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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Tom Herrion Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baseball: Cougars' Pre-Season and Current Rankings

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

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

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

College of Charleston Catcher Alex Garabedian named SoCon Player of the Week for the 2nd time this season

The 2007 All-American and Johnny Bench Award recipient, Alex Garabedian was named Southern Conference Player of the Week this week for the 2nd time this season, he was previously tapped the week of March 26. Garabedian went 12 for 23 (.522) last week: having 2 homers, 4-doubles and 6 RBIs. (Photo courtesy of CofC Sports)

College of Charleston Responds to Tragedy at Virginia Tech

A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT GEORGE BENSON

The tragic events at Virginia Tech are deeply felt here at the College of Charleston. They echo throughout the higher education community and, indeed, the entire nation. As we keep our colleagues and peers in Blacksburg in our thoughts and prayers, we are humbly reminded of our fragile existence.

Through this unfortunate circumstance, our campus community is brought closer together and linked by a profound concern for the mutual health and well being of our co-workers, fellow students, friends and family. As always, the safety of our campus community is a primary concern; we will continue to use every resource available to keep our community safe.

These tragic events are also a reminder that we all should reach out for help in times of need. Our counseling office is available to students who are in need of support. The walk-in hours are Monday-Thursday, 12:30-5:30 p.m. and Fridays, 12:30-3:30 p.m.

We invite the College community to come together to mourn, to commemorate, and to wish for comfort and solace for the Virginia Tech community. I invite you to join me on the Cistern on Monday, April 23 at 1:00 p.m. to pause and reflect.

Events
Commemorative Vigil: Mon, April 23 1:00p @ The Cistern.

FACULTY NOTE: Please offer leniancy to students who may arrive late to class due to this event.

ADDITIONAL CAMPUS SAFETY INFORMATION
Emergency Preparedness General Informationwww.cofc.edu/emergency
College of Charleston Emergency Medical Servicehttp://www.cofc.edu/~ems
Emergency Call Boxeshttp://www.cofc.edu/publicsafety/importantnumbers/index.php
Department of Public Safetywww.cofc.edu/publicsafety
College of Charleston Counseling Center:www.cofc.edu/~counseling/
Residence Life: http://reslife.cofc.edu/oncampushousing/livingoncampus.html#security
SAFERIDE Cab Service:www.cofc.edu/studentaffairs/general_info/saferide/

Antwaine Wiggins signs with the Cougars

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

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

Cremins pleased with first full C of C recruiting class by Andrew Miller w/ the Post & Courier

College of Charleston basketball coach Bobby Cremins certainly hasn't lost his touch when it comes to recruiting.

Known as one of college basketball's top recruiters when he was at Georgia Tech, Cremins signed five players, including one of the top junior college prospects in the country, to this year's recruiting class.

In his first full season of recruiting, Cremins landed 6-0 guard Donald Davis of Deer Park, N.Y.; 6-1 guard Andrew Goudelock of Stone Mountain, Ga.; 6-1 guard Donovan Monroe of Waxhaw, N.C.; 6-8 forward Dustin Scott of Tallahassee Community College and Timberland High School; and 6-7 forward Jeremy Simmons of Stone Mountain, Ga.

"I'm ecstatic about this recruiting class, and we're still waiting to hear from one more kid to make it truly a great class," Cremins said. "We filled almost all of our needs. We would have liked to have signed a point guard in this class, but a couple of the guards in this class should be able to play at the point."

The biggest catch of the class is Scott, who led Timberland High School to the Class AAA state title in 2003. Scott, who will be a junior next season, was rated among the nation's top junior college players. Scott reportedly got serious consideration from Clemson, Louisville, South Florida, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee before signing with the Cougars.

"I think Dustin has a chance to come in and help us right away," Cremins said. "We were on him pretty hard during the early signing period, but to be honest, he didn't have much interest in us. He was getting interest from some big-name schools, so I wasn't sure we had a chance at him."

The turning point for Cremins and Scott, who averaged 14 points and almost eight rebounds a game at Tallahassee Community College, came when the Cougars advanced to the Southern Conference Tournament final at the North Charleston Coliseum.

"I think that had a lot to do with him signing with us," Cremins said. "He was there for the finals against Davidson and he saw what we were trying to build here. I like having local kids in the program and to get a player of Dustin's stature is just phenomenal."

Cremins said he worked hard to land a couple of players during the early signing period in November.

"We went 0-for-2 during the early signing period and I was starting to get a little concerned," Cremins said. "I thought I'd lost my touch. The kids decided to go with some bigger-name programs, so it was understandable, but we were a little worried back in November."

The Cougars are still waiting to hear from one last prospect and hope to learn something this morning.

With just one scholarship point guard in the program - rising sophomore Tony White, Jr. - Cremins is hoping that either Davis, Monroe or Goudelock can eventually be play some at point guard.

"All three are combo guards that have the potential to play the point," Cremins said. "We were really looking for a point guard in this year's class. If one of them doesn't work out, we'll sign a point guard in next year's class."

Cremins is quick to point out that Dontaye Draper wasn't a full-time point guard until his senior season.

"Dontaye turned out OK for us at the point," Cremins said.

Monroe, who played last season at Fork Union Military Academy, could be the sleeper of the class, Cremins said.

"Because we need help at the point, I think Donovan has a chance to come in and get some early playing time," Cremins said. "I think he's going to surprise some people."

Jeremy Simmons signs with the College!

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

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

Donovan Monroe commits to the College of Charleston-Cougar basketball is reloading!

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

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

Update: Click here for the Post & Courier’s coverage by Jeff Hartsell

Dustin Scott Comes Home!

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

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

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

C. U. n NYC! Clemson is headed to the NIT final four!

As the great crooner, Mr. Sinatra's "New York, New York" blasted over the PA system and the Tiger fans stormed the paw, I couldn't help but think, Wow, this team blew a 17-point lead but finally woke up from their nightmare on the "charity-stripe" to pull it together and inch out a win. I guess that's just Clemson b-ball for you. Clemson improved to 24-10 for the season and are headed to the Big Apple to play Air Force in the final-four. (Air Force defeated the DePaul Blue Demons tonight by 2). KC Rivers scored a career-high 29-points as the men in Orange defeated the Orangemen 74-70.

Talk about an easy bracket to pick
The NIT final four consists of all four, number 1 seeds. Mississippi State will face West Virginia and Clemson will face Air Force in the final four next week. I was upset that the Cougars did not get a bid for the NIT this year, I thought they deserved it. But with big names like West Virginia, Syracuse, DePaul, et. al. I can see why we got passed this year. Not to worry Maroon Nation, we will be dancing next year. (Snark: Hey WB, at least we beat Maryland the last time we went to the NCAA Tourney. Way to represent the SoCon Davidson!)

Photo of Clemson's two biggest b-ball coaches (1 from the side-lines the other from the couch) courtesy of Brick Hiers

Happy St. Patricks!

My best to all of those green-clad celebrants today on St. Patrick's Day! I don't have any Irish blessings for you (maybe I will put a few in the comments section), but I will give you a couple interesting facts. (Photo compliments of J. Trabert, taken last Friday on my way home from work)

Slainte America! Celebrating St. Patrick's Day with parades and drinking green beer is an American invention. The first St. Patrick's Day Parade was in 1762 in New York City when Irish soldiers serving in the Royal Army got a few bag-pipers together to march through the city. Irish laws forbid pubs from being open on March 17th. The "Paddy powers" finally got their act together and decided to use their patron saint to further Irish tourism and ended the ban in 1994.

Talk about a sweet investment! In 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a lease for 9,000 years on the property at St. James Gates for a whopping $70 a year.

Buzz kill: The annual cost for the "Irish Flu" in the U.S. is $148 billion, due to workers missing work and poor job performance, (source: San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center).

ACC Basketball Tournament (2007) Bracket

Clemson and Florida State meet today for the first game of the ACC Tourney at Noon on CBS (Channel 9 on Comcast).

I'll post my picks later on today, but I have Clemson barely getting by Florida State, Maryland over Miami. Duke should get by NC State and Georgia Tech beating Wake at 9:30 tonight.

Big Ten Tournament Bracket (2007)

The Big Ten Men's Basketball Tourney begins today at noon on ESPN2 with Michigan taking on Minnesota in the first game. Once again, "The Windy City" will host the tourney this year. (JPEG format of the Big 10 Tournament bracket compliments of Maize n Brew)

I'll post my picks later today, but I think you know who I am pulling for to win. Go Bucks! The game to watch though will be Game #6, Michigan State vs. Wisconsin-both teams are tough and playing "lights out" basketball.

SEC Tournament begins today!

Click here for the South Eastern Conference Bracket in PDF.

Today's SEC Basketball Tournament games

1. Bama vs Kentucky @ 1-pm: Prediction-Kentucky
2. South Carolina vs Arkansas @ 3:15-pm: : Prediction Arkansas
3. Georgia vs Auburn @ 7:30-pm: Prediction Georgia
4. LSU vs Tenn @ 9:15-pm: Prediction Tennessee
   

Big 12 Tournament Bracket

The Big 12 has a lot of tough teams, but I think Kansas is a cut above everyone else in the conference. Look for Texas and Texas Tech to put on a few great shows. Also, former Cincy coach Bob Huggins has a fantastic squad at Kansas State. They are a dangerous and formidable opponent.

The Big 12 will be played in Oklahoma City at Ford Arena. Their first game Oklahoma vs Iowa State will air on CSS (Comcast channel 42) at Noon.

The Big East Tournament Bracket (2007)

The Big East Tournament will return to Madison Square Garden for the 25th straight year. I am pulling for Georgetown to win the Big East and do well in the Big Dance. I am glad to see G-Town basketball back to the level of play when Coach John Thompson was there. I guess it took his son, John Thompson Jr to bring the Hoyas back to a team of talented excellence. Then again, it helps to have Doc Rivers' son, Jeremiah and Patrick Ewing's son, Little E-wait, we already have an athlete named "Little E", I guess we will go with Ewing Jr.

The Big East Quarterfinals will air on ESPN today: G-Town vs. Villanova at Noon and Notre Dame vs. Syracuse at 2 pm. Look for the Irish to do quite well in both the B-E Tourney and the NCAA Tourney. Big East Tourney bracket compliments of the Irish Round Table.)

Davidson still has the ugliest mascot in College Basketball!

For all of the Davidson fans that could use a Sapakoff's refresher course in FAN-101, let me begin by saying you have by far the ugliest mascot in college basketball. The Davidson Wildcat not only scares the kids, but I would be apprehensive if I saw that thing in a dark alley.

Secondly, if you feel it necessary to remove your shirt for a basketball game, you should at least paint something, anything, on your chest. Simply showing off your six chest hairs is not enough. Hell, other than the location of your seats, it was hard to know which team you were affiliated with.
If you noticed Cougar fans painted themselves maroon, with white letters. There were variations as the painted Coug Fans were numerous, but they all spelled wither "C-of-C", "C-O-U-G-S" etc. Obviously this is just advice (take it or leave it) but if you are headed to Rupp to represent your school and our conference, a little body paint would be apropos. I am not hating; I am just stating a few facts of the matter.

Post and Courier article by Andrew Miller

Click here for the Post and Courier's Andrew Miller's article about the game. The guys played their hearts out and there is still a chance at a NIT bid. It is truly remarkable what this team has accomplished this season. They went from being a 3-6 team labeled and chanted by Davidson fans during the game as being "over-rated" to becoming one of the best teams in the SoCon that reached the SoCon Finals.

(Photo from Mic Smith at the Post and Courier)

Davidson is the SoCon Champs for 2-consecutive years

Davidson will return to the Big Dance to face either Ohio State, Michigan State or Wisconsin at Rupp Arena later this month. Davidson improved to 29-4 and won their second-straight Southern Conference Championship. The College of Charleston Cougars (22-11) still have a possible bid in the National Invitational Tournament. (Photo courtesy of the Davidson basketball blog)

The game was a heart-breaker with lots of emotion on both sides. But I would be amiss to take parting shots at the Wildcats or the poor-officiating in all 3 of our games during the SoCon Tourney. As a College of Charleston graduate reared on manners and with a great level of respect for our opponents, I can only wish Davidson well in the NCAA Tournament and hope they represent the Southern Conference well.

I am taking a couple of days off, but I will post more on the blog later this week.

SoCon Championship Game: THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

Southern Conference Championship Game: The College of Charleston vs. Davidson
A win tonight against our rivals would return the Cougars to their first trip to the Big Dance since 1999! Despite Davidson holding a 7-game win streak against the Cougars, they are our biggest rivals and perhaps the College of Charleston vs. Davidson match-up is the biggest rivalry in the Southern Conference! This is the first SoCon Championship that the Cougars have played in since 2000; ironically, the same year Coach Cremins retired from Georgia Tech! (Photo courtesy of Keele)

Davidson is tough, but every team has their weaknesses. On paper, Davidson looks to have none, but we all know that Stephen Curry has foul tendencies and weak first-half starts. Jason Richards is 2nd in the nation in assists, but he has issues with the full-court press. We need to give the "Cincinnati Kid" a tough time in the paint and to prevent good looks from the parimeter. We need Josh Jackson to come out fresh and for his jump hook to drop. We need a continued gang-busting efforts from Jermaine, Philip and David! We need huge efforts by the supporting casts of subs and the Maroon Nation! Finally, we need Dontaye to maintain his level of play on both ends of the court (stopping Max Paulhaus-Gosselin and Steph Curry) and impress those NBA scouts watching the game on ESPN2!

With hometown energy the Cougars have an excellent chance to win tonight. Coach Bob McKillop will be looking for his 4th trip to the NCAA Tourney and a win tonight would give the Wildcats their wishes. I am sure he is telling his troops to concentrate on tonight's game, but they are the favorites and since they are easily beating their opponents in the SoCon Tourney, it is only human nature for them to look ahead. And that is where the Cougars who are shooting lights-out basketball will bring home a win and a trip to the Big Dance! My final advice for tonight's game is to leave it all on the court. Remember the words of Urbana, Ohio native Brown when he said while walking out of the church, "You know what they say, it is better to burn out..than to fade away!" Go Cougs!

DONTAYE, DONTAYE, DONTAYE, DONTAYE...DONTAYE!

Dontaye Draper led the Cougars with 38-points, setting a new career-high and new record for the most points scored by a Cougar in a basketball game! His 8 baskets from behind the arc tied his career-high. But our team's leader just didn't get it done on the offensive-side of the ball in his 43-minutes of play; he held App's leader DJ Thompson to 2 of 16 (Thompson scored his 2 baskets in OT).

The CofC Sports Fan's Dontaye Cheer:
All right Maroon Nation, we need to come together on the cheer for Dontaye. I am not sure if I can take credit for it because my collegiate career is still a bit fuzzy, but the boys and I did this back when we did the "Hide your love away" when Dontaye was a sophomore or junior, like I said, still a bit fuzzy. The cheer for Dontaye goes to the tune of the Olay-soccer chant, just sub in Dontaye's name for Olay. Per example: Dontaye-Dontaye-Dontaye...Dontaye...Dontaye.... Dontaye-Dontaye-Dontaye....Dontaye...Dontaye...Dontaye!

Because they need them as much as we need them...
I know that Gene Sapakoff knocked the Maroon Nation for lacking in cohesive support for our beloved Cougars, but let's prove old Gene wrong and get out to the North Charleston Coliseum to support the Cougars tonight! You could watch it from the comfort of your own home on ESPN 2, but the Cougars just might need the hometown crowd to add a little more gas in the tank to help punch our ticket to the Big Dance! Go Cougs!

Draper's stats against Appalachian State
Field Goals: 10-20
3Pts: 8-12
Rebounds: 4
Assists: 4
Total Points: 38

Davidson breezed by Furman last night 91-60

The Wildcats were led by SoCon Freshman of the Year Stephen Curry with 30-points to cruise by Furman 91-60! Curry's 6 baskets from behind the arc set a new NCAA Division 1 record for most 3-pointers in a season by a freshman @ 113. Leading the nation in assists, point-guard Jason Richards added 20-points for the Wildcats!

The Wildcats' defense shut-down Furman holding the Paladins to only 15-points in the 1st-half. Davidson shot 48.3% from the field for the game and made 21-28 from the charity-stripe. They will face the College of Charleston in tomorrow's Championship Game!

For more Davidson Basketball check out WB's Davidson basketball blog or Will Bryan's real-time blogging from the game!

The College of Charleston Wins Over Appalachian State!

The Cougars won 89-87 in OT tonight against Appalachian State and will face Davidson in the Championship Game tomorrow night at 6:00 pm! The game will air on ESPN 2.

Dontaye Draper set a new career-high and College of Charleston record of most points scored in a game with 38-points! More on this later! It is time to celebrate with the Maroon Nation!
(Photo compliments of CofC Sports.com)

Scouting Appalachian State for tonight's game

The Cougars dropped both of their games against the Mountaineers this year: @ Kresse they lost 57-68 and at App the Cougars lost 56-67. In the December 2, 2006 game, Dontaye Draper was held to 5-points all from the charity-stripe. In the last meeting between the two schools, Dontaye scored 3-points (from behind the arc) in 33-minutes of play. (Photo courtesy of SoCon Sports.com)

Draper knows that he has to shake those Mountaineer blues if the Cougars are to advance this evening to tomorrow's Championship game. If you watched the last game at Appalachian State, you are well aware that Draper was cold, but so wasn't the rest of the squad. Dontaye made great dishes, but the Cougs (shooting 34.5% from the field, 22.7% from behind the arc and 65% from the charity-stripe) couldn't get the ball to drop. Philip and Josh both ended with 12-points for the game. All Conference 3rd Team honoree, David Lawrence had 9-points and Jermaine added 6. Marcus Hammond had 4-points against App and Tony White Jr and Taurus both finished with 3-points.

Although Appalachian State's starting forward Nathan Crawford is 3-days out of practice and inflicted with a virus, the Mountaineers' bench picked up the slack last night against Western Carolina. The University of Virginia transfer, Donte Minter, scored 11-points and had 5-boards, Doug McLaughlin-Williams scored 12-points with 6-rebounds and Eduardo Bermudez added 11-points coming off the bench. With 15-points, D.J. Thompson was the only starter to score double-digits.

The Cougars have an excellent opportunity to break the 3-game losing streak the Mountaineers have imposed and can catch the Mountaineers looking past this game to the Media's darling match-up with Davidson for the SoCon Title. As Coach Cremins said, "Everyone wants to see a Davidson vs. App. State final, but we have other plans." The Cougars need a big game from Dontaye Draper tonight and even a bigger game from the big men down in the paint. If they do so, they can contain the Mountaineers and play tomorrow for a ticket to the Big Dance!

The College of Charleston advances to the Semi-Finals to face App. State tonight at 8:30 pm

For the past 6-years, Goldfinger, Mel and I have gone to the So Con Tourney only to be disappointed as our beloved Cougars fell short from attaining the ticket to the Big Dance, but this year was different. This year, the Cougars knew the stakes and they came to win! The College of Charleston's men's basketball team improved to 21-10 defeating Georgia Southern 77-66. The Eagles dropped to 15-16 for the season. The Cougars face Appalachian State tonight at 8:30 pm.

From the Den
The Cougars trailed by 7 at the half. Dontaye Draper scored 12-points in the first half, David Lawrence had 5-points, Jermaine put up 5-hard fought points and Javon Parris added three-points in the first half. Dismal to say the least. The Cougars gave up numerous easy baskets and it looked as the same dance, just a different year. (Photo from CofC Sports.com)

Keeping the Faith!
The 2nd half became a Cougar high-light reel as the College turned up the defense, the crowd became a formidable opponent as the 6th man and we all ran (7-2 @ the 16:26-mark and 10-0 at the 12-minute mark) with the Cougars. (Que Prince" "They say tomorrow '00, party on like its' 1999!) Dontaye Draper would lead the Cougars with 23-points (4-6 from behind the arc). Big Man Josh Jackson looked sluggish in the first half, but became a fierce opponent in the paint with 16-points. I almost felt bad for Salazar and his fellow wounded Eagles as Dontaye and Jermaine utilized the Lionel Richie-"All Night Long" play dishing under the basket for Jermaine's easy lay-up. Jermaine Johnson would finish with 15-points. David Lawrence looked like Reggie Miller on the floor feeding shots and putting up 12-points of his own.

The Cougars played an exciting game last night. They gave us all something to cheer about and kept our spirits alive throughout. I can only hope that more of the Maroon Nation will join us for tonight's game against App. State. Great job by the Cougars! Eagles thanks for playing!

Davidson, Furman and Appalachian State advance to the Semi-Finals

#1-seed, Davidson defeated UT-Chattanooga (15-18) by 10-points, 78-68 as Jason Richards and SoCon Rookie of the Year, Stephen Curry put 20-points on the board to give the Wildcats a chance to be in it to win it. The Wildcats improve their season to 27-4 and face the Furman Paladins tonight at 6pm.

The Furman Paladins improved to 15-15 beating UNC-Greensboro by 2-points, 73-71 last night. Robby Bostain scored 18-points and Moussa Diagne added 16-points in their win over the favored Hawks. Furman will face Davidson at 6pm tonight.

#2-seed, Appalachian State Mountaineers (25-6) had a lot of help from their bench last night with Doug McLaughlin-Williams scoring 12-points, Eduardo Bergendez and Donte Minter both had 11-points during the contest. All-Conference team recipient, D.J. Thompson led the Mountaineers with 15-points. The Mountaineers will host the College of Charleston's super-powered, dynamic offense tonight at 8:30pm.

Ladies results in the SoCon Tourney!

The #5-seed, Georgia Southern Eagles defeated UNC-Greensboro 81-64 today shooting 50% from behind the arc to enter the Semi-Finals tomorrow against Western Carolina at Noon. SoCon Rookie of the year, Carolyn Whitney had 10-points in today's victory. (Photo from SoCon Sports.com)

#3-seed, Davidson defeated Wofford, 71-62, to advance to the Semi-Finals to face UT-Chattanooga tomorrow at 2:30 pm.

Scouting Georgia Southern

If you saw last week's game at Statesboro, the Cougars led at the half and kept the game close until the Eagles ran away with the game in the final minutes of the game. The Eagles are playing great basketball right now. Georgia Southern can hit the 3-ball and with guys like Diogo Salazar, they are big down below.

The Eagles main weakness is their shooting ability from the charity-stripe (60%). The Cougars missed opportunities to foul guys like Salazar (42%-shooter) instead of letting them make the easy basket. Hopefully, the Cougars have watched the tape and know what to do if the game gets dangerously close at the end.


Recon on Georgia Southern from the last game of the season: (FG, 3PT, FT, Rebs and Points)

• Diogo Salazar: #34 (5-7 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-2 FT, 6-rebounds, 11-points)
• Louis Graham: #40 (7-16 FG, 0-1 3PT, 5-8 FT, 4-rebounds, 19-points)
• Dwayne Foreman: #1 (4-8 FG, 2-2 3PT, 2-2 FT, 2-rebounds, 12-points)
• Donte Gennie (All-SoCon Team) #2 (4-14 FG, 1-5 3PT, 1-1 FT, 5-rebounds, 10-points)
• Matt Fields: #33 (5-12 FG, 0-0 3PT, 4-6 FT, 1-rebounds, 14-points)
  

Draper makes all-conference team becoming the 6th Cougar to reach this mark for two consecutive seasons!

For 14-consecutive seasons a member of the College of Charleston basketball program has earned all-conference honors. Previously, only five Cougars (Marion Busby, Thaddeous Delaney, Jody Lumpkin, Sedric Webber and Jeff Bolton) have earned this honor twice in their careers, but now Dontaye Draper can add his name to that illustrious list of former College of Charleston players, as he earned back-to-back all-Southern Conference Team honors by 10 of the SoCon coaches. (Coach Cremins is not permitted to vote for his own players.)

Draper started in 30-games this season, averaging 15.5-points, 5.3-assists and 4-rebounds per game. Coach Cremins said this season, “When Dontaye is playing to his potential that he (Draper) is probably the best point-guard he has ever coached.” And Cremins has coached a few stellar point-guards in his day. (Photo compliments of Wade Spees at the Post & Courier)

Interesting Nugget From the Post and Courier
If the College of Charleston fails to gain an NCAA Tournament or NIT bid this season, senior guard Dontaye Draper will become the first Cougar who has gone through four years in the program to miss out on postseason participation since Charleston became a full-fledged NCAA Division I member with the 1991-92 season.

North Charleston Coliseum

Here is the seating chart for the North Charleston Coliseum (Click on image for a larger version)
The Cougars are 26-8 all-time at the NCC. The College is 4-4 in SoCon Tourney play, having lost their last 4-games in the Tourney. The Cougars lost last year at the buzzer in a 65-63 decision to UT-Chattanooga in the Quarter-finals last year. CofC is 3-0 in Over-time games at the NCC and 1-0 in SoCon Tourney Over-time games.