COVER STORY
Jaquars Take Another SWAC ? ?
Championship From Jackson State
It is not hard to figure out what
SWAC stands for.
Just ask anyone of the 5,995 fans
that attended the conference tourna
ment championship game at the
Riverside Centroplex in downtown
Baton Rouge.
The initials SWAC, which offi
cially stand for Southwestern Athlet
* ? ic Conference, could easily be mis
taken for Southern Wins Another
Championship.
Since taking over the faltering
Southern basketball program seven
years ago, Ben Jobe has produced
four conference tournament rhampi
onships.
Its latest victim was highly-pub
licized Jackson State.
The Runnin' Gunnin' Jaguars
kicked its up-tempo game into full
gear to upset Jackson State 101-80 in
the championship game to earn the
conference's automatic bid into the
stopped ^JSLTs nation's longest win
ning streak at 16 games in Baton
Rouge. This time the prize was a lot
bigger.
The winner earned the No. 13
seed in the NCAA West Regional.
"I'm surprised we beat them by
20 points," said Jobe, whose team
had beaten its last six opponents by
an average of 26 points. "This is
probably the most rewarding for me.
When you come down to the end of
your career they mean a little more."
. Although JSU won the regular
season championship and received
much praised ffom p tough non-con^
ference schedule which included
close losses to Kansas, Memphis
State and Illinois and an upset win at
Tulane, Southern was pre-season
favorite.
Every team that beat the Tigers
this season made it to the NCAA
Tournament.
" I'm surprised we beat them by 20
points, This is probably the most
rewarding for me
? Jobe
Big Dance.
Before packing his bags for Tuc
son, Ariz., and a First round NCAA
Tournament game with Atlantic
Coast Conference champions Geor
gia Tech, Southern guard Terry
phone call to make.
Thames, who sparked the
Jaguars with 33 points 1 1 -of- 1 8
shooting, wanted to call his father,
Eddie Payton, a former star running
back in the NFL and at Jackson
State, to do some bragging. Payton is
also the golf coach at JSU.
"I just wanted to tell him that I
didn't make the wrong decision by
coming to Southern," said Thames.
"He always says he roots for me, but
pulls for Jackson State.**
Earlier this season Southern
"We are disappointed because
we had a chance to win," JSU coach
Andy Stoglin said. "Our No. 1 goal
all season was to go to the NCAA
Tournament. This was a very good
season, and I'm going to keep
-reminding the team of that."
Southern had five players to
score in double figures along with
Thames. Torrence Williams, a for
mer walk-on, scored 16 points and
grabbed 19 rebounds.
The 6-foot-7 senior had the best
three days of his brief basketball
career in the SWAC tournament.
Williams made second team all-tour
nament after averaging 1 1 .6 points
and 12.6 rebounds.
By Derrick Ma hone
w/
*
A happy Jaquar cuts the ntta afier victory.