was Tom’s first year-give him a chance. The nay-sayers said, “Sure he had a good year, but it was with Kresse’s guys.” Herrion and the Cougars subsequently had a 20-win season in ’04, 18-win season in ’05, and 17-win season in ’06-honestly, I didn’t think Herrion's contract would be extended because of his slipping record, but to my surprise he was.

(Greg Doyle was on point with what everyone on the Charleston peninsula was thinking: if you want to act out, you better win.)
Of course, as with any relationship, once the romance has ended and we have to look at the compatibility of the other person-we better like what we see. Unfortunately, Coach Herrion made headlines for being sanctioned by the NCAA as he threw a tantrum on the side-lines--fortunately not in the hallowed halls of Kresse Arena--but on the road. And then, shortly afterwards, two of his players were arrested for fighting on King Street. Not that these things don’t happen, but this was the first time it happened at the College of Charleston. Which brought forward the question; what kind of thugs is Herrion recruiting? And when the two players went unpunished (because they were key players to winning) and the arrests were pulled from the headlines of the local paper (1-day later) people really began to talk, and it wasn’t good. Who is at the helm of the team? The coach or the players?* WTF is happening down on George Street?

In today’s businesslike world of coaching (the forcing of immediate favorable "winning" results and limited negative publicity), when there are bumps in the road, especially when living up to a beloved predecessor, things can become quite difficult and a target soon emerges from the ranks. The target was quickly (rightfully or wrongly) placed on Tom Herrion’s back.

The Maroon Nation let known their disgust in a very respectful, gentile and courteous College of Charleston manner-we didn’t renew our season tickets and the Kresse Arena (as quaint as it is) didn’t sell out. But, pass the hat to get a new coach and the checkbooks sprung open. The question was; How do we get rid of him without shameful headlines in the media that would obviously blemish the reputation of the oldest Municipal College in America? (Insert his NCAA sanction and the arrests of his players.)

Well he’s just an excitable boy!
I would have to disagree with Duke Head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski comments that (Herrion) "one of the most energetic coaches I've ever seen." His intensity and fire may not have been a good fit for the laid back city of Charleston, however, as he was seen as abrasive and alienating to some fans, who were used to the more affable Kresse”. Obviously, Coach K never watched the original Coach K (Kresse) on the side-line. Kresse was an enthusiastic General; Herrion was more of a drill-sergeant styled after Krzyzewski’s style of coaching. Nonetheless, Tom Herrion reacted and acted due to the stress and knowledge that he could possibly lose his job. These actions were permitted, but quietly disapproved of in conversation because honestly the Maroon Nation are an elite group of knowledgeable basketball fans and we don't mind seeing a passionate coach, who works their system and we all know that people do and say bizarre things when their backs are against the wall-it's human nature.

The CofC Sports Fan wishes Tom Herrion good luck at his new position in Pittsburgh. We are pulling for you Tommy! Besides, you getting a coaching job is the only way we don't have to pay you an extra $200,000 a year of unemployment. Damn you have a good agent!

*This became a very interesting question, especially considering that Coach Cremins benched key players this year for lack of discipline and enthusiasm and lost 6-games partly because of it. Yet, Cremins taught the team a lesson, turned them around and finished with 22-wins for the season-with Herrion’s guys.

Baseball: Cougars' Pre-Season and Current Rankings

Street & Smith’s Baseball (on store shelves until May 1, 2007) Pre-Season list has the College of Charleston (46-17 in 2006) ranked 24th in the country: “These are heady times for the College of Charleston baseball program. Last season the Cougars became the first team from the Southern ballpark at Patriot’s Point." (Not sure where S&S was going with that last sentence). "Will it prove to be big enough to host an NCAA regional one day? Certainly, the Cougars continue to be worthy of post-season consideration."

(Picture courtesy of J. Trabert/CofC Sports Fan)

The College of Charleston is currently ranked 30th by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s NCAA Div. 1 Poll. The Cougars face off against the Citadel at the Joe Riley Stadium this Friday (5 pm), Sat. (5pm) and Sunday (1 pm).