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| March 7, 2000 |
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SoCon
Tournment from a different point of view
Defense seals the deal throughout the tourney Men come home to a championship welcome Rings, Jordans, and quality Spartans too much for women A dream accomplished SoCon
Tournment from a different point of view
Day One, Friday My first day at the Southern Conference tournament started with a wake-up call at six in the morning. Hoping three hours of sleep would be enough to sustain me for a full day of Southern Conference basketball, I stumbled out into the street in search of our vehicle for the trip: an old model Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser S. After a knockout breakfast at photography editor Nick Greenway’s, we hit the road with managing editor Mike Boteilho at the wheel. Along for the ride in addition to Boteilho, Greenway and myself was varsity sports writer Anthony Holderied. Our destination: The 2000 Mountain Dew Southern Conference Tournament
in Greenville, S.C. The Cruiser’s interior was far from luxurious but it did have a radio, which pumped out jams all three hours of the car ride. We made it to Greenville at around 11 a.m. and then split up, with Anthony and Nick going to the Bi-Lo Center to cover the men’s game against Tennessee-Chattanooga and Mike and myself going to Furman University to cover the Lady Mountaineers vs. UNCG. We didn’t fare well against the Greensboro Spartans and after the game we hurried to catch the second half of the men’s game. At that point the Mountaineers were in control with nearly a 20 point lead. The lead swelled to nearly 30 and for diehard App fans that made the trip, it got them to thinking that maybe this was our year after all. After a Tyson Patterson to Shawn Alexander alley-oop and a Josh Shehan gorilla dunk, the game was over and the next game between Georgia Southern and Furman was underway. Furman, being the home team due to location, outhustled and outshot the Eagles and took the win, earning them a match with the Mountaineers. After a extra greasy trip to the Greenville Burger King, the newspaper group chilled until the second biggest event of the day: Davidson vs. Wofford. The first game of the nightcap was Charleston against ETSU and the Cougars had little trouble. I think that it’s a general consensus now that every Southern Conference fan regardless of school hates Davidson, and a united base of fans cheered that night to see the Wildcats lose to the dark horse Terriers. It seemed that every non-Davidson fan jumped onto the Wofford Terriers bandwagon and Wofford delivered quite a performance. The tag team combination of Wofford’s Ian Chadwick and Starzee Walker ignited the crowd. A last second jumper by Chadwick sending the shell-shocked Wildcats home further added to the energy in Bi-Lo Center that night. A full day of tourney basketball and “dirty” food was too much for us
and we crashed as soon as we got back to the hotel room.
Day Two, Saturday On the second day of the tournament the wear and tear of a full day on Friday caught up to me and I fell hard in the shower. I suffered a bruise and major embarrassment but quickly moved on, knowing the Apps were taking on Furman at noon. I wasn’t too impressed with Greenville. It seemed to me that the IHOPs and Waffle Houses seemed to outnumber anything else by a two to one margin. Then again, we were confined to a smaller region of Greenville because of the games. The first half of the game proved to me why Furman had beat Georgia Southern: they’re good. They jumped on the unsuspecting Mountaineers and led throughout the
first half. Our team played okay but we couldn’t seem to stop Furman’s
shots from hitting nothing but net.
The Furman Paladins had just taken a six point lead with around two minutes left in the game and the Mountaineers were on the edge of elimination. With everyone thinking ASU was done, including Anthony and Mike, the Apps placed the rest of the tournament on Tyson Patterson’s small shoulders and defeated the Paladins. I think the Furman fans were just as shocked as the App fans and Appalachian was set to square off against either Charleston or Wofford in the final. I indulged myself with a $3 dollar hotdog and a $2 dollar cup of fries as my victory feast, and got set to watch Charleston against Wofford. After two exciting wins in the tournament, the Terriers bowed out to the Cougars, but not without a fight. The Wofford Terriers’ play in the 2000 tournament left me convinced that they’d be tough to beat next year. After another late night trip to IHOP, the crew crashed around 3 a.m.
to prepare for the chance of the Mountaineers winning their first tournament
since 1979 and a trip to the big dance.
Day 3, Sunday. Southern Conference Tournament Championship We got there early to try to get good seats. I was the only member of the group to not have a press pass, meaning that I needed to sit in the stands as opposed to press row. The stands were more exciting anyway and I sat about five rows back from the floor. Sure enough, Charleston had stocked the place full of fans. We had plenty
of Mountaineer fans but not as many as Cougar fans. We hoped this wouldn’t
be a major factor in the game.
The excitement was building during warm-ups and culminated at tip-off into a frenzy of cheers and Charleston boos. It seemed like every possession was critical and each basket scored appeared to be the greatest in ASU history. The fans fueled each other and the team because we were flat out loud. I sat next to fellow Mountaineer and Appalachian sports writer Brian Meadows and several Maniacs. We yelled the whole game. For those of us who suffered last year when Charleston had taken us out in the final game, this year was even more important in terms of revenge. The game was played evenly with neither team being able to seize the momentum, which made the situation even more nerve-wracking. Coach Buzz Peterson’s technical foul seemed to be a dagger to the heart for us Appalachian fans because, as we saw it, Shawn Alexander did not commit a charge. But once again, Tyson Patterson brought us back. His lay-up over Charleston’s mammoth Jody “Lumpy” Lumpkin seemed to seize the championship for us and seal defeat for Charleston. The Mountaineers won the game with a double-digit lead but that was a misleading figure, it was far closer. At the final buzzer everyone having anything to do with Appalachian State celebrated, fans, players and especially journalists. The sheer joy was truly incredible. As the players and coaching staff proceeded to cut down the nets, I couldn’t help but feel that this could be the biggest achievement for the Mountaineers I’ll be able to witness in my four years. After Anthony and Mike had conducted their interviews, we piled back into the Cruiser and headed back to Boone. My best moment as a Mountaineer may still be in the future, but
for all the seniors and people who’ve waited 21 years for this to happen,
it’s a great feeling to be number one.
Defense
seals the deal throughout the tourney
The old saying goes offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships. And after watching the Southern Conference tournament, that saying still holds true. After the Apps dismantled the Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs, the Georgia Southern Eagles took the court against the upstart and home court Paladins, who were 11-0 at the BI-LO Center court. Even though the Eagles soared all over the place, good defense by Karim Souchu and Guilherme Da Luz sent the second seed Eagles home with a lot of dejection and unanswered questions for Southern Conference media coach of the year Jeff Price. “I think everyone knew Furman was playing well right now and that they were coming to the top of their game,” said Price. The top of their game was not supposed to be a strong defensive team, but tournament games bring out the best in teams. The nightcap brought on a strong defensive performance by Wofford, who
came back from a 10-point deficit with strong defense and key shots from
Starzee Walker. Although strong defensive outputs were done by many teams, it was the Appalachian State Mountaineers and their strong hold on defense that finally made the final bell toll. The defense not only smothered College of Charleston, but they shut down the Furman Paladins during the final two plus minutes to even get a chance at the championship game. Our offense might have been the focal point of this newspaper and column
all season, but when it came down to crunch time it was strong defense
by Cedrick Holmes, Matt McMahon, Tyson Patterson, Shawn Alexander and the
rest of the team to seal the deal for the Mountaineers.
Men
come home to a championship welcome
Sunday night, coach Buzz Peterson pumped his fist in the air as he two-stepped off the Southern Conference Champion ASU men’s basketball team bus to a crowd of several hundred screaming fans. “I’ll do my dance,” said Peterson to the crowd that gathered to celebrate the team’s Southern Conference championship and subsequent bid to the NCAA basketball tournament, the Big Dance. Students and faculty were on hand to cheer outside Varsity Gym at 9 p.m., with the varsity cheerleaders and the pep band on hand to pump them up, maintaining the energy level that was in Greenville, S.C., where ASU defeated College of Charleston 68-56 for their first NCAA bid since 1979. “Anybody who was there, they know,” said cheerleader Rob Linquist about the excitement level of the victory in Greenville. As the team bus pulled in, escorted by fire trucks and police cruisers in full sirens down Rivers Street, that same buzz of victory passed over the crowd, their volume rising to a level that would rival one ever heard within the nearby gym. “You’ve been with us through thick and thin, and now we’re going to celebrate our win,” said tournament most valuable player Tyson Patterson, wearing the basketball net cut down from the goal in Greenville around his neck. “It feels good to see (you) all out here,” he said, raising his hand, fingers still taped from the game. The crowd proceeded inside Varsity Gym, where the team danced at the halfcourt circle with the championship plaque. Peterson took court and told the surrounding audience, “Thanks for all your support, this is your team,” and that the win spurned from, “Not coaching, but players making plays.” “Now they’ll know how to say Appalachian,” said Peterson, before stepping down to let Rufus Leach, Cedrick Holmes, Tyson Patterson and Matt McMahon say their thank-you’s and celebrate before an enthused crowd on the basketball floor. Appalachian Chancellor Francis T. Borkowski was on hand to take part in the jovial atmosphere. “They (the basketball team) represent the best of the university,” said Borkowski to the crowd. He also commented in an interview that the NCAA bid will “enhance the visibility of the university and ... generate an enthusiastic spirit,” hoping that, “people will find out about Appalachian and what is positive about this university.” Peterson and the team members stayed in the gym, shaking hands and hugging friends and family as the band played on. What is next on the agenda for the Mountaineers? “We are going to enjoy the moment for the next few days,” said Peterson. “I’m going to spend time with my family and we’re going to begin working again on Wednesday.” “I want to see the campus and community host a major event for the selection show,” said Peterson, where he believes that the team will get seeded anywhere from 13 to 15. “It’s a special time for all of us here.” “And now they’ll know how to pronounce ‘Appalachian State’,” he said.
Rings,
Jordans, and quality
Now that the tournament is over and the net is cut down, up next for the Mountaineers are Southern Conference Tournament championship rings and brand new shoes for the team. “I don’t know my ring size yet,” said Cedrick Holmes, “this next ring we get is going to be upgrade, upgrade from the last one. Oh, and we’re going to get some new shoes too. As soon as we get back to Boone, I am going to Winston tomorrow and get some shoes.” Senior guard Matt McMahon also had some of the same sentiments as his fellow teammate. “Hopefully we will get some nice new Jordans to wear to the big dance, but it is hard to put into words how great this feels,” said McMahon. “This ring has to be the best one that we have gotten so far, we have really done a great job earning this one. Coach (Lavell) Hall is going to do a great job designing it.” Appalachian State University head coach Buzz Peterson is also concerned about the wardrobe heading into the tournament. “Everyti tie I go to Chicago I get a pair of dress shoes (from Jordan), and these ones, I keep breaking my tassel on them and today, I broke my tassel again,” said Peterson. “He (Jordan) needs to start buying some better quality shoes, these darn things are cheap, so I have to go back to Chicago and get me a better, nicer pair of dress shoes.” Whatever happens with shoes, or rings, this team earned whatever they
get.
Spartans
too much for women
The Appalachian State University Lady Mountaineers found out Friday that the UNC Greensboro Lady Spartans were on a mission, and stage one of that mission was eliminating the streaking Lady Mountaineers 92-75 in front of 443 fans at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C. ASU guard Karma Edwards led the Lady Mountaineers with 22 points and 10 rebounds, but that was not enough, as UNCG forward Brianne Dodgen scored a career high 33 points. Dodgen, the most valuable player of the tournament, also put in 32 points on Saturday to slay the mighty and number one seed Tennessee-Chatanooga Lady Mocs. UNCG eventually lost to Furman in the championship game 68-49. Althought the loss ended the season for the Lady Apps, they have nothing to hang their heads about. Throughout injury and adversity, the Lady Apps battled through it all to gain a respectable 13-15 record, while going 9-9 in the Southern Conference. Expectations should be high next year as Karma Edwards, Natasha Lettsome, Jamie Gagliano and Jaymi Wilson all return to try to recapture the Southern Conference crown. Congratulations need to go out to Appalachian State University Lady
Mountaineer head coach Barbie Breedlove, her coaching staff, and
the rest of the 1999-2000 Lady Mountaineers on an exciting and memorable
season.
A
dream accomplished
“Finally,” said Tyson Patterson as the final seconds ticked off the BI-LO Center scoreboard, as hugs and celebrations began in section 101 where many of the Appalachian State fans sat for the championship game. “We are very excited about going to the NCAA tournament,” said coach
Buzz Peterson, “we were denied for the last two years and to get there
we are extremely pleased and satisfied.”
“Cedrick did a tremendous job,” said Peterson, “he did a good job on
Lumpkin and when (Leighton) Bowie came with a pick, Ced did a nice job
getting around it and to Lumpkin.” A critical point in the first half was when Davis picked up his second
foul, and with Cooper sitting on the bench resting, coach Buzz Peterson
decided to put in his freshman center Shehan.
Shehan showed the crowd that he really lives up to his tattoo that says “Showtime.” “They told me that Lumpkin was the best player in the conference and I had to go out there and let him know that I could play and I wasn’t going to give him anything easy,” said Shehan.“The offense runs through Lumpkin, so if we can shut him down, the whole team shuts down.” Throughout the second half, the Mountaineers looked like the stronger,
more experienced ball club, as they went on their late run, while the younger
Cougars wilted under the pressure.
Refutably, this was the greatest and most exciting game for the Mountaineer fans, both young and old. Let’s enjoy this one for a while, since we do not go dancing for another
two weeks.
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