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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA - After
fining AUen Iverson for the
second time in his short
tenure as interim coach of
the Philadelphia 76ers,
Chris Ford said Monday the
matter is closed and both
parties are ready to move on.
Iverson did not attend the
Sixers’ 81-74 win over the
Minnesota Timberwolves on
Sunday because of a stom
ach ailment on top of the
bruised shoulder that’s been
plaguing him.
Ford said Iverson will be
docked for failing to contact
him directly.
One of the first things Ford
did after replacing the fired
Randy Ayers on Feb. 9 was
made it clear to players they
must speak with him when
ever a problem arises that
could cause them to miss or
be late for practice or the
pregame shootaround.
One of Iverson’s intermedi
aries called a member of the
Sixers medical staff, but not
Ford.
£,ast month, Iverson was
fined for missing the team’s
first post-All-Star Game
practice in Denver, claiming
his chartered flight out of
Los Angeles was delayed.
Ford also benched Iverson
the first 7:21 of the Sixers’
game with the Nuggets,
infuriating the star guard,
who vowed that any chance
of them having a personal
relationship was already fin
ished.
But after meeting with
Iverson prior to practice
Monday, Ford said there will
be no additional repercus
sions.
“I spoke to him this morn
ing and everything is all
right,” Ford said.
He expected Iverson, who
has missed the last four
games because of his shoul
der, to return to the lineup
Wednesday in New York.
Olympic anxiety mnning high for Athens venue organizers
By Steve Wilstein
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Olympic stadium and
swimming pool remain roof
less. Housing is unfinished.
The marathon route is stiU
not all paved.
Five months from opening
ceremonies, the 2004 Athens
Games are looking Uke a big,
fat Greek mess.
Throw into the mix a possi
ble government shake-up in
next Sundays national elec
tions, the firebombs of Greek
anti-Olympic activists and
the threat of international
terrorism, and it’s no wonder
anxiety is high.
These are an Olympics
that ought to be majestic, a
return to the roots of the
games, surrormded by the
beauty and histoiy of
Greece, and hosted by some
of the world’s most charming
and convivial people. If any
one knows how to throw a
party, not to mention a dis
cus, the Greeks do.
Instead, work stoppages,
pohtics and procrastination
threaten to turn the ancient
home of the Olympics into a
modern-day fiasco.
Athens has had seven
years to get ready for the
games. Now, 164 days before
the opening ceremony on
Aug. 13, so much remains to
be done that it seems only
the intervention of Zeus can
help.
For all the urgent calls
from the International
Olympic Committee to step
up the pace, a tour of Athens
reveals no rush to finish.
IOC president Jacques
Rogge is so worried that he
told the Greek organizers on
Saturday to forget the fnlls
and to focus on the “core
business.”
If that means there won’t
be a glorious glass and steel
roof on the main stadium as
planned, Rogge doesn’t care
anymore. The missing roof
may hold Greece up to
ridicule and hurt the coim-
trys self-esteem, but it won’t
stop the track and field com
petition .
The missing roof at the
swimming venue is another
story. That’s where it will
affect racing times, leave
athletes and spectators
roasting in the sun, and hurt
television broadcasts.
The marathon course
needs to be finished, as do
the housing and the tram
and Ught-rad lines.
“It’s going to be challeng
ing, but it is feasible,” Rogge
said of aU the work to be
done.
The IOC issued a strong
warning to Athens organiz
ers in 2000 after three years
of chronic delays. Rogge said
the situation improved
markedly after the govern
ment increased its involve
ment and Gianna
Angelopoulos-Daskalaki
took over the organizing
committee.
“Very much has been
achieved, much remains to
be done,” Rogge said. “There
is still enough time to have
excellent games, provided
our Greek fnends continue
at a fast pace. I remain confi
dent.”
Rogge told Athens to con
centrate on a few “vital”
areas - ensuring safe games,
good conditions for the ath
letes, smooth transportation,
well-run venues and com
pelling television images.
“I am interested in the core
delivery of the games,”
Rogge said. “If we have the
stadium without the roof,
but still functioning well, I
am perfectly happy.”
IOC member Kevan
Gosper of Australia has been
impressed with the progress
the Greeks have made since
his last visit six months ago.
“There is some nervous
ness because normally this
close to the games you would
see the venues and infra
structure complete,” Gosper
told The Associated Press. “I
think theyll get there, but
there’s no room for any dis
ruption.”
Disruption, though, is
almost certainly guaranteed,
whether from labor, pohtics
or protests.
Much attention has been
focused on security for these
Summer Games, the first
since the Sept. 11, 2001, ter
rorist attacks. U.S. athletes
are being warned to prepare
for a hostile reception in
Athens, and more than half
of Americans surveyed in a
recent AP poll say they
believe a terrorist attack is
hkely. Four out of 10 say
American athletes are most
likely to be the target of any
such attack.
Security remains the high
est priority, with more than
$800 million budgeted to
protect athletes and fans.
The main worries have been
about international terror
ists, yet last week’s fire
bombing of two environment
ministry trucks showed that
dangers lurk within the
country.
A group calling itself
“Phevos and Athena” - the
names of the Olympic mas
cots - said in a call to an
Athens newspaper the
attack was tied to the meet
ings of the IOC and the
Association of National
Olympic Committees.
‘This is a welcome mes
sage to the members of the
International Olympic
Committee,” the caller told
the newspaper.
The attack was in the
western suburb of Ilion,
about six miles from the cen
tral Athens hotel where the
Olympic meetings took
place.
That surely added to the
With experience and health, Bulls
expect improvement next season
By Herbert L. White
herb.white@thecharlonepost.com
Johnson C. Smith’s streak of NCAA tourna
ment appearances ended at three, but the
Golden Bulls are in position for a return next
season.
Smith, which finished 16-13 after losing to
Virginia Union in the CIAA tournament,
overcame inexperience and injuries to finish
third in the West Division. The lack of an
experienced go-to player forced the Bulls to
improvise, especially after losing shooting
guard Vernon Benjamin to academics before
preseason drills.
“Every coach looks for continuity from year
to year, that’s what I told the guys in the lock
er room” alter the Virginia Union loss. Smith
coach Steve Joyner said. “Don’t hold your
heads down; there are things we can take
from this year.”
The most promising of those youngsters was
freshman point guard Jerome Givens, who
was named to the aU-rookie team. Although
he was inconsistent at times, Givens flashed
the potential to be one of the league’s top
guards.
“I thought the team had a youth problem we
had to overcome with a freshman point
guard,” Joyner said. “I thought he grew up a
lot this year and got some outstanding expe
rience this year.”
With Benjamin out, forwards John Fulton
and Chris Clybum developed quickly as scor
ing threats. Fulton led the Bulls in scoring
and Clybum, a junior from Charlotte, led
Smith in three-point shooting. They had to
grow up fast after a season as role players
when injuries forced lineup changes.
“We had more injuries this year than we
ever had in the last 15-16 years,” Joyner said.
PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSON
John Fulton, who led Johnson C. Smith in
scoring as a sophomore, shouid be a focai
point for the Golden Bulls’ 2004-05 season.
‘T thought our guys did a good job of overcom
ing that, so there are a lot of positives.
Chemistry, which the Bulls didn’t develop
until the conference season was underway,
should be better next season. With four of five
starters returning and several redshirts
expected to contribute immediately. Smith is
poised to make a run at the top.
“I don’t think we played well together at the
beginning of the year,” Joyner said. “We didn’t
move the basketball, we didn’t share the bas
ketball, we didn’t understand our offense and
defense and what we were trying to do. I
thought we showed maturity from that, so
there’s a lot from this year that we can take
into next year.”
anxiety surrounding these
games, where expectations
have been lowered to the
point that eveiyone will feel
relieved if they simply go on
as scheduled with no vio
lence and a minimum of
problems.
If the Greeks push ahead
down the stretch to complete
the stadium roof, let’s hope
no one tries to save time by
leaving out a few cmcial riv
ets.
Steve Wil.slein is a mitional
sports columnist for The
Associated Press. Write to him at
swilsteh j@ap.orR
FORD’S USED TIRES
New Tires
Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m, - 8 p.m. • Sat. 8 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Brake Job
Front $35.00
Back $45.00
3401 Tuckaseegee Rd.
Charlotte, NC 28208
(704)393-1109
* Oil Change - $21.88
Ford’s Busy Bee Mini Mart
505 Beatties Ford Rd.
Charlotte. NC 28216
(704)333-8448
1222 Central Ave.
Charlotte, NC 28204
(704)377-0870
Every branch of the library is now
a breast cancer research center.
Thanks to a grant from the Susan
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the
Public Library of Charlotte and
Mecklenburg County was able to
purchase over I 1,000 of the latest
printed materials and videos on breast
cancer. So if you or someone you know
is faced with the disease this could be
a major source of information. Search
the library’s catalog at www.plcmc.org.
Guest Speaker
Come hear Diane
Coiling who not only
survived breast cancer
but found a way to
return to the sport of
rowing even though
she was told it was out
of the question. '
Call 704-336-2725 for
reservations to this
inspiring, free event on
March 13, 2004.