CofC Sports Fan

Anthony Johnson Crushed by Benching!

2009-06-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

From the NBA Fan House: Article by Tim Povtak

ORLANDO -- Magic journeyman Anthony Johnson has been in the NBA 12 years, a former second-round pick from the obscure College of Charleston. He has scratched and clawed every step of the way, bouncing through 10 different teams with stops in the Development League and free agent summer camps in between.

He has had 10-day contracts and minimum wage contracts, never far from being outside looking in. He has been traded more than once for a cup of coffee and future consideration. Nothing has come easy.

It's why he thought this NBA Finals was going to be the highlight, the crowning moment of his career, coming on the heels of his most consistent, most satisfying season.

Instead, it was turned into the biggest disappointment of his life.

"This is the toughest thing that's ever happened to me,'' Johnson said Saturday afternoon. "I've dealt with a lot of stuff through the years, but to help my team get to the Finals, the biggest stage in basketball, and then get told you're not going to play, that has been very, very difficult.''

The Magic are trailing the Lakers 3-1, on the verge of elimination Sunday in Game 5. It is eating at Johnson because he was rendered helpless by the Magic decision to bring back Jameer Nelson for the Finals – essentially benching Johnson -- after being out for four months with a shoulder injury. It's a decision that is haunting the Magic because their play at point guard has been erratic, but it's haunting Johnson even more."

He (Nelson) looks like a guy who is a little rusty, but that's to be expected. He's doing the best he can after being away. He's a scorer, a shooter and the shoulder is very important,'' Johnson said. "From the sideline, you think on every possession, what you might be doing differently, but the truth of the matter is, I'm not out there. It is what it is.''

Johnson played 80 games during the season, first as a backup to Nelson and then as the backup to Rafer Alston, always providing the stabilizing force of a well-seasoned veteran. He averaged 18.5 minutes, 5.3 points and 2.5 assists. In the first three rounds of the playoffs, behind Alston, he averaged 14.7 points, 4.3 points and 2.1 assists.

He has not played in the Finals.

Johnson, 34, actually has more Finals experience than anyone on the Magic roster. He was a backup to Jason Kidd in New Jersey when the Nets lost in the Finals both in 2002 and 2003, although his role was minimal.

"I was looking forward to having a more prominent role this time, having my play help determine whether we won or lost,'' he said. "I was really looking forward to that. It's why you work so hard in the summers and during the season. This has been tough.''

Although Johnson was probably thinking it, he wouldn't say that he would have made a difference in this series. After all, neither Alston nor Nelson have played particularly well. They have combined to hit just two of 16 3-point shots. They are averaging only 3 and 2.5 assists respectively. Coach Stan Van Gundy seems to have lost confidence in both of them.

Although he saw it coming in the days leading up to the Finals, he wasn't told definitively until the morning of Game 1 that he was losing his role to Nelson. No real explanation was given.

"I guess I would have liked to know more of the reason why,'' he said. "But maybe I'm not owed a reason or explanation. That's just part of the business. It's still tough.''

Cougars's Womens Tennis Team Wins So-Con Championship and Birth In NCAA Tournament!

2009-04-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

From the Post & Courier:

ELON, N.C. — The College of Charleston won the Southern Conference women's tennis tournament title with a 4-1 victory over top-seeded Furman in the final Sunday at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.

(photo courtesy of cofcsports.com)

"Our girls laid it all on the line and left everything out on the court," said Cougars coach Angelo Anastopoulo, whose second-seeded team improved to 24-4. "They have battled through injuries all season and still managed to rise up to the occasion every time this season. (Sunday) they played the hardest I've ever seen them play.

"Anytime you can beat a team like Furman (17-8), it is special. They are an oustanding team. They have dominated the league year in and year out. We knew going into the tournament that we needed to play better at doubles. During the regular season we were 0-3 at the doubles point against the teams we played in the tournament. We went 3-0 this weekend, and that gave the girls a tremendous boost going into the singles."

The Cougars won their first conference championship since 2003 and secured the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The 24 wins represent the most by a Charleston team since earning NCAA Division I status in 1991-92. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air on ESPNU at 5:20 p.m. Tuesday.

In doubles play, the teams split matches in the Nos. 1 and 3 spots. At No. 2, Kinsey Casey and Keely Mulligan earned a 9-8 victory to capture a team point for the Cougars.

After Furman won the first match in singles play, Charleston swept matches in the number four, six and two positions to get to the four points needed to clinch the SoCon championship.

Casey (No. 6), Anna Lee Evans (No. 4) and Holly Dowse (No. 2) supplied the singles wins the Cougars needed.

Singles: Laura Gioia (F) d. Laura Borza 6-0, 6-1; Holly Dowse (C) d. Monica Arguello 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; Jessica Preeg (F) vs. Caroline Newman 3-6, 6-3, unfinished; Anna Lee Evans (C) d. Susan Bitetti 6-1, 6-4; Lauren Tomory (F) vs. Keely Mulligan 6-7 (2-7), 6-2, unf.; Kinsey Casey (C) def. Jennifer Betts 7-5, 6-2.

Doubles: Arguello-Gioia (F) d. Evans-Borza 8-1; Casey-Mulligan (C) d. Tomory-Betts 9-8 (8-6); Dowse-Newman (C) d. Preeg-Bitetti 8-5.

--Furman (22-7) won its second straight SoCon men's tennis tournament championship, posting a 4-0 victory over host Elon (21-6). The Paladins earned the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

2009 College Basketball Invitational Tournament!

2009-03-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

The College of Charleston men's basketball team has been selected to play in the 2009 College Basketball Invitational. The Cougars will play at Troy on Wednesday, March 18 at 8:00 p.m. EST as part of the tournament's East Regional. This is the second meeting all-time between the schools. The Cougars beat the Trojans, 92-42, at John Kresse Arena on January 5, 1998. The winner plays either Richmond or St. John's on March 23.

Brackets / Schedule!

To download the CBI Tournament brackets click here.

Possible Home Game?

The College Basketball Invitational is a single-elimination tournament, up until the "Best of Three" Championship Series, with all games being played at campus sites. Prior to the semifinals, the remaining teams will be re-seeded. The Championship Series is a "Best of Three" (home-away-home) in which the higher seeded team will host the first and last (if necessary) home games.

Interested in Traveling to Troy?

For those who are looking to travel to Troy, Alabama, please click here.

Listen To The Men's Tournament Live!

All men's games will air on ESPN radio 910-AM in Charleston. You can also follow the live stats by clicking here.

Tip-off is at approximately 8:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday!

From Brass @ the Post & Courier

2009-03-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Like every team that competes, the ultimate goal for the College of Charleston men's basketball team was an opportunity to compete in the 65-team NCAA Tournament. But with nearly 350 schools in Division I, the Cougars are happy that there are a few other dances besides the big one.

Charleston, which lost to Chattanooga in the SoCon Tournament championship game, got word late Sunday that the Cougars' 26-8 record wasn't enough to land them a spot in the National Invitation Tournament. But it was more than enough for a spot in the College Basketball Invitational, a second-year event featuring a 16-team field. The Cougars will travel to play Troy (19-14) of the Sun Belt Conference at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Cougars coach Bobby Cremins is a big advocate of having more teams invited to the NCAA, which in turn would offer more opportunities in the National Invitation Tournament. But right now he's happy for the CBI and the opportunity if affords his team.

"I think these tournaments are great. Until we put more teams in the Big Dance, I'm a big advocate of these tournaments," said Cremins, noting that The Citadel (20-12) also will get a postseason opportunity in the inaugural College-Insider.Com Tournament.

Senior guard Marcus Hammond said the Cougars are excited to still be playing. Hammond said he kept up with the selection process on the computer and by text messages and was happy when the word finally came around 11:30 p.m. "It extends our careers and gives us another opportunity to play and show our value to the program," Hammond said. "I think the CBI is a tournament that will grow. It's not where the NCAA or NIT is, but the tournament will grow. We want to go out and win the tournament and go out as champions.

"We don't have a lot of time to find out about Troy. It's a quick turnaround. We'll give it all we've got. We'll do a lot of studying and then we'll be ready Wednesday."

Fellow senior Jermaine Johnson said he knows the Trojans are members of the Sun Belt Conference, whose champion is Western Kentucky, and that says a lot.

"I'm ready to play," Johnson said. "We've already been off the court too long. This is the most exciting thing ever. I've never been to a postseason tournament. The fact we actually have a chance to do this is a great feeling."

Cremins said prior to the two new tournaments, the only SoCon teams that would be in postseason play would be tournament winner Chattanooga and regular season champion Davidson.

"So this is fun for us," he said. "But we need to take this tournament seriously. We need to go in thinking we want to prove ourselves. I'm going to tell them how fortunate they are to still be practicing. We could be closing shop right now. We have an opportunity to play in a postseason tournament. Let's go out and give it everything we have."

Cremins said the opportunity is a step in the right director for the College of Charleston program.

"You have to remember, we have four sophomores, we have Tony White, who is a junior, and we have these freshmen. The more they play, it might mean something next year," Cremins said.

"I'm happy for the seniors. That was a tough loss for them in Chattanooga. Jermaine, Marcus, Dustin Scott. They really wanted to win that game. Now, they keep playing. Our first choice, obviously, was to beat Chattanooga and go to the Big Dance and get involved with March Madness."

Reach Tommy Braswell at braswell@postandcourier.com

Full Court Press: "A Heck of a Game" from the Post & Courier

2009-03-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

Photo Credits: BRETT FLASHNICK/AP

Despite disappointment, USC determined to match quality of first-round NIT pairing

By Travis Haney

The Post and Courier

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

COLUMBIA — Even with an All-American coming for a nationally televised game, you still have to wonder if South Carolina will be up for a postseason tournament it didn't necessarily want to be part of.

It was holding out for the school's first NCAA bid since 2004. Not for the program's fifth NIT appearance since 2001.

The Gamecocks host Stephen Curry and Davidson at 7 p.m. tonight in the opening round of the NIT (TV: ESPN2).

South Carolina guard Devan Downey and the Gamecocks aim to make the most of their NIT bid when they host All-American Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats in a first-round game today at 7 p.m.

"You'll know in the first five minutes of the game whether we're ready to play or not," USC senior Zam Fredrick said. "I think we'll be ready. ... I know we'll be ready."

Bobby Cremins is a qualified handicapper for the game.

His Charleston team played both teams in the regular season — and beat both of them. Then the Cougars knocked Davidson from the Southern Conference Tournament, ending its NCAA hopes.

From the outside looking in, Cremins says he gives the Gamecocks a slight nod. But says if Curry and Davidson (26-7) are clicking, it wouldn't surprise him to see the Wildcats steal a road win.

An ankle injury now behind him and the team, Curry is averaging 28.6 points a game.

"If we were not playing, I would be headed to Columbia to watch that one," said Cremins, the South Carolina grad whose Charleston team will play at Troy on Wednesday in the College Basketball Invitational. "It should be a heck of a game. It's a heck of an NIT game. The NIT is very fortunate to have these guys playing."

USC's Devan Downey, despite being a half-foot shorter, will guard Curry some during the evening. But USC coach Darrin Horn said the game is transcendent of the one-on-one matchup, specifically.

"I think it's more about two great guards playing in the same game rather than them going at it," Horn said. "Hopefully that's as appealing as the matchup itself."

Cremins said he expects to see the Gamecocks come out "flat" because of their exclusion from the NCAAs. But, to him, it's all about how USC responds throughout 40 minutes.

Cremins said he once coached a team that had to turn down an NIT bid because it was too bummed to continue playing.

"Of course we're disappointed about not getting a bid," Fredrick said. "As a man, as a person, you have to move on."

As it turns out, despite a 21-9 record and 10 SEC wins, the Gamecocks weren't even all that close to the bubble. The selection committee held the SEC in the same esteem as a mid-major.

It took three teams, which would've been two if not for Mississippi State winning the SEC tourney. It made regular season champ LSU an 8 seed, Tennessee a 9 seed and Mississippi State a 13 seed.

That clearly left no room for teams such as South Carolina and Auburn — the first SEC teams to win 10-plus conference games and fail to make the NCAA field.

But a matchup with Curry quickly grabs your attention, Fredrick said.

The junior, and son of former NBA standout Dell Curry, willed the Wildcats to the Elite Eight last season.

There, they lost to eventual national champ Kansas — by two. And they had a shot to win at the buzzer, but Curry was double-teamed and Jason Richards couldn't connect.

Richards is gone, but 6-8 post Andrew Lovelace will provide a physical test for USC forward Mike Holmes.

And then there's Curry.

"I think he's like a lot of really good players we've seen this year," Horn said of Curry. "I don't think you're going to stop a guy that shoots 20-plus times a game or put up 30 all year long. I think the key against someone like him is hopefully you make him work for everything."

Horn said the Gamecocks would treat Curry and Davidson very similarly to how they did Jodie Meeks and Kentucky.

Meeks had three games of 40-plus points and averaged about 25 a game. Both times the Gamecocks held Meeks below his average. And USC won both meetings.

Similarly, Charleston held Curry to 12 of 41 shooting — and 6 of 24 3-point tries — in those two Cougars wins.

To give you an idea of the norm, Curry hit 10 or more field goals in 16 games. That includes a close loss at Oklahoma and a victory against North Carolina State. He had 44 points in each of those games.

"Good players find a way to do what they do, regardless of what the opponent is doing," Horn said. "You just don't want it to be easy. You don't want 25 on a normal night to turn into one of those 40 plus-point nights."

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com and check out the South Carolina blog atpostandcourier.com/gamecocksblog/.

SoCon all-tournament teams

2009-03-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

First Team

Stephen McDowell, UTC (MVP)

Tony White Jr., College of Charleston

Stephen Curry, Davidson

Kevin Goffney, UTC

Bryan Friday, Samford

Second Team

Nicchaeus Doaks, UTC

Dustin Scott, College of Charleston

Donald Sims, Appalachian State

Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston

Jeremy Simmons, College of Charleston

Cougars' loss is basketball fans' gain

2009-01-31T08:47:00.000-08:00

From my neighbor Tommy Braswell @ the Post & Courier

Posted 03:58 p.m., January 30, 2009

The College of Charleston is having a hard time getting over last week's 72-63 loss at The Citadel, which ended the Cougars' 13-game winning streak against its cross-town rival.

That was evidenced by recent comments from Charleston forward Jermaine Johnson, who said he'd rather not score a point, get a rebound or play a single minute if it meant the Cougars had to lose to The Citadel or that he would have to listen to Bulldogs' forward Demetrius Nelson's mouth.

A Cougar fan recently expressed sentiment that he wished Johnson hadn't said such things. (For the record: that was not yours truly) Imagine that. After several years of smug, condescension when it comes to the Bulldogs' basketball program, there are actually Cougars' fans out there who don't want to risk offending The Citadel.
It's the best thing that has happened to basketball in Charleston for some time.
A dormant rivalry is once again relevant.

Admittedly, it's still Davidson and everyone else as far as the Southern Conference is concerned.
But for the city of Charleston, it means hot times are ahead when the teams meet Feb. 14 at the Cougars' Carolina First Arena.

As of Friday afternoon, fewer than 400 tickets remain. (Photo credits: Jed Trabert)

Davidson Wins Against the Cougs, but the Cougs Looked Good!

2008-12-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

Despite only shooting 25% from behind the arc and 37% from the field, the College of Charleston Cougars looked good tonight against the Wildcats. It seemed as though every time the Cougars started to get things going a media time out or an arrant foul would take place; thus ending our momentum. Did we get robbed by the officials with that last foul called by the zebras to send Steph Curry to the line? Yes, but the SoCon refs are part-time CofC haters and have picked our pockets more than once through the years. But let's be honest, the Cougars will beat Davidson later on in the season, all the Cougars need is for their legs to look a little more conditioned and the shots fall a little better.

Free-Throw Juice

Regardless, the Cougars looked good. Jermaine Johnson (as Goldfinger would say) drank his "free-throw juice", hitting 10-12 from the charity stripe and 3-8 from the field notching 16 points for the game. Goudelock was 10-22 from the field and 2-9 from behind the arc (take the extra dribble before you pull up kid) as Andrew put up 22 points to lead the Cougars in the game. Tony White Jr looked great hitting 4-9 from the field and 2-5 from behind the arc. That kid has really come of age this season. Marcus Hammond did the Cougs a solid on defense and was 2-4 from the field and 2-5 from behind the arc.

Ball Hawg!

Sure Stephanie Curry scored 29 points but he was off to a slow start in the first half and Davidson suffered trailing the Cougars until the 6 minute mark before the half. The next Wildcat even close to the young ball hog was Will Reauchambeaux (actually it might be Archambault-sorry my media guide is a bit blurred on that one) with 14 points. Stevie "Wonder" Rossiter put up 11 points to become the only other Wildcat with double-digit points.

As we all watched Momma Curry nervously (albeit "she looked smashingly fabulous" as my non-heterosexual friends from Davidson would say) waiting for the time to expire as our beloved Cougars closed in on her son's squad. We also saw something else, North Carolina Hall of Famer and former Charlotte Hornet who kept the "Hive Alive" with one heck of a sweet shot, Dell Curry (aka: Papa Bear) shook his head in discontent as he saw his son's genetically inherited "quick and sweet" released shot over and over. You could read on the jumbo-tron his lips saying, "Pass the ball son, don't be a hog". But alas, his son (who had a few mentionable assists in the first half) was the ball hog for the kids in Davidson red.

The Breakdown

Teams: 1st 2nd Final

Davidson: 44 35 79

CofC: 33 42 75

The Cougs Host Davidson Tonight @ 9 PM

2008-12-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

In their last game until the New Year, the Cougars welcome rival Davidson and their wonder-boy Stephen Curry to the Carolina First Center. Davidson (nationally ranked 22^nd in the country, but still 2^nd to the Cougars in the South Division of the SoCon) is coming off an embarrassment in Indy, where the Wildcats lost whole-handily to Purdue by almost 20 points in perhaps the “whitest” game played on the court since all 10 players wore Chuck-Taylors. Or maybe that wasn’t a loss at all for Davidson fans, Curry only put up 13 points instead of his average of 31, so if we jettison our math and instead apply our Steph-matics, Davidson (could have) beat Purdue.

Purdue (err, Purr-Don’t)

How did Purdue blow-out the Wildkittens? Old-fashioned defense, Purdue’s Chris Kramer was in Curry’s boyish face the entire game and the Boilermakers never took their foot off the gas. Even after Purdue led 21-0 in the first half, they continued to ride Curry and never let him find his rhythm. When Curry hit his first 3-pointer (after missing 8 consecutive shots) did the Boilermakers get worried-“Oh man, here they come, Curry is hot now”? Nope, they responded with a trey of their own and just kept face blasting Curry.

Keys to the win: 1) Keep a hand in Steph Curry’s cute little face. I know with his boyish smile, you just want to cut up with him and tell a couple of jokes, but put a hand in his face so he can’t see the basket and disrupt the rhythm as soon as he crosses mid-court. 2) Limit Lovedale and (benchwarmer) Archambault’s touches: these guys aren’t all that great of players, barely almost 50% shooters from the field, but they are the next best thing Davidson has in their arsenal. 3) Holy crap, McKillop’s kid plays for Davidson-shocked, completely shocked. 4) Makes some noise kids!

Remember this Cougars: You have a clean slate facing Davidson in our new arena! Let the record of Davidson in the Carolina First Center be a welcoming 0-1 when they leave the arena tonight! If McKlump and his boys want a win whilst in Charleston, they need to get it across town when they play the Citadel this week. The SoCon belongs to Charleston, Davidson is just 2^nd best with a little more press (perhaps distractions) than they deserve.

73 Year Old, Ken Mink Still Shooting For The Roane State Raiders

2008-11-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

As we now wait for the election results
Fifty-three years ago, Ken Mink dropped out of Ju-Co in Kentucky and joined the Air Force putting his NCAA eligibility and college career on hold. Today at the age of 73 he is wearing the number 13 and is a shooting guard for the Roane State Raiders. (Roane State competes in the Tennessee Junior Community College Athletic Association.)

As promised, this is the video I watched on Nate Ross' iPhone this morning whilst waiting to punch my vote for Obama. The best part of this video is when they mention he had to get his wife's permission to go to a party, to which she replied "No". I guess, the Bushido's Papi was right about guys from Kentucky-they can shoot!

Click here for the article on KnoxNews
Video posted by Knoxnews.com

The 2008-2009 College of Charleston's Mens Basketball Schedule

2008-11-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

Thu, Nov 20	Charleston Southern	at NC Coliseum	7:30
Mon, Nov 24	South Carolina State	at Orangeburg, S.C.	7:30
Fri, Nov 28	South Carolina (CSS)	Carolina First Arena	7:00
Thu, Dec 04	Elon *	at Elon, N.C.	7:00
Sat, Dec 06	UNC Greensboro (SportSouth) *	at Greensboro, N.C.	3:00
Wed, Dec 17	Coastal Carolina	Carolina First Arena	7:00
Fri, Dec 19	UNC Wimington	Carolina First Arena	7:00
Mon, Dec 22	Winthrop	at Rock Hill, S.C.	7:00
Mon, Dec 29	Davidson (ESPNU) *	Carolina First Arena	9:00
Wed, Jan 07	North Carolina (FSN South)	at Chapel Hill, N.C.	9:00
Sat, Jan 10	Georgia Southern (CSS) *	Carolina First Arena	4:00
Mon, Jan 12	Samford (CSS) *	Carolina First Arena	7:00
Thu, Jan 15	Wofford *	at Spartanburg, S.C.	7:00
Sat, Jan 17	Furman (CSS) *	at Greenville, S.C.	8:00
Wed, Jan 21	Appalachian State *	Carolina First Arena	7:00
Sat, Jan 24	The Citadel (SportSouth) *	at Charleston, S.C.	3:00
Thu, Jan 29	UNC Greensboro *	Carolina First Arena	7:00
Sat, Jan 31	Elon *	Carolina First Arena	4:00
Thu, Feb 05	Western Carolina *	at Cullowhee, N.C.	7:00
Sat, Feb 07	Davidson (ESPN2) *	at Davidson, N.C.	6:00
Wed, Feb 11	Western Carolina *	Carolina First Arena	7:00
Sat, Feb 14	The Citadel *	Carolina First Arena	4:00
Mon, Feb 16	Appalachian State (CSS) *	at Boone, N.C.	7:30
Thu, Feb 19	Georgia Southern *	at Statesboro, Ga.	7:30
Mon, Feb 23	Chattanooga (CSS) *	at Chattanooga, Tenn.	7:00
Thu, Feb 26	Wofford (CSS) *	Carolina First Arena	7:00
Sat, Feb 28	Furman (SportSouth) *	Carolina First Arena	4:00

Joey Dorsey Stinks As Much As My Bracket Does...

2008-04-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

I don't know how bad Joey Dorsey's passed gas smells, but UCLA's Darren Collison reacted to it. All I can think is that it doesn't stink as much as my bracket does. Thanks Memphis for crushing my dreams! (Photo courtesy of AP/Mark Humphrey)
Posted by The Bushido

Unanswered Prayers: Davidson Beats Themselves!

2008-03-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by saying that the Davidson Wildcats represented both their school and the Southern Conference quite well. Unfortunately, Davidson's coach Bob McKillop's prayers were unanswered by the great Wildcat in the sky as his team lost to Kansas today 59 to 57 at Ford Field in Detroit.

Davidson was not out-played by Kansas, in fact they kept Kansas out of their game by keeping the ball out of the hands of Kansas' big men. Davidson lost because they quit believing. All year the press has made Davidson the "Stephen Curry Show" but alas, there was always four other guys on the court when he was dropping thirty points in a game. (Photo courtesy of AP/Chuck Burton)

You may blow off my psycho-analysis as much to do about a thing, but when Curry quit hitting his shots his teammates became deflated and even when they had the open shots they wouldn't take them. They for lack of a better word became scared. Curry too had a deer in the headlights stare, and it seemed as though the clock was about to strike twelve for Cinderella. Yet, Coach McKillop kept his team in it and kept the faith. But as the old adage about leading a horse to water tells us, the foregone conclusion was that the Wildcats beat themselves as soon as they looked at the clock and the scoreboard. They quit trying to win the game and started to trying not to lose the game, which as we all know, usually ends in defeat.

Fah-King Davidson Just Killed My Bracket!

2008-03-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

I know that I should support the Davidson Wildcats and I did in the first round against Gonzaga, but the Wildcats and Stephen Curry just totally screwed my bracket by beating Georgetown 74-70 today. Now, I hate to be so narcissistic to think that my own desires to win the office pool here at the Bushido should spoil the dreams of the folks up in Davidson, North Carolina, but at the end of the game, I found myself saying the same thing I have since my beginnings at the College of Charleston-Fah-King Davidson!

Oh well, there has to be a winner and a loser and Stephen Curry showed his stuff with 30-points and the rest of the Wildcats squad pulled their weight to upset the favored Hoyas of Georgetown. Good luck in the next round guys-way to represent the Southern Conference in this years' NCAA Tournament. (Photo courtesy of ESPN.com/Chuck Burton)

And I need Curry to go VROOM! Just like a motorcycle!

2008-03-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Davidson Wins Their 1st NCAA Tournament Game Since 1969!
Davidson beat Gonzaga today 82 to 76, shooting .500 from behind the arc, .491 from the field and .714 from the charity-stripe. I picked Davidson to win this game and as predicted it was one heck of a game. Good for Davidson, good for the SoCon and good for Stephen Curry's Mom, because everyone needs a good cry from time to time.

Curry goes VROOM!
Stephen Curry and the Wildcats proved a lot today: that a mid-major can compete on the next level and no matter how small the school or how small the player-if a kid can shoot he's hard to stop. Curry scored 40 points (30 in the second half) which to this b-ball fans was a big middle-finger to the "big" schools who passed on him (i.e. his Dad's alma-mater, Virginia Tech) due to his size and lack of chest hair. (Note: Curry has sprouted four inches during his tenure at Davidson). Another thing Curry accomplished today was that he became the first member of his family to win a NCAA Tournament game. Something his father and the Hokies never achieved. Good for you Stephen and congratulations to all of those in the Wildcat Nation.
(Photo courtesy of CNN.com)

Cougs land sixth seed in SoCon Tourney, face Citadel on Friday!

2008-03-03T00:13:00.000-08:00

2008 Men's and Women's SoCon Tournament Pairings

Men

Friday, March 7
Wofford vs. Western Carolina, 3 p.m. (Seeding TBD)
No. 7 Elon vs. No. 10 Furman, 5:15 p.m.
No. 6 College of Charleston vs. No. 11 The Citadel, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 8
No. 1 Davidson vs. Wofford/WCU winner, 2 p.m.
No. 4 App State vs. No. 5 UNC Greensboro, 4:15 p.m.
No. 2 Chattanooga vs. Elon/Furman winner, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Ga. Southern vs. Charleston/Citadel winner, 9:15 p.m.

Sunday, March 9
Semifinals, 6 and 8:30 p.m.

Monday, March 10
Championship game, 9 p.m.

Women

Thursday, March 6
No. 7 Furman vs. No. 10 Wofford, 3 p.m.
No. 8 App. State vs. No. 9 UNCG (30 minutes later)

Friday, March 7
Furman/Wofford winner vs. No. 2 Western Carolina, 10 a.m.
App State/UNCG winner vs. No. 1 Chattanooga

Saturday, March 8
No. 4 Georgia Southern vs. No. 5 College of Charleston, 9 a.m.
No. 3 Davidson vs. Elon, (30 min later)

Sunday, March 9
Semifinals, noon, 2:30 p.m.

Monday, March 10
Championship Game , 5 p.m.

For a printable bracket in PDF format, click here.

C of C Legend Kresse Closes Namesake Arena

2008-03-02T21:01:00.000-08:00

From Ken Burger at the Post & Courier:

Someday you can tell your grandchildren you saw the College of Charleston play basketball in the "old" Kresse Arena.

Hopefully they will look at you with some sense of awe and appreciation.

If you live long enough you'll see venues like this old gymnasium on George Street relegated to the pages of history. Some of us remember the old "Blue Heaven" at North Carolina where the Tar Heels played, Reynolds Coliseum where the Wolfpack prowled and the Old Field House at South Carolina where Frank McGuire sparked his magical run with the Gamecocks.

The same can now be said of John Kresse Arena at the College of Charleston,

home court for the Cougars from the winter of 1982 until Saturday night when they played their last game here against Furman, winning 77-59.

It's only right that they closed this place with a victory because that's the way the Cougar faithful will remember it. All told, over all those years, the College logged a total of 342 wins with only 44 losses.

The credit for this legacy goes to John Kresse, a living legend in this town, for his remarkable run of 560-143, much of it accomplished in a building that Sports Illustrated magazine once described by saying it "looked like a high school gymnasium and smelled like a Chinese restaurant."

New York accent

Not only will this old gym be razed soon to make way for the "new" Kresse Arena on an adjacent property, but the oriental take-out joint next door is disappearing as well.

Cougar alumni who knew the College way back when can only marvel at how far the school and its fledgling basketball program have come in their lifetimes.

It seems like only a couple of decades ago that a young, energetic John Kresse came to this Southern city with his New York accent and bag of basketball tricks. Within a few years he took the Cougars all the way to an NAIA national title in the same year they opened play here in the F. Mitchell Johnson Physical Education Center.

Since then the program transitioned into Division I status and earned the reputation as a giant slayer during several appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Some say Cougar basketball peaked in the late 1990s and suffered a setback when Kresse, the undisputed king of this homecourt, unexpectedly announced his retirement in 2001.

Since then the program has struggled to regain its dominant position in the Southern Conference and find a place on the national stage.

Few doubt, however, that former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins can find a way to bring the College back as it prepares to move into its new 5,000-seat arena next season.

Jittery genius

Regardless of what the future holds, there will never be a feeling at this school like there was on those cold winter nights when this little hothouse was rocking.

With Kresse, the jittery genius on the sidelines, this was the toughest ticket in town.

With students breathing down the referee's necks and a loyal, basketball-savvy home crowd, the Cougars turned this rather pedestrian place into a place of pain for opponents.

While it's doubtful this year's team (14-16, 9-11 in the SoCon) will capture America's imagination the way Kresse's teams did a decade ago, the future of Cougar basketball remains bright.

As today's players built a 20-point lead over the Paladins in the second half, they were celebrated by longtime fans and former players who came to give this special building a proper sendoff.

After the victory, the court was ringed by more than 120 former players dating back to the 1940s. In a special ceremony, they passed a basketball through the ages, ending with a handoff from Cremins to Kresse, who made the last layup to close the building for the ages.

Nice touch.

Nice shot.

(Photo courtesy of CofC Sports.com)

CofC Lose on the road to the Spartans

2008-02-26T07:23:00.000-08:00

GREENSBORO, NC – UNC Greensboro had only four players hit the scoring column, but three went for more than 20 as the Spartans topped College of Charleston, 75-67, in Southern Conference men’s basketball action at Fleming Gym on Thursday night.

The Spartans set a school record by shooting 84 percent from the floor in the second half, going 16-for-19. They made their first 10 shots of the half to erase a seven-point second half. Mikko Koivisto led the way with a career-high 25 points for UNCG (16-11, 10-8), which clinched the final bye slot in the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament with the win.

Kyle Hines had 23 points and eight rebounds for UNCG to extend his streak of games with 10 or more points to 77 in a row. The All-America candidate from Sicklerville, NJ also had three blocks and four steals. Kevin Oleksiak also had 22 points for the Spartans.

It was just the second time in UNCG’s Division I era that three Spartans topped 20 points in the same game. The only other time that happened was in an overtime loss to NC State last January.

The only other Spartan to score was Ben Stywall with five points, all of which came in the final 15:34.

Jermaine Johnson led the Cougars (12-16, 7-11) with 18 points and eight rebounds. Andrew Goudelock added 12 points and Donovan Monroe chipped in with 11 points for College of Charleston.

For the entire article courtesy of UNC-G athletics (click here)

From the Post & Courier: "Cougars' Cremins: 'No time to get down'"

2008-02-25T23:20:00.000-08:00

By Charles Bennett
The Post and Courier

Even though the College of Charleston is coming off a heartbreaking 87-86 double overtime loss at Elon, Cougars coach Bobby Cremins says he expects his team to bounce back with a big effort tonight at UNC Greensboro.
"We've just got to stay up, stay motivated," said Cremins.
"We've obviously been knocked around, but this is no time to get down. We've got three more games and then we go into the (Southern Conference) Tournament. These last three games, we really want to play well."
The Cougars (12-15, 7-10 SoCon) played well enough to win at Elon, shooting 50.7 percent from the field and committing only 11 turnovers after averaging nearly 20 turnovers in their previous three games.
"We played better, we just didn't catch a break," Cremins said. "We played well enough to win. It was a heck of a ball game. I felt bad for our guys. It was a tough one."
Breaks may be hard to come by once again when the Cougars take on the Spartans (15-11, 9-8 SoCon) at 7 p.m. tonight.
The last time the two teams met, UNC Greensboro power forward Kyle Hines scored 32 points and the Spartans shot 66.7 percent from the field in an 88-71 victory over the Cougars Jan. 24 at John Kresse Arena.

"We've got Kyle Hines and company and of course they beat us up the first time," Cremins said. "They played one of their best games of the year against us."

One positive for the Cougars is that tonight's game is the final road game of the season for Charleston.

The Cougars wrap up the regular season with home games against Georgia Southern on Thursday and Furman on Saturday.

The SoCon Tournament begins March 7 at North Charleston Coliseum.
But Cremins says he hopes to keep his team motivated with the games remaining.

"We have no choice but to stay up," he said. "We're playing not only for now but for the future. The tournament will be our postseason. We know that, but we want to take these last three games as a chance to start playing well heading into the tournament."

From the Post & Courier: Cougs fall to WCU

2008-02-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Western Carolina 65, Charleston 57

The College of Charleston's up- and-down basketball season took another downward turn Saturday at John Kresse Arena.

The Cougars shot 35.3 percent from the field and committed 21 turnovers in a 65-57 Southern Conference loss to Western Carolina.

"It's not as bad as it could be, but it was a bad loss," said guard Andrew Goudelock, who led the Cougars with 15 points. "We could have won this game, should have won this game. Down the stretch we didn't make plays. We have no one to blame but ourselves."

Charleston (12-14, 7-9 SoCon) was coming off a 79-73 victory over Chattanooga Thursday night, while the Catamounts (8-17, 4-11 SoCon) were coming off a 57-51 loss to The Citadel, previously winless in the conference.

"We really made a commitment to fight for the whole 40 minutes this game and to respond after our poor showing on Thursday," said Catamounts' forward Jake Robinson. "We had two rough days thinking about that loss."

The Catamounts didn't exactly come out with guns blazing, shooting 39.3 percent from the field, but they got 25 points from guard Brandon Giles and seemingly made every big play down the stretch.

The Cougars play at Elon at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

3-Point Goals — Western Carolina 5-16 (Gore 0-1, Giles 2-7, Waginger 0-2, Robinson 3-6); C of C 6-15 (Scott 0-3, Wiggins 1-3, Goudelock 3-3, White 2-4, Monroe 0-1, Hammond 0-1). Steals — W. Carolina 10 (Giles 4); C of C 5 (Scott, Johnson 2). Blocks — W. Carolina 3 (Gordon, Giles, Wilson); C of C 5 (Scott 3). Turnovers — W. Carolina 8 (Wilson 3); C of C 21 (Scott, Johnson, White 4). Technicals — W. Carolina 1 (Waginger). A — 3,104.

Click here for the entire article by Charles Bennett.

Dwight Howard (aka: Superman) Wins the Slam Dunk Contest!

2008-02-16T23:17:00.000-08:00

AJ Traded to the Kings for Bibby

2008-02-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

A.J. is now a King
The eighth place Atlanta Hawks sent starting point guard and College of Charleston alum Anthony Johnson, 2007 first-round pick Shelden Williams, backup point guard Tyronn Lue, veteran forward Lorenzen Wright and a 2008 second-round pick to the Kings for Mike Bibby. The same Bibby who had one heck of a game to end the College of Charleston's big dance, after the Cougars upset Maryland and then lost a close one to Arizona in the 1997 NCAA Tournament.

Click here for the story on ESPN

The Cougs Face Western Carolina tonight at 6 pm.

2008-02-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

The College of Charleston Cougars (12-13, 7-8 SoCon) will host the Catamounts (7-17, 3-11 SoCon) of Western Carolina tonight at 6 pm at the Kresse Arena. Game coverage will be on WTMZ 910-AM. The Cougs have won 9 straight against WCU, including an exciting win last December in Cullowhee and their coach Larry Hunter is 0-4 against the Cougars.

(Photo courtesy of the Catamounts' sports web-site)

See you at the game!

From the Post & Courier: Cougars have eye on a bye

2008-02-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

The College of Charleston is plodding along with a 7-8 record in the Southern Conference, and today's 6 p.m. game at John Kresse Arena with Western Carolina may not seem so important in the grand scheme of things. (Photo of Andrew Goudelock and Tony White Jr dancing courtesy of Alan Hawes w/ the Post & Courier)

But it is to Cougars' coach Bobby Cremins, who would like his team to play well enough down the stretch to earn a first-round bye in the Southern Conference Tournament.

"The most important thing for us is we're still fighting for a bye, so every game is crucial," Cremins said. "We're still in this thing. We have a shot."

The top five teams in the 11-team Southern Conference earn first-round byes in the tournament, to be held March 7-10 at North Charleston Coliseum.

Davidson (16-0) has already clinched the No. 1 seed, and Appalachian State (11-5), Georgia Southern (11-5) and Chattanooga (10-6) are likely to occupy the next three spots, leaving one more bye up for grabs.

In addition to Charleston, the main contenders for the fifth seed are Elon (8-9), Wofford (7-9) and UNC Greensboro (7-7).

After today, the Cougars have road games at Elon and UNC Greensboro before finishing the regular season at home against Georgia Southern and Furman.

The Cougars are 1-3 against those four teams this season, so Charleston would do well to take care of business today against Western Carolina (7-17, 3-11 SoCon).

The Catamounts are winless on the road this season, and have lost nine consecutive games to Charleston.

However, Western Carolina gave the Cougars all they could handle earlier this season when Charleston escaped with an 86-84 victory at Cullowhee, N.C., on Dec. 1.

"Western is a very dangerous team," Cremins said. "We can't take them lightly, for sure. We've just got to come out here Saturday night and play some basketball."

--Cougars' small forward Antwaine Wiggins, who suffered an ankle sprain in Charleston's victory over Chattanooga Thursday night, is listed as probable. Cremins said the Cougars will move guard Marcus Hammond into Wiggins' spot if Wiggins is unable to go.

Reach Charles Bennett at cbennett@postandcourier.com.

I Love the Maroon Nation this Much!

2008-02-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

Photo of Coach Cremins showing his love courtesy of Alan Hawes/Post & Courier