Sports
BASKETBALL FEVER
B5
PI
Photo by T-Lee
William Antrum soars skyward for two of his 17 points against Paine last Satruday night.
Are the Rams legitimate title
contenders this time around?
By CRAIG T GREENLEE
Chronicle Sports Editor
The basketball season is still
young and Winston-Salem State
is over the .500 mark. But that's
hardly a major surprise.
However, the next few days
should provide plenty of answers
as to whether or not the Rams
will be legitimate contenders in
the CIAA this winter.
Based on Winston's two
convincing wins in last week
end's Thanksgiving Classic (71
61 over Bowie State and 81-50
vs. Paine College), it appears
that WSSU has the necessary
pieces to make a serious run at
the top spot.
Rams' coach Clarencc "Big
house' Gaines, however, isn't
ready to admit outright that his
present team is championship
material.
"Our defense has
improved," Gaines said. "But
that's hard to measure because
the teams we play over the next
week will be much stronger than
the ones we played last weekend.
Those teams will be physically
bigger, so we'll have to outquick
them and play consistent
defense."
The next few days wilj^pro
vide the Rams with an early sea
son acid test. They hosted Vir
ginia Union last night and will
travel to play Norfolk State on
Saturday. The four game swing
ends next Thursday with a road
game vs. St Paul's.
"Those games will tell us a
lot," Gaines admits. "In that time
frame, we play the strongest
teams in the Northern Division.
It won t get any tougher. I'd like
to finish in front and even win all
four games. But it's quite possi
ble that we could win three of the
four."
The chances of the Rams
coming out on top in that four
game set depends on how much
group help they get at both ends
of the floor. In the Classic, it was
refreshing to discover that power
forward Jonathan Hardin (21.3
ppg, 8.3 rpg) won't always have
to be the one guy tocarry the
offensive load *11 by himself.
In the championship vs.
Paine, for example, Hardin was
the lead man with 18 points, but
William Antrum came off the
bench to fire in 17 points. In the
meantime, James Doggett (12
points) and Vernon Redmond (10
points) came through with timcl\
contribuuons of their own.
Please see pa%e B7
Black college challenge
set for weekend tip-off 2
By Chronicle Staff
College roundball takes
center stage tomorrow and Satur
day with the first annual Black
College Basketball Challenge at
the Greensboro Coliseum.
The Challenge will
provide fans with an early
season view of some of
the top teams in the black
college ranks. The two
day affair features teams
representing each of the
four historically black
college athletic confer
ences ? Southwestern
Athletic Conference, Mid
Eastero Athletic Confer
ence, Southern Intercolle
giate Athletic Conference,
and Central Intercolle
giate Athletic Associa
tion.
The Black College
Easketb?IlXhallenge is^
being produced by Focus
Marketing, the company
that also produces Black
College Sports Today , a
weekly television, show
^hat appears on ESPN.
Round I
First round action
begins tomorrow with a 7
p.m. game pitting Albany
State against North Car
olina Central. , x
Albany won the SI AC 'S
Eastern Region last year and
made it to the finals of the SIAC
Tournament, where they lost to
Morehouse College, a team that
made it to Division Il's Elite
Eight. Central won the C1AA
Southern Division title last sca
sou and made irto the first rotmd -
of the Division FI regionals. The
Eagles won the Division II title
in m
In the 9 p.m. nightcap, Mis
sissippi Valley State will square
off against home favorite, North
Carolina A&T in a Division I
match-up.
Valley State is picked by
many observers to win the
SWAC this season after ending
last year with a 7-7 league mark,
A&T, in the meantime, is poised
to continue their climb back to
MEAC prominence after barely
> losing to league champ Coppin
State in the conference tourna
ment finals last March.
On Saturday, the teams will
change opponents for the final
night of^ action. At 7 p.m.,
Albany tips off against Mississip
pi Valley State, while A&T and
Central renew their in-state rival- .
ry at 9 p.m.
Team profiles
Mere's a capsu.lUed look at
the teams who will compete in
the Black College Basketball
Challenge.
? North Carolina A&T ?
The once dominant Aggies hit
the skids in recent years after rul
ing the MEAC roost last decade.
But it now appears that the
Agjjfe* arc back to reclaim their
former glory. Everybody that
played on last year's surprising
tournament team is back and
ready to prove that last March
was no fluke,
Dana Elliot and Colin Spady
are very dependable performers
in the paint. But 6-9 pivotman
Chris Johnson has shown that he
Is likely to be a presence for
A&T during the 490-'91 cam
? paign.
All-star performer Glenn
Taggart returns to his is natural
position at shooting guard after
playing the point la.<t year. Win
ston Williams is slated to replace
Taggart as the Aggies* tri gger
A Challenging Field
. ? ...?
TOMORROW
7 p.m.
Albany State
vs.
North Carolina Central
9p.m.
Mississippi Valley State
vs.
North Carolina A&T
SATURDAY
7 p.m.
Albany State
... . . ? - vs. ?- ? t*? ? ?
Mississippi Valley State ::
9 p.m.
. .. North Carolina Central
vs.
North Carolina A&T ? =
For ticket information, cali Focus Marketing
(919/230-1996) or the Greensboro Colise
um (919/373-7400).' \:
V
book on fire last season, averag
ing 29.9 ppg to lead the SWAG?
and finish as the NCAA's top :
freshman scorer. , ;
Ford gets plenty of help c
from William Townsend and . v
"Derrick Harvey who col
lecti vely averaged 25.9
ppg last season.
? North Carolina
Central ? It seems that
the Eagles will be a mys
tery team because they
have so many new faces
on the roster this time.
But while the faces
may be new; coach
Michael Bernard's game 4
plan won't change ?
meaning precision offen
sive patterns that use***
most of the shot clock***
and suffocating defense1*
designed to cause oppos-v^
~ing -offenses -to -break^
down. 1
Two transfers could
hold the key for Central.
Point guard TerreTT ' *
?,K ni g h t | East Ca ro 1 ina)'
and center Brent
Williams (Furman) are '
primed to help the Eagles
soar in the CI A A.
? Albany State ? , v
The Rams aren't expert
-.magt'-Mcj: *wi ;> . <,<?.
! Mississippi Valley
Wi&tttfE5?wKs aroireAtlV Uv!sbs>'J
jusl how sharp their pilch forks
arc this lime around. Talk about
firepower, ihis bunch has, plenty
of it in guard Alphonso Ford,
SWAC's Freshman Of The Year
last season.
") '! ' . \ , i' ) i. ?K' n.'; ??
Ford set cveiybudy'x score
cnced as they have been ' 4 '
. . in rev eni reasons. But that
dswaiViUtnean ihey< will be 'o!
piwihovdrs. : '
ASC was 2-0 as Chronicle '
Sports went to press. Four of
their starting five average in dou- ' *
ble figures scoring. Scott Jackson " 6
is the Rams top gun at 20.5 ppgf ; '
and center Reuben Harvey hasr
developed into a consistent shot J "
-blocker
r ?
'4 Photo by Max Dunhitl
. .. w j WWMI MH
A&T coach Don Corbett will have his tedtn primed to make
a strong ftjhin the MEAC title chase this season.