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1B ®I)e Cljarlotte ^osit SPORTS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1997 Mason’s jarring impact a plus to Hornets PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS III Anthony Mason has been a major reason for the Charlotte Hornets’ success this season. Herbert L. White Game has less to love The NBA is celebrating its 50th anniversary, but the party sure feels like its running down. Frankly, pro basketball is becoming boring, an unwelcome turn for the Game of the “OOs. Outside of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ run for anoth er championship, there’s not a whole lot of suspense in the league, where points are becom ing harder to come by than a patch of black on Dennis Rodman’s head. The NBA has loads of talent, but precious few teams that ordinary fans could pull for, the result of marketing personalities rather than the product. 'Today’s NBA is Hollywood, built on flash and skywalking. The NFL, America’s top team sport, is ancient Rome, blood, guts and wiimer-take-all. Unlike the late ‘70s when pro basketball was deemed too “street” - read black - for main stream tastes, the ‘90s game has earned acceptance from Main Street and Madison Avenue aUke. Kids and adults from Beverly Hills to Butte can iden tify the NBA’s biggest stars, the key ingredient in major league paydays on and off the court. But there’s a trend that the NBA’s honchos should take seri ously. The product is slipping, mainly because of a lack of fun damentals and selfishness. Passing and shooting are all but forgotten arts. No one seems capable of putting the ball into the hoop on a consistent basis, which means more 80-76 scores. That’s fine for college kids who play 40 minutes and get paid in meal money and the occasional Lexus. But that’s horrible for ^ys who work an extra eight minutes and are paid better than some countries. Pick and roll? Must be a new dance step if you check out the way some offenses operate these days. Speaking of kids, don’t look for the recent wave of high school kids jumping to the NBA to stop any time soon. You can’t blame the youngsters - every 18-year- old would love to have this kind of gig. But it takes time to devel op talent, and that includes players who leave college early. Basketball hasn’t gotten a han dle on how to do that yet, and it shows on the floor. OK, Kevin Garnett is a keeper, but so was Moses Malone 25 years ago. But what about everybody else? Jury’s out and deUberations will take a while. Meanwhile, the paying cus tomers are starting to get turned off. Tfelevision ratings are down after years of steady climbing and the game’s ambassadors are getting older, creating a yacuum going into the future. After the likes of Jordan, Karl Malone and Scottie Pippen leaye, who’s left? Let’s see. Shaqirille O’Neal, See NBA on page 3B By Karl Petraroja FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST The Charlotte Hornets made some big moyes in the off-sea son. They added 6-10 head coach Daye Cowens from the San Antonio Spirrs and 7-1 center Vlade Diyac from the Los Angeles Lakers, but neither has had the impact that 6-7 power forward Anthony Mason brought from the New York Knicks. Mason’s contributions on the court haye been huge: 16.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. He also plays with the attitude that there are no off-nights. Cowens smiles when he’s asked him what “Mase” means to the Hornets, especially after a recent hard fought home victory over Minnesota. “Mase just went to work, did his typical warrior routine, miss a shot, get a rebound and get to tlie line and just muscle people aroimd, which he’s good at,” Cowens said. Mason brings that same inten sity, fire and dedication to every game, even when he’s bothered by a sprained toe on his left foot, which finally forced him to miss two games. By playing so hard every game. Mason’s improved his teammates’ intensity. All this while averaging an NBA-high 43.5 minutes a game. Mason just shrugs off compliments that his teammates use his work ethic as inspiration. “That’s what I said I wanted to bring here but you got to give credit to the character of this team to pick it up real quick and to show the perseverance and toughness that they picked up very quickly,” he said. “They didn’t want to lose. 'They wanted to lose the stigma of being soft, they wanted to become a great defensive team and they did it.” Mason’s teammates appreciate what he’s meant to the team, not only on the court but also in the locker room. Observers won dered who would take over the leadership role on the Hornets Strength of ‘Wisdom’ JCSU assistant coach has ties to basketball’s origins By Herbert L. White THE CHARLOTTE POST W elcome Moten has seen a lot of basketball over the last 50 years. Moten, an assistant coach at Johnson C. Smith, is a direct descendant of the sport’s founders and innovators. He was a guard on the 1946 N.C. Central squad that won the first CIAA basketball tournament. His coach was the legendary John B. McClendon, founder of the CIAA tournament and a pupil of the sport’s inventor, James B. Naismith. “I played for coach McClendon,” who also invented the Four Comers offense and later coached in the now-defunct ABA, Moten said. “He brought me here from Kansas City, Missouri and they put the whole team in the (CIAA) hall of fame two years ago.” Since those days at Central, Moten has dedicated his life to helping others learn the game, as well as what comes after it. His nuggets of knowledge has gained him a nickname. “They call me Wisdom due to the fact I try to give the players direction, not only from basket ball,” Moten said. “Basketball brought you here (and) it’s good to see your name in the paper, but your main objective is to see your name on a piece of paper. That’s what I try to impress on them, what it takes to be a champion. I try to give them direction.” Moten’s been giving directions to Golden Bulls athletes since he was an assistant in the 1960s. As an assistant coach to Joe Alston, he worked with current Smith men’s basketball coach Steve Joyner, who was the start ing point guard. The two have built a close personal and profes sional relationship over the years. “Tm a little closer to coach See MOTEN on page 3B PHOTO/WADE NASH Welcome Moten (sitting) has been a mainstay on Johnson C. Smith’s bench. once Larry Johnson left. There’s been more than one leader, including All-Star MVP Glen Rice, but Rice is quick to give Mason credit for helping mold the team into a tough defensive-oriented unit, then keeping it together. “He’s been a leader,” Rice said. “I think his presence on the defensive end has definitely been a big plus for this team and with his type of attitude it’s been rubbing off on everyone else and it’s made us a much better See MASON page 3B Pats - Lions Part n By Eric James Bozeman FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST It will be the showdown part n, when West Charlotte faces Independence in boys high school basketball. The 20-0 Lions are want to head into the playoffs confident- they can handle the pressure the 17-2 Patriots win provide on the February 21st match up. “They hke to go up and down the floor just like us,” said West Charlotte Head Coach Gosnell White. “I think that’s a plus for both teams. Hopefully we can limit their scoring with good transition defense.” The main weapon the Lions will have to contend with is Independence’s Scott Lilly. Last year’s Southwestern 4A Player of the Year will no doubt give West Charlotte fits from the perimeter. West Charlotte senior guard Steve Joyner knows first hand about the fire power Independence has. “When you think about Independence, you think about Scott Lilly, but you have to think about the weapons like Tiicker, Lloyd, and Thomas,” Joyner said. ‘Yes he is an excellent player, he’s the kind of player that can turn a game around,” White added. “And you want to focus on Scott, but you really can’t because some of those other guys can beat you just as well.” In the fet meeting between to two powerhouses. West Charlotte won 76-67 in over time. It was a game that saw the Patriots refuse to go quietly. “We just spread the floor and we hit a three with seventeen seconds, then they came dovm and missed a three, but they got the rebound and Tbny Barrett nailed a three finm deep,” White said. “It was a pressure packed game to stay in the conference race.” The second time around should be pretty much the same. Shipp, Lloyd look forward to college By Karl Petraroja FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST 'Two of the finest athletes to play high school football in Charlotte had their big day in the sun last week, declaring their college choices and hoping their football careers con tinue to Parade All-American receiv er, Steve Shipp of West Charlotte kept the crowd of 150 guessing at his national signing day press con- f e r e n c e . After months of speculation, he pulled out a Florida Gators baseball cap and said, “I want to be a Gator one day baby and it’s today.” See RECRUITS on page 3B Lloyd J.C. Smith signs four prospects By Herbert L. White THE CHARLOTTE POST Haji Kromah is the kind of football player Johnson C. Smith is looking for. Kromah, a quarterback from West Charlotte High, is a local player that coach Daryl McNeill feels is necessary to build a win ner and put fans in the stands. After years of watching Carohnas schools dip liberally from Charlotte’s talent pool. Smith is trying to keep more high school standouts home. “We need to create a fan base and the best way to do that is to have players from the Charlotte area,” he said. “We know Charlotte kids definitely have the talent to play on this level.” Last season’s 7-3 team includ ed only one Charlotte player. West Mecklenburg’s Dontae Henderson, but McNeill said Smith is waiting on ‘Tour or five” local commitments. Kromah, who saw limited action as back up to highly-regarded Keith Matkins, is a good athlete who is equally adept at passing and running. Kromah will compete with senior Charles Young, last season’s starter, and junior col lege transfer Keith Mack. McNeill, who led the Bulls to a 5-3 CIAA record and fourth- place conference finish, is con centrating on recruiting defen sive help, especially in the sec ondary. Smith signed Harry Hartwell, a running back/defen sive back from Concord High; East Forsyth High’s Keith Perry, a defensive back; and linebacker Karel James from Lakewood High in Sumter, S.C., to rebuild a defense that was the CIAA’s best in fewest yards and points allowed. “We know we have some spots to fill defensively,” McNeill said. “Those are the top areas we need to fill.” The secondary, which gradu ates three starters, needs an immedrate boost, as does the linebacker corps, which lost top tacklers Shawn Preston and Larcoy McRae. Although there are experienced players who are expected to compete for those spots, there’s the possibility that McNeill will go the junior college route for reinforcements. “We’re in the process of filling those positions as you go,” See JCSU on page 3B
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Feb. 13, 1997, edition 1
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