4B
SPORTS/The Charlotte Post
Thursday, October 2, 1997.
Livingstone moves into first
UNCC junior
brings rare quality
Continued from 1B
undefeated, but that’s very dif
ficult because we have a tough
league and we don’t have a lot
of depth. If we get the confer
ence championship, the rest of
it kind of falls into place.”
Even with the loss, Virginia
State (3-1, 1-1) coach Lou
Anderson remains defiant. The
'Trojans deserved the champi
onship, and don’t have to apolo
gize.
“Everybody’s hollering we
didn’t play them last year,” he
said. “We came in here to play.
We won’t back down from
nobody no time and nobody’s
going to win this championship
unless they go through us.
“I know it’s not over. I know
it’s not,” Anderson said. “It’s
one loss. Shoot, 7-1 will win the
championship. I’ll promise you
that. I’ll never rest until we fin
ish 7-1 in the conference. I
guarantee we won’t lose any
more.”
Although Livingstone’s
remaining schedule looks
favorable, with only N.C.
Central the most serious
threat, Abrams is cautious
when assessing the Bears’“We
just hope we can stay healthy,”
Abrams said. “For us, that’s
real important. We just can’t,
afford injuries. We just don’t
have the numbers, we don’t
have the depth.”
Scott is J.C. Smith’s workhorse
Continued from 3B
doesn’t complain, you don’t hear
him moaning and groaning. He
knows he has a young offensive
line in fiunt of him. He’s a fine
young man.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s 11 guys
on the line, if we run a certain
play an everybody does their job,
it should develop,” he said.
“Every play is a big play. I think
we can run anything. It doesn’t
matter if they put eight guys, 11
guys or whatever.”
“I don’t want to be in a position
just to sit back where Tm the
starting teiilback and everything
is easy street. I have to work
harder than everybody else and
try to work on the little things
and try to make things happen.”
At 5-7, 190 pounds, Scott isn’t
big, but Davis plans to put his
4.3-second speed in the 40-yard
dash to more use. After alternat
ing backs in two blowout losses to
start the season, Scott has been
the Bulls’ most consistent offen
sive threat as an every-down
back.
“I think he knows he’s got to
carry the load for us,” Davis said.
“He’s going to
shoulder the
offensive
responsibility,
and he takes it
all in stride.
He’s probably
one of the finer
backs, pound-
for-pound, that
I’ve ever had.”
Despite being
labeled too
small and injury-prone, Scott
says he can handle the responsi
bility. After that fateful game form
years ago, he’s learned how to
battle the odds.
“I don’t think size really mat
ters, it’s the size of the heart,” he
said. “You can be a big back and
be soft. 'The thing is do you want
Davis
to do it. I put God first, and with
God, you can do anything.”
Scott has proven he can handle
the pounding rurming backs face
on every dovm, Davis said. In the
Bulls’ offense, he lines up at full
back, tailback and receiver, and
has proved to be up to the task
physically, regardless of the posi
tion.
“He’s more durable than I
thought he was,” Davis said.
“He’s been our workhorse, really,
because we don’t have anyone
else back there with him.”
Scott has come a long way since
he was a freshman. Although his
leg was shattered, hard work and
determination put his career
back to where he wants it to be.
“I had a plate and seven pins in
my leg,” after the accident, Scott
said. “The next year, I played a
little bit, but I was watching out
for the leg. I waited for my
chance, and this year is my
chance.”
Wolves, Garnett re-open talks
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS - The
Minnesota Timberwolves have
increased their contract offer
from $103.5 million to $120 mil
lion over six years for forward
Kevin Garnett, a report said
today.
An unidentified team official
said the offer may include the
ability for Garnett to opt out of
the contract before six years are
up, the Saint Paul Pioneer Press
said Hiesday
A portion of the money also may
be structured as part of a charita
ble contribution on behalf of
Garnett, the newspaper said.
Timberwolves vice president
Kevin McHale said he was
unaware of any offer being made
Monday.
The team had until 12 p.m. EDT
Wednesday to sign Garnett or he
will become a free agent after the
upcoming NBA season. The
Wolves originally thought the
deadline was tonight.
More talks between owner Glen
Taylor and Garnett’s agent, Eric
Fleisher, were scheduled for
today. They met privately
Monday and declined to talk with
reporters.
Garnett also declined to talk
with a reporter in his hometown
of Mauldin, S.C.
Wolves officials remain unsiue
when Garnett will return to the
Twin Cities. Players aren’t
required to report to the team
until today for physicals and
media day.
“At some point, Glen will have
to meet with Garnett before a
deal is done,” a source told the
Pioneer Press. “Everybody,
including Eric, is in agreement
with that.”
Garnett, who will earn about
$1.8 milHon this season in the
final year of his three-year rookie
pact, already has turned down -
or at least Fleisher has rejected -
a six-year offer worth $103.5 mil
lion. That deal’s $17.25 million
average woidd have been the rich
est long-term contract in NBA
histoiy.
Fleisher reportedly has been
seeking a contract that would
average more than $20 million a
season.
The Wolves made the playoffs
last spring for the first time in
their eight-year histoiy.
Boxer dies chasing ring dream
By Tim Dahlberg
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAS VEGAS — Johnny
Montemtes came to this boxing
capital still carrying the slim
hope he might finally become a
contender. He ended up losing
his life for a $2,000 payday in
the main event he so eagerly
sought.
What was supposed to be the
start of a renewed career for
the 28-year-old journeyman
boxer turned instead to tragedy
^ when he died Sunday after
, being knocked out in the sixth
round of a fight two days earli
er with James Crayton.
“My heart goes out to his fam-
ily,” said Nevada Athletic
I Commission director Marc
i Ratner. “He was in my office
the day before the fight and he
was excited about it. He was in
great spirits just talking about
what he was going to do.”
Montantes, who had fought
, most of his fights in Minnesota,
moved to Las Vegas with his
girlfriend and their two young
jumpstart a boxing career that
had seen him win 26 of 29
fights.
The fight against Crayton
was to be the first step toward
the ranking that Montantes so
coveted. It was the main event
of a club card at the Orleans
hotel-casino off the Las Vegas
Strip, and it was a fight where
Montantes hoped to get some
attention.
Montantes, who had fought
most of his fights as a light
weight, moved up to junior wel
terweight to fight Crayton, who
was known as a respectable
fighter but one that didn’t carry
much of a punch. Certainly,
Crayton’s record of 23-8 was
comparable to those of fighters
Montantes had faced before.
“I told Johnny Wednesday
that if he didn’t get by this kid
or if he didn’t win impressively,
he should get out of the busi
ness,” said Wes Wolfe,
Montantes’ manager. “He was
totally confident. He said he
had no doubt he was going to
win.”
Montantes, by all accounts,
started well Friday night, win
ning the first round on one
scorecard. But though
Montantes hadn’t taken a beat
ing, Crajfton was sharper and
was winning the fight easily
going into the sixth round.
Wolfe said he didn’t notice
anjfthing unusual in his boxer’s
condition.
“When he came back to the
corner in between the fifth and
sixth rounds, his only concern
was the other guy getting tired
and his eye swelling up,” Wolfe
said.
In the sixth round, a right
hand from Crayton landed
solidly and Montantes went
down, probably already uncon
scious. His head hit the ring
canvas hard, and referee Ken
Bayless did not even both to
finish the account.
Ring Dr. Robert Voy was
between the ropes and tending
to the fighter almost immedi
ately. A waiting ambulance
crew had him to the hospital
and in the emergency room at
University Medical Center 19
minutes later. But there was
nothing that could be done.
Doctors tried to relieve pres
sure in the brain in a Friday
night surgery, but Montantes
never came out of his coma. He
was declared brain dead
Sunday afternoon, and his fam
ily agreed to donate his organs.
“It was just a fight you’d
never dream anything like this
would happen,” Ratner said.
“These are things that just
can’t be explained.”
The death was the third in a
little more than three years in
Nevada, where casinos stage
the biggest boxing events in the
world. Before that, it had been
12 years since a boxer lost his
life in the ring in the state.
Under Nevada regulations,
boxers are covered for $50,000
in medical expenses stemming
from a fight, and have a
$50,000 accidental death bene
fit. The $50,000 will likely go to
Montantes’ two sons, 4-year-old
Marciano and 2-year-old Sonny.
The money would be the
biggest payday the boxer ever
had.
Tammy Brunette, Montantes’
girlfriend and the mother of his
sons, said she was setting up a
trust fund for the boys.
“I wanted to make sure my
kids get through college, so
they don’t have to ever enter a
boxing ring,” Brunette said.
Brunette said Montantes had
been perhaps the most popular
fighter in Minnesota for years,
and was the state lightweight*
champion there.
They came to Las Vegas about
a year ago, but the fight was his
first in the state. His previous
fight was in Costa Rica in May
when he was stopped after
being knocked down three
times.
“First of all, he was a beauti
ful father,” she said. “When he
came out here to Vegas, he was
chasing his dreams. He felt this
is where he had to be.”
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