http://www.thecharlottepost.com
1C
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SPORTS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2003
Black College Sports/4C
PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSON
Johnson C. Smith forward John Fulton (21)
recorded back-to-back double-doubles in the
Tip-Off Classic last week.
Golden Bulls
learn sharing is
winning ticket
By Herbert L. White
herb, white @ thecharloitepost. com
Maybe the lessons are starting to sink in for
Johnson C. Smith.
The Golden Bulls broke into the win column for
the first time this season with an 85-72 victory
over Wingate Saturday in the Tip-Off Classic at
JCSU. For a team that’s showed its inexperience
in losing its first three games, the
Bulls finally showed some offen
sive consistency.
“It’s nothing but patience, and
that’s what we’ve been trying to
tell them,” coach Steve Joyner
said. “They don’t have to score
quickly or anything like that with
a sense of mgency. We think
move the basketball and it’ll come
back to you if you’re open, and
that was key.”
Everyone seemed to benefit from that patience.
Five Bulls scored double-figures against Wingate,
with point guard Jerome Givens scoring 20 for the
second straight game. Forward John Fulton
notched a second straight double-double with 15
points and 11 rebounds, but more important, com
mitted just two turnovers.
“What’s impressive is his turnovers are down,”
Joyner said. “Against Augusta State and
(Voorhees Friday) he had six, but tonight he had
two, so it’s working out for him as weU.”
Smith still doesn’t have much shooting accuracy,
with only one game at 40 percent, but the Bulls’
40.8 was good enough to win Saturday Joyner is
looking for more improvement Thesday when
they go to Belmont Abbey, followed by a trip to
Wingate Dec. 2 for a rematch with the Bulldogs
Please see YOUNG/3C
Joyner
PATRIOTS CLASH WITH RAIDERS
PHOTOAVADE NASH
Independence High running back
Dominique Lindsay will try to help the
Patriots extend their N.C. record winning
streak to 62 games Friday against
Richmond County. Independence rallied
from a 16-7 deficit to beat Mecklenburg
County rival Providence 27-16 last week in
the second round.
NJC.A&T focuses on
WoffOPd, playoff
PHOTO/WADE NASH
N.C. A&T receiver Brad Hinton heads downfield in the Aggies’ 49-9 loss to S.C. State last week
at Memorial Stadium. A&T plays at Wofford Saturday in Spartanburg, S.C.
Road to title starts in Spartanburg
By Herbert L. White
herb, white® ihecharhneposi. com
N.C. A&Ts disastrous regular season finale is
but a memory.
The postseason is worth looking forward to.
A&T, which lost to S.C. State 49-9 at
Memorial Stadium last week, plays Wofford in
the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs
Saturday in Spartanburg, S.C. Gametime is
1:30 p.m. at Gibbs Stadium. Tickets: are $20 for
adults, $10 children under 18.
A&T (10-2) earned an automatic berth by win
ning the MEAC. Wofford (10-1), seeded third in
the playoffs, won the Southern Conference
Wofford was the first team to go unbeaten in
the Southern Conference since 1998. The
Aggies’ loss at S.C. State cost them the first
unbeaten MEAC record since they won the
league title in ‘99.
A&T, which sat out several starters due to
injuries, played distracted against S.C. State,
which has beaten the Aggies three straight.
Those players, led by running back Michaux
Hollingsworth, should play against Wofford.
“I hope so,” Small said. “I think they will.”
Three Aggies turnovers — two of which were
returned for scores — didn’t help A&T. And the
Bulldogs also converted a blocked field goal into
Please see AGGIES/2C
C. Jemal
Horton
Level field
for sports
prodigies’
access
The headline definitely
made a lot of people cringe
last week:
“14-year-old Freddy Adu
joins professional soccer
team.”
A great many people began
screaming about how ridicu
lous it was for Adu - a boy, for
crying out loud! - to be wan
dering around a locker room
full of grown, worldly, naked
men. Others began wringing
their hands about how Adu
and those around him were
putting professional sports
before his education.
Of course, all these reac
tions are totally understand
able and appropriate - as
long as we apply the same
rules to every occupation.
But that’s the thing: We
don’t apply the same; rules to
every occupation. The sports
world gets held to a higher
standard.
For some reason, since the
dawn of entertainment, long
before sneaker contracts and
mix-tape tours, sports have
been under an entirely dif
ferent set of rules when it
comes to young people.
It was all right when we-
had young Mickey Rooney
and Little Stevie Wonder -
and other kids - staying up
' late so they marvel us with
their talents back in the day.
But when Moses Malone
wanted to declare hardship
in 1974 and enter the
American Basketball
Association right out of high
school? Well, all of a sudden
we had a serious problem.
Suddenly, the madness had
to stop.
I still don’t understand the
difference.
We gripe about education.
We say that’s the real
tragedy in all these teen
agers turning pro. But
where was the No Pro
Faction when Gary Coleman
and Britney Spears didn’t go
•on and get their college
degrees?
It’s the same concept,
right? Freddy Adu is sacrific
ing part of his youth by
Please see PRODIGIOUS/2C
All eyes on Charlotte’s prized freshman
By James Hamlin
SPECIAL TO THE POST
It’s hard to miss Martin Iti.
The Charlotte 49ers center
stands 7 feet tall, weighs 240
pounds, and speaks articulately
with a distinct accent. So it’s safe to
say that he sticks out on campus.
The problem is that head coach
Bobby Lutz would like less atten
tion on his prize recruit because he
knows Iti is still a work in progress.
‘"You have to be patience. I’m glad
everybody’s excited about him and
they should be,” says Lutz. “But
there are going to some days that
he struggles and there also going to
some days that are going to be veiy
good... But (fans) have to be
patient. ”
Despite Lutz’s wishes, there will
be plenty of expectations of Iti and
they are warranted. Iti is the
school highest recruit ranked third
in his high school class by most
pubhcations. He gives Charlotte a
dimension that they haven’t had,
an athletic shot-blocker to fuel
their high-octane offense. There
were even whispers that Iti would
skip college altogether and go pro.
The seven-foot freshman knows
that many eyes will be on him but
it something he tries not to think
about, “In a way there is a lot of-
pressure on me but I just go out
there forget about everything else
and play. That’s all I can do.”
Iti still is getting used to the
speed of the college game. In the
49ers season opening 80-76 loss to
George Washington, Iti saw limited
action because of foul trouble. He
played five minutes and accumu
lated four fouls with zeros across
the stat sheet. Not the best debut
for the freshman.
“I was disappointed but all I can
do is go out there and hustle and
play my game,” he said. ‘The refs
were calling the fouls both ways, so
I can’t argue with that.”
Iti not only has to earn the
respect of referees but playing time
as well. He plays behind senior
center Calvin Clemmons who does
n’t look like he’ll be handing over
the starting role an3d:ime soon if he
keeps putting up 17 point, 12
rebounds efforts like he did in the
opener. But Iti does have a strong
work ethic, which has caught
Clemmons’ eye.
Please see ALL/3C
PHOTOAVADE NASH
Charlotte 49er freshman Martin Iti (2) is the most-hyped
recruit in school history, but he’s learning the ropes of
playing college basketball.