Southern Conference Tournament on SoCon Tv and ESPN 2!

If you can’t make it to the Holy City, click on SoCon Tv for all of your SoCon Tournament action. I heard they are doing a special rate for the Tourney, but I haven’t seen anything on the web-site to give any weight to this.

Here is the link for the SoCon Tournament bracket in PDF.

Also, check out the special edition in the Post and Courier, “No Safe Bets” (in PDF) for SoCon Tournament information and articles. The Championship Game will air on ESPN 2, Saturday, March 3rd at 6pm.

My Picks for Dancin' the Charleston

Here are the CofC Sports Fans picks for the SoCon Tournament:

Session 1
Game #1: UT-Chattanooga over Wofford
Game #2: Western Carolina over Elon
Game #3: Georgia Southern over The Citadel

Session 2
Game #4 Davidson over UT-Chattanooga
Game #5: UNC-Greensboro over Furman

Session 3
Game #6: Appalachian State over Western Carolina
Game #7: The College of Charleston over Ga. Southern

Session 4
Game #8: Davidson over UNC-Greensboro
Game #9: The College of Charleston over Appalachian State

Championship Game
Game #10: The College of Charleston over Davidson
The College of Charleston receives the SoCon automatic bid to the BIG DANCE!

Time for the Cougars to do the Charleston! So-Con Tournament!

The College of Charleston Cougars men's basketball team received a 3rd-seed for the SoCon Tourney! Of course, you already knew that and I am sure you already called Josh Bryson at the CofC ticket office to get your seats behind the bench for Thursday night's game. The game (game 7 in the tournament) will be at 9:30 on March 1st against Wednesday night's Game 3 winner between #6-seed Georgia Southern and the 11th-seed Citadel Bulldogs.

If the Cougars advance they will play the Game 6 winner between #2-seed App State and the winner of Game 2 between Western Carolina and Elon. Wouldn't it be great to see Elon win against the Catamounts and then beat App State for the 2nd time this season? We can only hope.

If the Cougars win game 9 on March 2nd @ 8:30 pm against either App State or the Western Carolina/Elon winner, they will reach the Championship Game (Game 10) against a pretty much open field of contenders, but presumably, the Cougs will face either #1-seed Davidson, #4-seed UNC-Greensboro or #5-seed Furman. The SoCon Tournament Championship Game will air on ESPN2 on March 3 @ 6 pm.

Anthony Johnson traded back to the Atlanta Hawks for a 2nd round draft pick!

Former College of Charleston stand-out point-guard Anthony Johnson was traded back to Atlanta by the Dallas Mavericks for the Hawks 2nd round-draft pick. This will be A.J.'s 3rd tour of duty for the Hawks as he previously played 112-games (averaging 3.6-points and 2-assists ppg) spanning 1998-2001. If you recall, A.J. was at the game against Furman. (Photo compliments of Getty Images and the NBA)

Hawks president Billy Knight made the deadline decision to add depth to the point-guard position as the $25 million free-agent acquisition of Speedy Claxson has yet to pan out. Claxson played in 36 games for the Hawks this season averaging 5.7-points and 4.6 assists, but was side-lined for a majority (playing only 11-games) of the month of January due to a sore knee. Will Ivey won the starting point-guard spot on the roster, but with a guaranteed $25-million investment on the line and the playoffs around the corner it is easy to see why Billy Knight would like to hedge his bets adding A.J. to the line-up. Anthony Johnson adds talent and experience to the Hawks franchise and he could very well take Speedy under his "wing" to help develop and support the young player.

We are not sure how much longer the 32-year old Johnson will plan on playing in the league, but we do know that he will continue to add talent and the competitive nature of the game wherever he goes. A.J. has speculated that he would like to try his hand at coaching after his NBA career, and after the motivating speech and advice he gave to the Cougs during half-time against the Paladins , the CofC Sports Fan is sure he will excel in that endeavor as well. Coach Cremins said during the "Bobby Cremins Show" on Wednesday night that if he had an open spot on his staff, he would hire A.J.

The Cougars dropped their final regular season game to the Eagles, 65-74

The Cougars fell to Georgia Southern today at Hanner Fieldhouse in front of 2,703 fans for the Eagles' seniors last home game. The College is now 3-4 in their last 7-final season games. The Cougars dropped to 20-10, 13-5 (SoCon) as we get ready for the SoCon Tournament next week. The Cougars will play Thursday night, their opponent has yet to be announced. The Eagles finished their season 14-15, 7-11 (SoCon) and showed today that despite their record, they are a formidable opponent for their next opponent in the SoCon Tournament. (Photo compliments of CofC Sports)

For members of the Maroon Nation watching from home, we missed the first minutes of the game as the Marist vs. Sienna game went into OT. The Cougars had the lead off the fingers of Draper and Tony White Jr. hitting back to back 3-balls and a lay-up by Jermaine Johnson added to Draper's point from the charity-stripe to give the Cougars a 13-5 lead at the 14:48 mark. (due to time restraints I will post more on this later)

From the Den

Philip McCandies matched his career-high of 4 blocks in a game before the 10-minute mark in the 1st half; he would end the day with a new career-high of 7 blocks in the game, six of which he swatted in the 1st half. Dontaye Draper scored 9-points and dished out 9-assists, hitting 3-12 from the field and 2-7 from behind the arc in his 38-minutes of play. Jermaine Johnson finished with 4-boards and 14-points hitting 7-11 field goals. David Lawrence was 5-11 from the field and 3-8 from behind the arc, as he pulled down 8-boards and finished with 14-points in 37-minutes of play. Josh Jackson had 3-assists and rolled sixes with 6-points and 6-boards. The walk-on player brought in by Coach Cremins, Tony White Jr. went 3-5 from the field and hit both of his 3-balls for a total of 9-points. Returning from his knee-injury, Marcus Hammond was 3-5 in the field and 3 for 4 from behind the arc, putting 9-points on the board in his 16-minutes of play. Finally, Javon Parris was able to score 2-points in the 8-minutes he was on the court today.

Teams---1st Half---2nd Half---Total

CofC---39---26---65

Ga. Southern---36---38---74

Honoring the College of Charleston Basketball Seniors!

(Photo from L to R: Nardo, Philip, CofC President George Benson, CofC Head-Coach Bobby Cremins, Dontaye and David-photo courtesy of CofC Sports)

College of Charleston Basketball Seniors in Action
In their final home game, in front of the 3rd largest crowd at Kresse Arena the Cougars' 4 seniors did not have the blow-out victory they wanted, but a "W" is a "W" and there is still a lot of basketball for the Cougars to play before they move to greener fields.

Renardo Dickerson: Nardo only played for 4-minutes, and wasn't able to increase his stats, but he was a dependable presence on the court in transition.
Dontaye Draper: Dontaye went 4-6 from the field, scoring 8-points with 3-boards in his 27-minutes of play.
David Lawrence: David was a rock star for 30-minutes, putting 21-points on the board, hitting 7-13 from the field, 3-4 from the charity-stripe, grabbing 5-rebounds and he was 4 for 8 from behind the arc.

Philip McCandies: Philip was limited to only 5-points, but he played fantastic defense and grabbed 11-rebounds for the College in his 30-minutes of play. He took advantage of the Citadel's pressure-defense, hitting 3 for 4 from the charity-stripe. Philip is averaging 8.3-boards in the last 3-games.

The Cougars face the Georgia Southern Eagles on Saturday (1 pm) in their last regular season game!

The Cougars (20-9, 13-4 SoCon) travel to Statesboro, Georgia to take on the Eagles of Georgia Southern (13-15, 6-11 SoCon). The game will air nationally on ESPN2, tip-off time is 1:00 pm. The Cougars have won 11 of their last 13 games, 17 of their last 20 and are coming off a 50-40 over the Citadel. CofC is 3-3 in their last 6 regular season final games. Coach Cremins is 4-1 all-time against the Eagles. (Photo compliments of Georgia Southern Sports)

Recon

The Eagles finished 1st in the SoCon in 3 of their last 5 seasons. They have won 3 of their last 4 games and 5 of their last 6 games. Georgia Southern is coming off a 68-46 win over Wofford last night. The Eagles have held their opponents to 70-points or less in 8 of their last 9 games. They are ranked 2nd (behind the College) in the SoCon in 3-point defense. Georgia Southern coach Jeff Price is 8-8 all-time against the College. With the SoCon Tourney next week, the Eagles have a history of Dancing in '83, '89 and in '92 and invites to the NIT ('88, '89 and 2006) that they wish to expand.

Tomorrow's game will be the last home game for the Eagles' seniors: Donte Gennie (averages 12.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3.5 boards), Diogo Salazar (2.5 ppg and 2.1 rpg) and guard Jimmy Tobias (7.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg). Junior Louis Graham is on a roll right now, averaging 19-points and 9.3-boards (with 2 double-doubles) in the last 3 games. Graham is 8-points from becoming the 18th player in school history have 1,000 career-points. He has the chance to join his teammate Donte Gennie who passed this mark in January against Furman.

From the Den (The Last Meeting)

On January 15th at Kresse Arena, the Eagles led the Cougars by as much as 13 in the first-half, but the Cougars rallied to take a 9-point lead in the second-half with 7:19 on the clock. The Eagles would shorten the lead to one, and with the final-possession they had the chance to walk a way with a win, but David had other plans, blocking Dwayne Foreman's 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

College of Charleston holds off the full-press by the Citadel, winning at home 50-40

The Cougars improved to 20-9, 13-4 (SoCon) and clinched a 3rd-seed in the SoCon Tourney next week, with their win over the Citadel Bulldogs, 50-40. (Link is to the Post & Courier's article). The Bulldogs dropped to 7-21, 4-13 (SoCon) but don't count the Dogs out yet as we all know how formidable they can be in the SoCon Tournament. (Photo by Alan Hawes of the Post & Courier)

The Cougars shot 40% against the Bulldogs 22.7% as the College held the Citadel to a paltry 10-points in the first half, but as the Cougars rested on a lead of 24-points (shooting 53.3% from the field) in the 2nd-half, the momentum changed in favor of the Bulldogs as Dontaye Draper earned his 4th foul and the Bulldogs' defensive-press took effect: forcing 13 Cougar turnovers as the Bulldogs went on a 14-0 run (shooting 41.4% from the field), closing the Cougars' lead to 10 with less than 6 minutes left on the clock. The pressure of the Citadel press and the absence of Draper on the court allowed the Bulldogs to become dangerously close to putting a damper on Senior Night for the College's 4 seniors on the hardwood of Kresse Arena.

Despite Draper's return in the final 5-minutes, with a quick exit after getting his 5th foul with less than 3-minutes on the clock, the Cougars did not hit a field-goal in the final 9 minutes of the game as the Citadel closed the gap-trailing by 8-points (44-36). The Bulldogs have been plagued with injuries and tired legs all season, and it showed in the final moments of the game as the Dogs ran out of bite, despite closing the gap to 7 (45-38). The Cougars would find their salvation through "charity" as they added 5 crucial points from the charity-stripe, ending with their 10th straight victory over the Citadel, 50-40. Demetrius Nelson led the Bulldogs with 19-points.

College of Charleston Basketball Seniors in Action

In their final home game, in front of the 3rd largest crowd at Kresse Arena the Cougars' 4 seniors did not have the blow-out victory they wanted, but a "W" is a "W" and there is still a lot of basketball for the Cougars to play before they move to greener fields.

Renardo Dickerson: Nardo only played for 4-minutes, and wasn't able to increase his stats, but he was a dependable presence on the court in transition.

Dontaye Draper: Dontaye went 4-6 from the field, scoring 8-points with 3-boards in his 27-minutes of play.

David Lawrence: David was a rock star for 30-minutes, putting 21-points on the board, hitting 7-13 from the field, 3-4 from the charity-stripe, grabbing 5-rebounds and he was 4 for 8 from behind the arc.

Philip McCandies: Philip was limited to only 5-points, but he played fantastic defense and grabbed 11-rebounds for the College in his 30-minutes of play. He took advantage of the Citadel's pressure-defense, hitting 3 for 4 from the charity-stripe. Philip is averaging 8.3-boards in the last 3-games.

Teams---1st half---2nd half---total

El Cid---10---30---40

CofC---22---28---50

Senior Night! Renardo Dickerson

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Maroon Nation, I proudly present to you #14, Renardo Dickerson. "Nardo" is a junior college transfer from Miami-Dade Community College where he averaged 15-points and 2.4-boards per game and was a 42% three-ball shooter. Renardo has played in the guard-forward slot for the Cougars for the past two seasons. Last year Dickerson averaged 5.7-points and 2.4 boards per game in the 28 games he started.


Renardo's 2006-2007 season stats
Missing part of the season due to an ankle injury, Renardo has played in 16-games averaging 9.1 minutes per game. Nardo averages 4.2-points and 1.1-rebounds per game, with a 43.4% field-goal percentage for the season.

Senior Night: Dontaye Draper and Sapakoff's article in today's Post & Courier

Dontaye Dominic Draper is undoubtedly the leader of this year’s Cougar squad and he has the chance to become the first Cougar since Thaddeus Delaney to be named to the First team All-Conference in back-to-back years. Draper was a SoCon Player of the Year candidate and All-American candidate last season. Draper is also the only senior on the squad to spend all four years at the College of Charleston. Dontaye is averaging 16-points and 38.6-minutes per game this season. (Photo courtesy of the Post & Courier’s Mic Smith, the picture in the paper is mislabeled with Carmelo’s name).

The Baltimore, Maryland native began the season ranked 23rd on the All-Time Scoring List for the Cougars, and after a sensational senior season he is within one-point of passing Steven Johnson (played for the College of Charleston from 1984-1988, with 1,456 career points) as 7th on the Cougar’s All-Time Scoring List. Assuming he breaks the mark, he will be 49-points from Marion Busby’s 6th spot on the All-Time Scoring List.

2005-2006 Season
As the shooting guard last season, Draper led the Cougars with 18.5-points per game. He averaged 2.6 rebounds starting in 28 games for Cougars. Draper was named to the Billy Minardi Classic all-tournament team (University of Louisville tournament).

Gene Sapakoff’s finally penned an article worth his billing
Sapakoff wrote in today’s Post & Courier about the formula that produced the hard-working, corn-row wearing, future NBA star, Donataye Draper. The article covers every aspect of Draper’s rise to greatness showing with his body-ink a tribute to both his West-Baltimore background, where he developed life-long friends-namely Denver Nugget Carmelo Anthony and his love for his maternal-heritage, Aundra Coner his mother and Mary Coner his grandmother. Sapakoff also goes into detail about his player development due to his friendship with Anthony and his competitive performance at Carmello’s “boot-camp” this past summer.

Despite whatever numbers Draper leaves the College with, I am sure he will go on to a bright future and (just as Carmelo Anthony has) give back to his community. The young group named HOOD (Holding Our Own Destiny) from West Baltimore has their eyes on greatmess and with their talents, they will achieve their goals. The Maroon Nation will always have a special place in our hearts for Dontaye and as Draper’s remarks show, "When the College of Charleston started recruiting me and I read about the history here, I fell in love," Draper said. "Once I got down here, I never wanted to leave. I love the fans. I love the school. I just love everything about Charleston." Love is a two-way street.

Special note: Draper has won me over the past 4-years, but it was his use of my high-school soccer coach’s “buzz-word”, “lackadaisical” that made the final attachment of my heart strings. Good Luck Dontaye in your future endeavors, do what you do best on the court to return our Cougars to the Big Dance! The guys look to you as their General; we need you to have an unstoppable performance in your last two regular season games and in the Southern Conference Tournament if we are to have a “Cinderella story book ending” this season.

Draper and his teammates give the members of the Maroon Nation great anticipation for the possibility of March Madness. If the Cougars can dance this season, this team will go down as one of the greatest squads ever and coach Cremins will undoubtedly add to his legacy, returning to basketball and leading a mid-major school to greatness.

Senior Night: David Lawrence

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Maroon Nation, I proudly present to you #21, forward, David Lawrence! David is a junior college transfer, where he averaged 17-points, 6-boards and 3-steals per game. David was named to the "Top 25 Jr. College Player List" and a "Pre-Season All-American" by Street and Smith's Magazine garnering the attention of Coach Herrion-who brought him to the College. David was an All-SoCon Candidate last season averaging 9.3-points and 7-boards in 28-games. The most memorable moment of the 20065-2006 season had to be his 22-point performance in the SoCon Tournament against UT-Chattanooga.

Lawrence's 2006-2007 Season Stats
David is averaging 11.8-points, 6.6-rebounds and 7.1-assists per game. He played in 28-games this season, averaging 35.4-minutes per game while shooting 40.1% from the field. Great job this season David!

Senior Night: Philip McCandies

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Maroon Nation, I proudly present to you #2, Philip Thomas McCandies! Philip is a transfer from Virginia Tech where he played 28-games in the 2003-2004 season. McCandies (due to NCAA Rules) sat out the 2004-2005 season, but he started 28-games for the Cougars last season, averaging 5.2-points and 2.4-rebounds per game. Philip is a Corporate Communications major who knew how to send Furman a message earlies this season (see video).

McCandies 2006-2007 Season Stats
Philip is averaging 7.3-points, 7-boards and 1-assist per game, shooting 54.9% from the field this season. Phillip averages 26.3 minutes per game in the 28 game he's played. (Photo compliments of CofC Sports)

(Editor's Note: I am still spelling Philip with one-L despite seeing it spelled with one and two "L"s this and last season-please correct me if I am wrong.)

Sitting in at the last regular season Bobby Cremins Show

I stopped by George's Sports Bar tonight for the last regular season Coach Bobby Cremins Show. Coach was joined by the "voice of the Cougar Sports" Tony Ciuffo for the last time this season to talk about the upcoming game against the Citadel tomorrow night and Saturday's game against Georgia Southern. Coach knows that both teams will be prepared for the Cougars and is still making the guys take one game at a time.

But FYI for the Maroon Nation, the Cougars will get the 5th-seed for the SoCon Tournament at the North-Charleston Coliseum, playing next Thursday at 9:30 pm. Tony reminded everyone to give Josh Bryson at the Cougars ticket office a call for tickets so you can sit with other members of the Maroon Nation behind the bench. Coach seemed stoked about our chances in the SoCon Tournament, stating, "Everyone expects a Davidson vs. App. State final, but that just might not be the case."

As you all know, Coach Cremins is always recruiting whenever the NCAA allows it. Although Coach Cremins is not permitted to talk about who we have in regards to signing for next year, (sorry Coach to drop the ball on mentioning Andrew) he did mention that this will be an important recruiting class and that he plans on signing 6-players for next year. As Coach said, "We missed out on an entire recruiting class last year, and that makes this year so important."

Coach Cremins did ask that everyone arrive early for tomorrow night's game against the Citadel because it is Senior Night, and the guys: David, Dontaye, Phillip, and Renardo will be recognized immediately after the National Anthem. Recognition they truly deserve.

Cougars face The Citadel tomorrow night, 7 pm at Kresse Arena

The Cougars, 19-9, 12-4 (SoCon), will face their cross-town rivals the Citadel Bulldogs, 7-20, 4-12 (SoCon), tomorrow night at Kresse Arena, tip-off is at 7 pm. This will be the 79th meeting between the two schools-the College leads the series 42-37, 15-2 since both teams entered the SoCon. The Cougars have won 9-straight against the Bulldogs and 10 of their last 12 games, giving the College of Charleston Basketball Program a RPI of 113.

Tony Ciuffo will give the radio play-by-play and Nate Ross will provide the color commentary. Coach Cremins is asking the Maroon Nation to come 15-minutes early to help celebrate the Seniors for their last home game. The Cougars final game will be at Georgia Southern, this Saturday at 1 pm; the game will air on ESPN 2.

Recon
With only 4 wins in the Conference and 7 for the season, the Citadel has a RPI of 300. Not a great record for Bulldogs fans to cheer about, but consider what Ed Conroy has done with the team. Coach Conroy has taken a team with only one win last year, to seven wins this year. The Bulldogs have a lot of talent on their bench and a few seniors who would like to go out with something on which to hang their hats. Ed Conroy is 0-2 all-time against the Citadel. Cougars Coach Bobby Cremins is 12-1 all-time against the Citadel.

In their last meeting, Marcus Hammond hit a career-high 21-points and Dontaye led the game with numerous assists as the Cougars went gang-busters against the Citadel in the second half at McAlister Field House winning 74-62 on January 9th. A win against the Citadel will give the Cougars their first 20-win season since the 2003-2004 season. And it will be the 21st time the Cougars built a 20-win season in the last 27 years.

Cougars sign Andrew Goudelock

Head Coach of the College of Charleston, Bobby Cremins signed Andrew Goudelock, a 6-foot-1, 165-lb. combination shooting and point-guard averaging 25-ppg in the regular season and 42-ppg in the R6-4A Tourney for Stone Mountain (Georgia) High School and leading Dekalb County in scoring, last weekend.

In the Regional 6A-AAAA Tournament at Miller Grove, Goudelock shot lights-out, scoring 12-points, 5 baskets from behind the arc, against St. Pius X, leading the Pirates to a 72-42 victory in the opening round of the Region 6-AAAA Tournament. Although Stone Mountain High lost to Tucker 78-79; Goudelock scored 39-points (then a career-high), in their final game before the region tourney, the Pirates shook off whatever jitters they had and took a No. 3 seed in sub-region A. The Pirates would win both of their regional games in the R6-4A Tourney with Goudelock “the Stone Mountain Sharpshooter” besting every player in the Dekalb County network in the post-season. On February 9^th, Goudelock raised the bar on his career-stats, scoring a new career-high of 47-points, in the 92--68 win over Lakeside, but the second round of the Region 6-4A tournament would prove a more modest score for the Pirates and Lakeside rematch; the Pirates won 73-41 and positioned the Pirates to clean-up as they moved forward in the State Tournament. Last Friday, Stone Mountain lost to the defending 2006, 6A-AAAA Champs, the Columbia Eagles 63-67 in the semi-finals of the Tournament. The Pirates did win the 3^rd Place game of the Tournament against Mays the following day, winning 70-51.

Goudelock’s scoring in the State Tournament:

February 13^th, Stone Mountain against St. Pius X, Pirates won 72-42. Goudelock scored 22-points

February 15^th, Stone Mountain against Lakeside, Pirates won 73-41. Goudelock scored 12-points

February 16^th, Stone Mountain against Columbia, Pirates lost 63-67. Goudelock scored 17-points

February 17^th, Stone Mountain against Mays, Pirates won 70-51. Goudelock scored 23-points

Goudelock is a superb and competitive offensive player. He has quick feet and pulls the trigger on his shots even faster. A special note for those of you unfamiliar with Stone Mountain basketball is that Goudelock is accomplishing all of these accolades on the Court while sharing the hoop with All-Tournament Player Ray Brown and Virginia Tech recruit Terrell Bell. But, this isn’t the T. Bell show; we are talking about Andrew Goudelock and besides, he is a more rounded player than Bell. Look for Andrew to develop more on the defensive side of the ball after coming to the College of Charleston, as Cremins will help transfer the speed Andrew has on offense to defense as well, producing a more balanced and competitive player-possibly moving to the next level after his stint at the College. Andrew’s AAU Team is the Atlanta Celtics. Goudelock chose the College because of Cremins’ system of play. We look forward to seeing Andrew next year to help us fill the void that Dontaye will be leaving behind.

The College of Charleston wins in double-over-time against Furman

The Cougars would keep the game close in the 2nd half as the patented Bobby Cremins' man-2-man defense began to close the Paladins' lead. Although Furman held a better percentage in field-goals shooting 43% to the Cougars 39%, the Cougars seemed to have more heart, especially in the paint. The "shake and bake" combo of Josh Jackson and Jermaine Johnson outscored the Paladins in the paint, 28 to 22 in the 2nd half. Furman kept themselves in the game with the 3-ball, but Charleston's Dontaye Draper, Tony White Jr. and recently off the injured-list, Renardo Dickerson answered with their own barrage of baskets from behind the arc. (Photo of Furman Paladin compliments of Furman Sports)

Josh Jackson had some trouble from the Charity Stripe as did his counter-part Jermaine Johnson, but as the final minutes of regular time passed, every Cougar to reach the line came up big. The Cougars would tie the game on six separate occasions and lead three times. Sidelined with 2 fouls in the 1st half, Dontaye Draper scored all of his 12-points and had 3-rebounds in the 2nd half. Alex Opacic and Moussa Diagne kept the Paladins in the game and forced over-time on the Cougars.

1st OT: The first OT was absolutely horrid as the Cougars put up paltry numbers. The College did stay alive with clutch baskets from Josh Jackson and Dontaye Draper. The first OT would end with a 68-68 tie game.

2nd OT: Tony White Jr. would open the 2nd OT with a basket as he drew the foul by Furman guard Eric Webb. (Webb would foul out of the game with 6-points after this infraction.) TW Jr would make the shot from the Charity-Stripe for his 10th point of the game, giving the Cougars a 3-point lead (71-68). Taking the ball down the court, George Brozos was fouled and made two-crucial baskets for the Paladins shortening the Cougs lead to 1. Moussa Diagne would rebound and bring the ball back for a jump-hook and the foul against Dontaye Draper-his 4th foul. The Paladins led 73-71. (The Cougars were unable to stop Diagne's jump-hook shot all night long.)

On the Cougars end, Josh Jackson scored with the foul, making both baskets, giving the Cougars a 2-point lead 75-73, with 2:27 left on the clock. Moussa would score once again with his jump-hook shot, tying the game at 75. Josh would pick up the foul again, making 1 of the 2 baskets. After a miss from the Paladins, Dontaye drove the lane and made a left-handed lay-up, putting the Cougs back up by 3, 78-75. Furman's Tony Anderson would miss a basket on the other end of the court, but pull the foul from David Lawrence-his 2nd, shortening the Cougars lead to 1 with 15.6 seconds left on the clock.

With the clock running out, Evans would foul Dontaye on the in-bounds. Draper would get a "shooter's bounce" from his first shot and then "nada but net" his second from the Charity-Stripe, giving the Cougars a 80-77 lead. Cremins called a time-out with 14.5 seconds left on the clock to talk things over. Furman would get three different looks at the basket, but as the clock ran out, Anderson couldn't get the basket to fall.

The Cougars made it out of G-Vegas with a win, 80-77. Great job by the players and the coaching staff tonight! Furman, thanks for playing!

Furman leads the College of Charleston 27-24 at the half!

Furman forward Moussa Diagne from Thies, Senegal is leading the field with 12-points for the Paladins, followed by Alex Opacic with 6 (both 3-balls). Scoring leaders for the Cougars in the first half are Jermaine Johnson with 8-points, Renardo Dickerson with 6 (both 3-balls) and Tony White Jr. with 5-points. Special guest at the game is former Cougar stand-out and NBA player for the Dallas Mavericks A.J. (see side-bar). (Photo of Moussa Diagne compliments of Furman Sports)

Dontaye Draper was benched early after receiving his second foul in the first 8-minutes. Tony White Jr. would step in to fill his shoes at the point and drop 5-points in the first-half. Furman took an early lead 11-9 against the Cougars. Philip McCandies would drop a 3-ball to shorten the Paladins' lead to one (13-12) with 9:42 on the clock. Renardo Dickerson would put the Cougs back into the game with back to back treys, the first tying the game at 15; the second 3-ball would give the Cougars a 3-point lead (18-15) with 6:06 left on the clock. Jermaine Johnson would score his 8th point of the game giving the Cougs a 5-point lead.

Furman moved to a pick and roll offense but couldn't connect on their end of the basket. Jermaine had an excellent position underneath the basket and put away a couple of lay-ups during the Cougars' 13-2 run, 22-17. Furman's shooter Alex Opacic would hit back to back three-pointers, shortening the Cougars lead to 1 with 2:40 remaining.

Moussa Diagne would give the Paladins a 25-24 lead after the "official-timeout" with a field goal and follow up with an uncontested dunk to give Furman a 27-24 lead with 1:15 left on the clock. Neither team would score in the remaining moments of the game.

CofC Baseball vs. South Carolina, March 6, 2007, at Joe Riley Park

The University of South Carolina Gamecocks will return to the Joe to face the College of Charleston Cougars on March 6th. The Gamecocks lost last night to the Citadel Bulldogs after the Dogs came back to win 7-6. Hopefully, the Cougars can keep the Cocks winless at the Joe for the season. Tickets for this game go on sale today, contact Josh Bryson at the CofC ticket office (843-953-5479) for more information. (Baseball season ticket holders will be able to use their tickets for this game.)

The Cougar Club will be having a cook-out for all Cougar Fans at Murray’s Mezzanine (located underneath the white tent down the first base line). The event will start half an hour prior to game time. The cost is $10 per person. Call and pay today for the cook-out by calling Davin Wise at (843) 953-5472.

Charleston vs Furman tonight 7pm on CSS!

On their way to a 20-win season, the College of Charleston basketball team (18-9, 11-4 SoCon) continues their road-trip as they face the Furman Paladins tonight, 7 pm. The game will air on CSS (Comcast Channel 42). This will be the 68th meeting between the two schools with Furman holding a 39-28 lead in the series. However, the College has won 5 straight and 16 of the last 18 meetings between the two schools. With the SoCon Tournament quickly closing in (February 28th at the North Charleston Coliseum), the Cougs have the opportunity to become more comfortable playing in a larger arena as tonight’s game will not be on held on Furman’s campus, but at the Bi-Lo Center in downtown Greenville. Tonight’s game marks only the 2nd time the Paladins have played a regular season game in the Bi-Lo Center since 1999-Furman lost to Davidson on January 10, 2007 for their first return to the Bi-Lo Center.

The College is playing their 2nd of 4 games in a 7-day stretch. The Cougars defeated Wofford soundly at the Benjamin Johnson Arena on Saturday, 71-58. A win tonight will clinch a 1st round bye for the Cougs and give them a 4th seed spot in the SoCon Tournament. After tonight the remaining games on the Cougars’ schedule are at home against the Citadel on Thursday and away at Georgia Southern on Saturday (ESPN 2).

The Paladins have won 4 of their last 5 games, and are in competition with Western Carolina for the 5th seed and bye in the SoCon Tournament. Obviously, this is too close to call as both teams have a Conference leader and a give-me left on their schedules: The Paladins have two away games left on their schedule at Davidson and at Wofford. The (Western-Carolina) Catamounts have App State and Elon left on their schedule.

Go Cougs!

Cougars Win on the road!

The College of Charleston basketball team kicked off their first game of a two-game road-trip with a win in the “Sparkle City” defeating the Wofford Terriers 71 to 58. The Cougars are closing in on Coach Cremins’ (beginning of the season) goals: a 20-win season, SoCon Championship and possible trip to the Big Dance or NIT Tourney. The Cougars (18-9, 11-4 SoCon) will stay in the Upstate traveling to Greenville for their game against Furman on Monday night. (Photo compliments of CofC Sports.com)

Tonight’s game was nothing similar to the previous (and very close) match-up this season in Charleston. Alright, it is true, the game was somewhat similar as the Cougs trailed at the half and only shot 39% in the 1st half against the 42% field-goal shooting Terriers. And just like the first game against Wofford this season, the BMOCs really stepped it up and battled in the paint. Having our big men get mean and hungry is something we’ve pushed for here at the CofC Sports Fan and our wish finally came true.

Josh Jackson led the team with 19-points (8-12 FG, 3-5 FT) and 6 rebounds. Jermaine Johnson would tie the game (at 33) for the first time of the night in the 2nd-half with 17:05 left on the clock. Johnson put 16-points (7-11 FG, 0-2 FT) on the board and grabbed 6 rebounds as well. Forward, David Lawrence was a rock-star as he stacked up another double-double of 13-points and 11 boards that helped complete the circle for the BMOCs.

Obviously, all of us here at the CofC Sports Fan were happy to see Renardo Dickerson back for the Cougs after a tender-ankle has side-lined him for the past month. After being out all of January, Dickerson did finally see playing time against UNCG, but he missed the Davidson game this week because his ankle was still day-to-day. Dickerson did get in the game against Wofford, scoring his average of 6-points during the 7-minutes he was in the game.

After a steal-off of Terrier Drew Gibson’s drive, Dontaye Draper would put the Cougars in the driver-seat (39-35) with a “nada but net” shot from behind the arc, giving Draper 11-points, 7-rebounds and 5 assists. Following Draper’s 3-bucket, Tony White Jr. scored his 2-points with a lay-up from a Terrier pass that Jermaine swatted down with 13:22 left on the clock for a 41-35 Cougar lead. The Terrier’s got a little help from the Charity-Stripe, but Josh Jackson responded with another lay-up, as the Cougs pulled away 43-36. Wofford would force 6-fouls at the end of the game as they tried to keep it honest, but the College of Charleston was the better team tonight! Cougs win again! Great job guys! Terriers, thanks for playing!

Teams………1……2…..Total
CofC (18-9)---29----42---71
Woff (9-17)---33---25---58

Cougs on the road against Wofford at 6 pm!

The College of Charleston Basketball Team (17-9, 10-4 SoCon) face off against the Wofford Terriers (9-16, 4-10 SoCon) tonight (6 pm) at Benjamin Johnson Arena in Spartanburg. Tickets are $13 reserved and $8 general admission. The game will air on CSS-Comcast Channel 42-the Cougars are 5-3 on games airing on television.

In the last meeting between the two schools, (January 22 at Kresse Arena) Dontaye Draper notched a double-double with 22-points and 11-assists. BMOC, Jermaine Johnson put 22-points on the board against the Terriers as well and David Lawrence had a game high 10-boards.

Recon
Although their record doesn’t reflect their ability, Wofford is tough. The Terriers can put points on the board, evident in their win against UNCG as they scored 80-winning by 5 in that game. They have two starters, Shane Nichols and Eric Marshall, averaging 15-points-per-game, with Drew Gibson averaging 14-PPG. The Terriers are coming off a 20-point loss to App State, followed by a 12-point win over the Citadel. Go Cougs!

Maybe Sapakoff was right!

We are the worst fans ever...Naught, don't let the liberal Davidson media fool you folks, when you come to the Kresse, you better come prepared. The College of Charleston has the best fans in the nation, with a higher basketball-IQ than Post & Courier sports writer Gene Sapakoff. More on this later. (Photo of the Popo giving Cougar fans a lecture compliments of the Davidson Basketball Blog)

News Flash from the 2nd half of the game against Davidson: I am not happy!

A little "Where's Waldo" fun from WB at the Davidson Basketball Blog. I'll give you a hint, I am the pissed off looking guy sitting beside Teske. Hmm, maybe that doesn't narrow it down enough. This shot was taken during the 15-0 run, that Davidson went on while the Cougs responded with missed shots from behind the arc.

Marcus may be back for the SoCon Tournament

After Marcus Hammond had surgery on his knee two weeks ago, many of us felt that he was done for the season. Marcus was definitely missed during the game against Davidson as he has improved this season and has become a clutch player both on offense and defense.

Good News: I spoke with Coach Byington after the Bobby Cremins Show and he said (off-the record) that Marcus was healing quite fast and was off his crutches. Marcus could possibly see playing time in the SoCon Tournament at the end of the month. Get well Marcus, the team and the fans need you!

Assistant Coach Mark Byington handled the BCS this week!

Blackie and I took in the Bobby Cremins Show tonight since we were both without Valentine's Day Sweethearts. (I know, woe is me oh chilren of Charleston.) Coach Cremins was snowed-in while on a recruiting trip this week, so Asst. Coach Mark Byington filled in for Coach this week. Our old friend from the Dawg Pound, Everett German joined him at the Sports Desk at George's for Valentine's Day.

Coach Byington did a great job filling in for Coach Cremins. We did have a chat afterwards because of his remarks about going in to the paint when the parameter shot wasn't falling, because we all know, that wasn't the case during the Davidson game. Coach Byington did give us good news about Marcus and also some of the recruiting he and Coach Cremins are doing in the South East. I am not going into specifics because I don't want the competition to smell blood and start circling like sharks. But I will say this, if you are a young recruit with D-1 talent outside of Charlotte or Atlanta, you should put the College of Charleston high on your list.

Sure you can go to solid programs such as Davidson, but if you have a bad day, there isn't a King Street to stroll down and check out the bevy of female talent like Charleston has, nor is there a close proximity to the beaches. And let us not forget the competitive advantages a College of Charleston degree gives you in today's market place. As well as the exposure you will get on the CofC Sports Fan (from yours truly) and the support you get from one of the most informed, loyal fan bases of those wearing Maroon! If you have what it takes, by all means, come for a visit and if you make the cut, you can not play for a legend, but you can have the chance to become one as well.

Happy Valentine's Day! Gym Class Heroes - Cupids Chokehold

Happy Valentine's Day to all of the CofC Sports Fans' readers-much love! I am diggin' this video, smart and funny with a guest appearance by Fall Out Boy's lead singer Patrick Stump. Enjoy! -JET

Pictures of the Maroon Nation (Student Section) from the home game against Davidson

Steph Curry the Wildcat Weapon!

At 6 foot-180 pounds, Dell Curry's kid, Steph, doesn't seem that imposing, but pound for pound, he just might be one of the best freshmen in the NCAA. We held him to 2-points in the first half but he did something that most freshmen don't do after being shut-down; he had a "Horatio Alger Jr transformation" while in the locker room and came out gunning-putting 22-points on the board in the second half.

Sadly, this kid is a freshman and we don't have an answer to this part of Davidson's attack as of yet. But (and I am just throwing this out there as somewhat of a long-shot) Dell Curry does have another son, who is more talented on the court than the first scion of Charlotte. Could you imagine if he chooses the College of Charleston as his destination for greatness? (Photo compliments of the Davidson Basketball Blog)

McKillop Caught Bird-Dogging Our Players

I have to admit, Coach Bob McKillop has a very disciplined and fundamentally sound basketball team. His Wildcats were solid throughout the evening, and it was apparent, we played to their strengths tonight and not our own. (Picture of McKillop "bird-dogging" Dontaye is courtesy of WB)

Granted the Cougars didn't get a lot of the calls from the "zebras" that we should have won, but that is basketball. The fact remains, we were outplayed by a team who wanted it. Our big men in the paint, Josh and Jermaine were not as mean or as hungry as the "Cincinnati Kid", Thomas Sanders who scored 12-points and had 11-boards. We still have four games left on the schedule before the SoCon Tournament, and when it comes to an invitation to the Big Dance, the Tourney is what gets you the ticket.

Despite the loss and Sapakoff's remarks, the Maroon Nation looked great tonight!

I know, Gene Sapakoff wanted to give our fans a "B-Ball Fans 101 Class", but I for one don't think that it is needed. Sorry Gene, but your comments were unwarranted and out of touch. Have you missed the white-haired members of the Maroon Nation?

The car-keys shaking in unison as the chant, "Hey, hey, hey, good-bye" is uniformly sung by the student-section?









But I am sure Mr. Sapakoff is right. In fact, we should ask Dontaye about the base-line at the Citadel; I was there for the game and the cadets were too busy studying to make any noise to intimidate the Cougars! Get a grip Gene!




Had you attended the Citadel vs. CofC game at McAllister Field House you would have heard the same thing, as when your Editor received your lackluster article....pin-drops.
(Photos of the team, cheerleaders and the Maroon Nation compliments of the Bushido)

The Cougars fell to Davidson tonight, 63-73

The Cougars dropped to 17-9, 10-4 (SoCon) losing to Davidson 22-4, 13-1 (SoCon) tonight, 63-73. The Cougars shot a paltry 38.6%, hitting 22 of 57 from the field. The Wildcats were their usual well-rounded selves, hitting 45.9% (28 of 61) from the field. Blast this rivalry!

(Photo compliments of J.Trabert/the Bushido Way)

At the Half against Davidson

The Cougars held Steph Curry to just two-points in the first half of the game and despite Gene Sapakoff's misplaced remarks about the Cougars having the worst fans in College Basketball, the Maroon Nation kept Davidson off their game as the Cougars trailed Davidson by 3 at the half, 31-34.

One of the CofC Sports Fan's favorite members of the Maroon Nation, Jamie Teske, kept the fans excited and yours truly honest in the stands. We met up with WB for a cold beer at the half in the Cougar Den. WB will send us pictures from the game in the near future.

CofC vs Davidson tonight at 7 pm, the final installment of the "Rivalry postings"

In recent years the Southern Conference has taken a lot of heat for not being a very savvy and competitive basketball conference. I disagree with other sports commentators’ efforts to take away from the SoCon as it seems to me that despite a few lack-luster candidates, the SoCon is every bit as competitive as the ACC, just on a smaller scale. Tonight the two darlings (the College of Charleston and Davidson) of the SoCon face each other for the 51st time. (Click here for the College of Charleston basketball game notes.)

Davidson (21-4, 12-1 SoCon) have won 5 straight games (17 of their last 18 games). The Wildcats killed UT-Chattanooga by 30-points in their last game, this just a few weeks after Coach Bob McKillop won his 300th game as head coach for the Wildcats-a 20-point win over Western Carolina. Coach McKillop’s name is even being tossed around as Coach of the Year by ESPN. With freshman guard Stephen Curry dropping an average of 20.1 buckets ppg and junior point-guard Jason Richards averaging 14 ppg and 7.6 assists per game, McKillop’s team is young and talented, meaning the College will see a lot more of these guys for the next few years.

It recently came to my attention that I put more emphasis on this game than any other-excluding Kentucky. As impartial as I try to be, there is a definite difference in the way that I approach this game in comparison to others, and here is why. The College of Charleston and Davidson basketball teams are both talented mid-majors that I believe deserve the chance to Dance in March. Both teams have a knowledgeable and devout fan base-of both the game of basketball and general manners of consideration when interacting between each other schools, which makes the banter between fans and the games that much more enjoyable.

Which brings me to my final reasoning the CofC vs. Davidson basketball gets so much hype here on the CofC Sports Fan-an apt adversary (make that two) in the blogosphere. http://www.davidsonbasketball.blogspot.com/ happens to be part of my motivation to start the CCSF. He began the blog as a way to get out information for his school and I thought what a brilliant idea-to start a forum to keep friends, fellow alums and those with "Cougar interests" informed. He and I have developed a mutual respect for one another and I will do my best to chaperone him at tonight’s game. Also in the mix is the color coordinator for the Wildcat’s Will Bryan. Between the two, they have a way of keeping me legit on my end and they add fuel to the fire of the growing rivalry between our two fine institutions. By all means, stay informed and check out their blogs for a unique approach to the Rivalry!

Davidson Game Hype: Great Press for the Wildcats in the Charlotte Observer

I thought this was a great headline in today's Charlotte Observer:

"Gameday: Davidson, Queens in action tonight"

Davidson Game Hype: Bob vs Bobby

Davidson coach Bob McKillop is known as the Coach K of the SoCon-I am assuming because like Duke, his teams always seem to get the right guys and the right calls to go there way, and everyone in the SoCon just as everyone in the ACC hates Duke-and the whinniest coach in the SoCon. Coach Bob is one of those "big fish small pond" guys afraid of the big league and carries just enough self-promotion to claim himself as the coach in the SoCon having the most wins, with an all-time 303-217 (.593%) record after 18-years. Coach Bob is 10-3 vs the College. (Photo compliments of the Davidson Basketball Blog)

Despite the nonsense you hear from the liberal Davidson media, Coach Bobby Cremins is the coach in the SoCon with the most wins (all-time: 471-315/ @ CofC: 17-8) and the best winning percentage (all-time in 26 years on the side-line .599% @ the College .680%). Coach Cremins has a lifetime record of 8-2 against Davidson.

Our friend, WB, over at the Davidson basketball blog offered this caveat to Gene Sapakoff, in regards to his "Bring on Davidson" comment, "Careful what you wish for." I offered WB the same caveat when he thought to comment on the building of the new Carolina First Center-"I'd love for them to have 5,000+ present to see Davidson put a beat-down on them in Charleston every year. That would be wonderful!" Indeed WB, you should be careful what you wish for.

I will give credit to Davidson, they rebuilt their team with a young squad that I am sure the Cougs will have the pleasure of beating for 3 to 4 more years. But let's see how Stephen Curry handles the cozy setting of 3,500 Maroons in the Kresse Arena before jumping to conclusions. Go Cougs!

Gene Sapakoff's article in today's Post & Courier recapping the UNCG Game

Although I don't always agree with Gene Sapakoff, I must say he had me when he wrote the three most charming words in Cougar language-"Bring on Davidson"!

Cougs unleash Draper on UNC Greensboro
Charleston 81, UNC Greensboro 59

By GENE SAPAKOFF

The Post and Courier

GREENSBORO, N.C. - When Dontaye Draper finally took a seat, sweet victory assured thanks to his eight 3-point baskets, he shared a sideline handshake and laugh with assistant coach Mark Byington.

Byington before the game encouraged Draper to shoot more often and the College of Charleston's speedy senior point guard adroitly complied Saturday, torching UNC Greensboro for 28 points in an 81-59 Southern Conference victory before a crowd of 1,572 at Fleming Gym.

It was easily Charleston's best performance of the season. The hot Cougars held forward Kyle Hines, the SoCon's leading scorer, to 11 points. They recovered from a sluggish start and played without injured starting guard Marcus Hammond.

Mostly, teammates fed off Draper, who tied the school record for 3-point field goals in a game set by Troy Wheless in a 2003 overtime win at Davidson.

"Coach Byington said, 'I was watching some of the games from last year and you were way more aggressive,'" said Draper, a 5-11 Baltimore native. "I said, 'Yeah, because I was playing shooting guard.' He said I could be that way playing point guard, too. He said he was getting bored watching me play this year. So I really came out of the gate trying to be aggressive. That was my focus."

Bring on Davidson.

Charleston, 17-8 overall and 10-3 in the SoCon, has won 14 of 16 games and moved within two games of idle Davidson (12-1 SoCon, 21-4 overall) atop the North Division.

Davidson plays Monday night at Charleston (7 p.m., no television).

The Cougars were down 28-25 at halftime but a three-possession sequence early in the second half turned the game around:

--Draper hit a 3 to put the Cougars ahead, 32-30.

--Center Philip McCandies, who along with fellow big guys Josh Jackson and Jermaine Johnson frustrated Hines all day, drew a charging foul - Hines' third personal - with 17:30 left.

--Draper hit another 3 to give Charleston a 35-30 edge.

"I'm the right guy at the right time because Dontaye Draper is amazing, absolutely amazing at times," head coach Bobby Cremins said. "He reminds me of our Lethal Weapon III team (at Georgia Tech) with Kenny Anderson. I never know what's going to happen next."

Draper's 15.8 scoring average coming in wasn't that far below his 18.5 average for last season. But he was never more accurate from so far away, making 8 of 10 shots from 3-point range and 10 of 14 overall.

Senior forward David Lawrence scored 13 points with nine rebounds and six assists.

"We were all hitting shots," Lawrence said. "It was just that kind of game for us."

Others filled in nicely for Hammond, a sophomore apparently out for at least the rest of the regular season after having surgery Tuesday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Freshman Tony White Jr. started at guard and scored 11 points with five assists and four turnovers. Redshirt freshman Javon Parris, who had seen a total of 18 minutes of SoCon action this season, played 14 minutes Saturday (2 points, no assists, four turnovers).

Wagon Wheel -- Old Crow Medicine Show

OCMS will play tomorrow night at the Music Farm. The show starts at 8 pm; tickets are $18 today on ETIX or $20 tomorrow on ETIX and at the door!

Coach Cremins is a recruiting road warrior!

Today the UNC (22-3, 8-2 ACC) Tarheels killed Wake Forest (11-13, 2-9 ACC) 104 to 67 at the Dean Dome. Rayshawn Terry led the Heels with 23-points against his hometown team. Psycho-T put 16-points on the board and the youngster Wayne Ellington added 11.

Anniversary
Although the game was very important as the season begins to unwind, the show was at half-time as the Tarheels celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the 1957 Championship Team and the 25th Anniversary of the 1982 Championship Team. The list of former-players announced by Woody Durham was long and distinguished, but it was the final four (from the 1982 team) who garnered the most attention: Sam Perkins, James Worthy, Mike Jordan and Coach Dean Smith. (Picture courtesy of the AP). Indeed a group of champions celebrating their heritage and Coach Smith finally getting the NCAA Championship Title banner that eluded him for so many years.

Coach Cremins in the House!
With such a great group of honorees in the Dean Dome, it was a pleasant surprise to hear the announcers mention the College of Charleston's Coach Bobby Cremins' visit to the Dean Dome to scout players during the earlier game between Fork Union and UNC (JV). Coach made a quick drop in to check out the talent before today's game against UNC-G. The announcers mentioned that Coach is doing a great job down in Charleston, taking over a program made great by Coach John Kresse! Tony Cuiffo wasn't joking when he said that Coach was always recruiting!

The College of Charleston wins on the road

UNC-G Coach Mike Dement could only look in awe as the College of Charleston added another notch to the victory belt as they defeated UNC-Greensboro (81-59) on the road. The College increases their record to 17-8, 10-3 (SoCon). Photo compliments of UNC-G Spartans.

Teams---1st half---2nd half---final
CofC ---25---56---81
UNCG---28---31---59


From the Den
Dontaye Draper's eight from behind the arc tied the school record for most 3-pointers in a game (Troy Wheless hit 8-3-pointers against Davidson, February 23, 2003) and a career high of 28-points helped the Cougars overcome a 3-point deficit at the half to beat UNCG in front of 1, 572 Spartan faithful. The Cougars shot 47.6% in the 1st half, and then shot a lights out season high of 59%, hitting 11 of 16 three point attempts, in the 2nd half. David Lawrence had a big game with 13-points and 9-boards. Big man, Josh Jackson put 10-points on the board and the youngster Tony White Jr added 11.

They say they don't need an introduction, but I'll give the Wildcats one anyway
The Cougars welcome the Davidson Wildcats to Kresse Arena Monday night at 7 pm. The Wildcats had this week off, but they will enter a hostile environment at Kresse Arena as this year means so much more than the past. I will have to ask Coach at the next Bobby Cremins Show to ease up on these Saturday-Monday games for next season. The team did a great job to win on the road! Spartans thanks for playing!

And now, since we are no longer looking forward to the next game instead of concentrating at the game at hand-let the blogging begin against Davidson! WB started a week ago, but I just couldn't (with good conscience) get involved yet! But tomorrow and Monday are wide-open. Leave any suggestions you might have, but I am not doing the serious trash talking I did last year (to my embarrassment).

College of Charleston Basketball-Quick Stats

Quick Stats about our beloved Cougars!

1. The Cougars are 6-0 when shooting 50% or above from the field.
2. The Cougars are 8-1 when they win the boards.
3. The Cougars are 11-3 when they commit fewer turnovers.
4. The Cougars are 13-1 when leading with 10 minutes left in the second half.
5. The Cougars are 16-3 when they score 60 or more points.
   

CofC faces UNC-Greensboro today!

The Cougars are on the road to face UNC-Greensboro for the 20th time today at 4:30 pm. The game will air on ESPN Radio. The Cougars are 2-3 all-time at Fleming Gym and lost in the last meeting between the two schools (UNCG 72-CofC 58) on December 3, 2005. Dontaye Draper scored 17-points and Marcus Hammond put (then) a career high 14-points on the board.

From the Den
UNCG is 12-11, 9-4 in the (SoCon). The Cougars are 16-8, 9-3 (SoCon). Coach Cremins is 2-0 against UNCG. Head coach for the Spartans, Mike Dement is 2-1 against the College.

Buzzer Beater - CofC vs. Wofford 1/22/07

Here's the final seconds of the Wofford game with Phil's buzzer beater! Go Cougs!

Cougs Win Over Western-Carolina...but at what costs?

With Renardo Dickerson on the injured-reserve it was with great hesitation that I watched Marcus Hammond leave the game after injuring his knee during tonight's game. Marcus scored 5-points and 3 assists in his 22-minutes of playing time tonight, before being injured. Initial reports note a needed knee surgery meaning Marcus will be out for at least three weeks. Get well Marcus! The Cougars won for the 13th time in 15 games tonight, improving to 16-8, 9-3 (SoCon) with their win over Western Carolina (9-14, 6-6 (SoCon) 76-64. (Photo of Marcus Hammond from CofC Sports.com)

From the Den
The Cougars shot lights out in the first half, hitting 68% of their shots and putting 44-points on the board. Coach Cremins' main concern was the 3-ball threat the Catamounts have in their arsenal, and despite W.C. freshman Nick Aldridge scoring 39-points against the College, we did hold them to 1 for 13 from behind the arc, maintaining our number 1 ranking in the SoCon at defending the three-point shot.

The Cougs led 54-31 with 17-minutes left on the clock, until Aldridge hit the aforementioned 3-ball to start a 22-8 run by the Catamounts. Despite fighting a flu-bug Jermaine Johnson would finally get mean in the paint, leading the Cougars with 18-points. David Lawrence added 15-points (hitting 4 of 6, 3-pointers), 6 assists and 6 rebounds. Philip McCandies added 14-points and led the team with 11-boards. Dontaye Draper matched his jersey with 11-points in the game. Great job tonight to all of the Cougars! Western Carolina, thanks for playing.

Silversun Pickups - "Lazy Eye"

If you "Smashed" through the 90's jamming to the "fuzz" love Velvet Underground, the Pumpkins or the Pixies, I think you'll love this group out of Silver Lake, California. I love the jam, but I had to watch the video twice to see if the short-hair pulling a Brando in the leather was a chick or not.

The College hosts Western Carolina tonight at 7 pm (CSS)

The College of Charleston Cougars (15-8, 8-3 SoCon) welcome the Catamounts of Western Carolina (9-13, 6-5) to the John Kresse Arena this evening for their 16th meeting between the two schools. (The College leads the series 11-5/9-1 since both schools joined the Southern Conference.) The game will broadcast on CSS (Comcast 42) this evening at 7 pm. (Photo compliments of APMN.org)

The last time these two teams met, the Cougars won on the road by 7-points with David Lawrence and Jermaine Johnson both putting 17-points on the board and Dontaye grabbing a career-high 8-boards against the Catamounts. Although Western Carolina’s coach Larry Hunter is 0-2 against the College of Charleston, he joins Coach Cremins as being one of the few coaches in the SoCon having coached more than 780 games in their careers: Larry Hunter-531-252, .678 Win %, Coach Cremins 469-315, .598 Win %.

The Catamounts bring their “Princeton-style-offense” to Kresse Arena after defeating the Citadel by 10-points on Saturday. With only 7-games left on the calendar before the SoCon Tournament, you can bet Coach Cremins took advantage of the 7-day stretch since last Monday’s loss to Appalachian State, to rest the guys for two days and then to get the Cougars ready for action tonight. Another reason to focus on the end of the season, the College still trails Davidson by 2-games as the Wildcats won their 10th conference game this weekend. (The College of Charleston has the best record in the SoCon since 1998-99 but with 96-wins, Davidson only trails the College by 4 games on the All-time list.)

Carolina First Center Construction Update

Here are a few pictures of the construction going on for the new home for the Cougars, the Carolina First Center. Btw, Burns Lane at the Meeting Street end is closed. (Pictures compliments of J. Trabert)