Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / March 12, 1981, edition 1 / Page 9
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
BY BILL JOHNSON IF YOU ASK ME! .. Religion would probably have more con verts if it didn t interfere with the way some people live. Almost everyone knew it was bound to happen. I’m speaking, of course, of the success (or failure as some would have you to believe) of Robert Moore, the young fellow who has done such a great job as head basketball coach at Johnson C. Smith University. i Success generally begets criticism. Just as he has done on the basketball courts. Moore has been getting far more criticism than he deserves. His efforts have been praiseworthy. His personality is more than pleasing and he has gone out of his way to work with those who appear interested in helping his program. In short, Moore has been God-sent. / He has brought the Johnson C. Smith basketball program out of the doldrum of dispair to a level of respectability that has the excitement in this town at one of its"' highest peaks since Morgana, the gal with the over-endowed upper torso who left town some years back. Yet he’s not without criticism. His critics would have you t® believe that Bob is an immature mgir" who does not have the capabilities to win the so-called “big -games^LThev seem to havP fnrgPffPn the position of the program before Moore took over. They also overlook the fact that Bob is a winner, and winners seldom take a setback lightly. We tend to sympathize with Moore because, in our opinion, he has been tossed into a no-win situation, one in which he’s going to be “darned if he does and damned if he doesn’t.” Some critics have placed Moore in the same bed of unproductivity with Lefty Driesell, the highly .volatile coach at the University of Maryland. If you check the records, both have done quite well in their chosen fields and it’s a great honor to be considered in the company of a man who has won better than 70 percent of his games. Bob is not doing bad himself, Moore’s critics disregard the fact that it takes money to run a first class athletic program. Consequently, if they really wanted him to win the so-called “big games,” they’d dig deep down in their pockets and come up with enough cash to employ two top assistants. Bob is one of the few coaches in the game who stiiLsingle- - handedly carries the responsibilities of co^hing, recruiting and classroom teach ing He needs professional help! If we are'going to rate him in a class with Lefty let's provide for him the same budget that Lefty uses to operate his program. And let’s do him an even bigger favor by paying hiip the same salary Lefty earns. jne omer siae oi me ledger. Let s check the records and determine how many teams in college basketball won 18 of 26 games this past season. I think you’d find Moore and his Bulls in the top 25 percent bracket. Let’s check to see how many teams had two all-conference players on their squads. Johnson C. Smith did. It should have had three, but as fate would have it, Bill Tibbs was a late bloomer aTteFIr painful injury that sidelined him for the year before. Let’s check to see how many teams won • conference championships. The Golden Bulls should be proud to wear the banner as the Southern Division champions of the CIAA. Few teams were so privileged. Let’s Check to see which college team has the second best attendance record for games played at the Charlotte Coliseum this season. You’ll find J. C. Smith holding that honor. * In short, there’s lots we can brag about. Moore’s team’s accomplishments were nu merous. Rather than spend the spring and summer months talking about a missed call or a coach’s decision we disagreed with, let’s be proud of what Moore has accom plished. The Post again urged the booster club concept. Moore needs someone to turn to when he’s in need. As of this moment, he has no such luxury. rather strange to me to hear of a man being criticized who has to endure all of the problems that Moore encountered during the current basketball season. How many coaches have to ride buses that break down on trips? How many coaches have to stay in second class hotels and motels when their assignments take them away from their home and family? Bob Moore, I would imagine, is the type of man who knows that he’s going to be criticized as he climbs the ladder to success. He’s well aware that the higher he climbs the more severely he’s going to be criticized. That’s part of life. Just as the critics would like for their heroes to be supermen, they should themselves use special care in making certain that they are beihg fair in their criticizing. a' It was sunny w ith cool breezes lingering - the perfect day to take advantage of sinking that ball From letl to right are Gary Pitchford, Curtis Wilson, Jim Hen shaw, Walter Colson and Robert "Phy sical Man" Martin. Odell Walker Receives “Player Of Week'' Honors !»» V * .till «' I’osl Sports Writer Garinger's march to the Southwestern 4A confer ence championship reads like fiction The Wildcats began the year with-only two experi enced players. Derrick Knox and Ibis wi...fc's I’lnv er of the Week Odell Walker . But under new coach Bruce Kreutzer. they re bounded and won It; games and lost t», winning 11 ol their last 13 games. Entering the tournament as the fourth seeded, they beat North Mecklenburg. West Charlotte and Inde pendence. In the last two games, they had to come from behind to do it. As Independence built up a 22-4 lead in the .first i quarter. Odell Walker watched from the bench. We've come too far to lose this way." he thought. They are not that much better than us." "We were' comfortable on the bench, at the end of the quarter." said Walker, ~Li: 11 1 “d"h"il them and plotted how we would get back into the game pa tientl\ ' Walker contributed 11 points ui_ the second quart er to the come-back effort as Garinger pulled to with in Six at the half. Ho finished with a game high 2!t and was named as the Southwestern 4A Con ference's tournament most valuable player. Walker is one of two ('harlotte area players that are being recruited "bv L'NCC. "Odell Walker and Eric Boyd are both top notch division one prospects," said UNCC coach Mike Pratt. “We are recruting them both Thev would be guards in college and both have the abilities." BINGO Tuesday & Wednesday 7 pm Hwy. 74 (11 miles toward Monroe) Big Sign On Right M\ Games. J25°° J MPoi S.O.C. Lodge No. 53 - — _535-3456 Charles McCullough Named Prep “Coach Of The Year” ncau cuacn cnaries Me Cullough, who led the Wes Charlotte Lions to a 20-: record and a regular sea son title in the conferenci is the 1981 Charlotte Pos “Coach of the Year.” His understudy - dy namic, sizzling Frank Hen derson, is the 1981 Char lotte Post Basketball "Player of the Year." Frank with a 26 points per game average and a 7 rebounds per game aver age is a player who can do it all. Seen frequently fol lowing his shots to the basket, he dominated play when he was in the game this season. The 6-2 for ward leads the first team All-County Team. Hounding out the first Charles McCullough .. Outstanding coach team au county team are East Mecklenburg's War ren Wallace, who scored 25 points and 7 rebounds per game. Garinger's Odell Walker, who aver aged 20 points per game. (la* Manned For J\on-S\vTinn*rs a swimming class lor adult non-swimmers is be ing offered at the Univers ity of North Carolina at Charlotte Wednesdays and Fridays. March 25 through April 25, _Designed for post-high school adults who Have never learned to swim, the class will meet from 4-5 p m. in UNCC’s swimming .pool. The instructor is Chuck Humble, a member of UNCC’s Department of Health and Physical Edu cation faculty and a qua lified water safety instruc -tor-The cost is-$35 Participants will learn how to relax, float and swim some Dasic strokes. Some take longer than others to learn, so the en rollment is being kept low for maximum individual help from the instructor For registration and other information, contact tfNCC** -Office ■fort-ontinu ing Education and Exten sion at 597-2424 from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. weekdays. Garinger's Derrick Knox, w ho averaged 21 points and 8 rebounds per game, and Eric Boyd of Indepen dence. who averaged 19.9 points and 7 assists per game Heading the second team are West Charlotte's Mike Medley. Chris Brown ol Olympic. Derrick Floyd ol Olympic. Baron Odom ol Independence, and Andrew Gillespie of Myers Park Honorable mention goes to Sanford Tillman of Myers Park, Bradley Leak of North Mecklenburg. Mel Wallace of Olympic. Dennis McClain of West Charlotte. Keith Bowers of Charlotte Catholic. Virgil Hoover of Charlotte Catho lic. Aaron Plummer of West Charlotte. Wayne Lattimore of West Meck lenburg. Robert Abbot of West Mecklenburg.- John Carmichael of West Char lotte. Tony Helton of In dependence. Raymond Phillips of North. Terrence Miller of North. Wendell Similton of South. Geoffrey Crosby of South. Kenny -Davis of South. Reggie ... Moses of West Charlotte and Henri Smith of West Charlotte. ATTENTION - ALL WOMEN! Let Poly-24 Finish Your Floors All Your Floors W ill Shine Lor 24 Months ((Guaranteed). V> More W ax linild-l /> More Hark Breaking W ork SPECIAL 20% OFF TOTAL LOST W ill He Donated To )<mr (.linn'll or Organization ('.all Today For Free Estimate Introducing the new More than just a pretty car. The 1981 Monte Carlo does a lot more than turn heads. It is a per sonal car as individual as you are. But keep in mind it's a car engi neered to exist in a world of hard facts. The entire underbody is sprayed with undercoatings and the body literally bathed in rust-resistant primers. Power steering, power brakes and automatic transmission...plus the new GM Computer Command Control System that continuously monitors engine performance are all standard equipment for 1981. All this and more wrapped up in one of the most beautiful pack ages to come out of Detroit this year and a tasteful, comfortable, superbly organized interior is also standard. In your new Monte Carlo every one's in for a great ride. So remem ber, when you buy this 1981 Monte Carlo, you're buying a lot more - than just a pretty car. The 1981 Monte Carlo. A matter of personal pride. jeSBKsf Manufacturw’t Meant* No 110 1
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 12, 1981, edition 1
9
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75