Cy's guys did
better than most people predicted
By CRAIG T. GREENLEE
Chronicle Spo>t? Editor
For a coach who lost six or his
P seven players from a champi
iship team last season, Cy
Alexander didn't fare that badly this
time around.
His South Carolina State Bull
dogs raised some eyebrows at the
MEAC Basketball Tournament
when they made the Final Four. The
mi
Photo by T-Lee
Alexander's team has seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
Coppin State vs. Syracuse
Dogs lost lo eventual tourney
champ Coppin State, 48-37 in the
semifinal round./SC State finished
the year at 13-16.
Alexander, a Winston native,
was very aware that this would be a
I playoffs. But most of the major
cogs on the 4 89 team that captured
the MEAC regular season and tour
nament titles completed their col
lege careers last spring.
Lumps and bumps
Cy's team has taken its share of
lumps and bumps this season. But
ning to the medicine chest search
ing for something to relieve upset
stomach and heartburn.
"I feel good about this team,"
Alexander said. "They work hard
and ifshows. Wclosl 1 5 games, bur
II of those were by six points or
less. So we've been in every game.
We just haven't had the poise we
needed to win consistently all year.
It's really more a matter of mental
development and maturing. That's
going to be an on-going process and
it's going to take some time J!
The fact that the Dogs even fin
ished at .500 in the league this sca
son was somewhat of a surprise.
Without a lot of experience coming
back, many league observers felt
that SC State would find itself
lodged at the lower end of the
standings.
Better boardwork
In order for SC State to contin
ue its risefrack to theTeaguevs upper
echelon, Alexander feels that his
team will have to work the boards
better and shoot better from outside.
"Our inside game did well," the
coach said. "But our perimeter peo
ple have to improve. What it comes
down to having them gain more
confidence in hitting that shot from
The perimeter." ~ :
Inside the paint, SC State was
From Page B7
~J i { V , I ' I I ? ?
^ At < a junior, led the
N-' I \< hi i abounding (11.1 a
gai ik i. in. 10 go ill percentage ( 655),
t ; 1 1 f > ill SC onng ( IS 7 ppg) and
! oil rt r; hi??eked shots (4 1 in 32
. n).
?o _ _
Issac a sharpshooting junior,
w is sec on w n the league in scoring
( 1.7 pp, ind three-point field
i' ils maul i /.^ Ho also converted
o or S5 p., c?nt ot his free throws
( i >6 of 1 x - ? to a He rank No. 2 in
ti u cater. . . air. ; i*j V1EAC lead
c. >.
Booth ... .rages 1 1.6 points and
5 s reborns a game Stewart, Issac
and ttootn irr atl from Philadel
phia.
The Kkm. s trigger man is 6-0
p inrgirnrri Larrv Yarbray (9.0
p;lT). The t hester. Pa. sophomore
U I the co.iLrcnce jn assists (7.4 a
g.nne) and rccordcd 57 steals (the
le ague's second highest total).
The other Coppm starter is 6-8
junior ccnhi Larry McCollum, who
averages t:ve points and five
rebounds a night At 270 lbs.,
McCollum lakes up a lot space
ar ?und the basket area
The aN vc mentioned five arc
0 the flo??i for all F-.aglcs' gamesT
B .1 they get ample support troni
if bench uh 6-6 guard Dcrrcck
(>,-r, a dangerous -long range shoot
ej plus 6 -i center Joe Hammond
and 6-6 so^noiriorc lorward Darren
WxkIs.
As a team. Coppm led the
Mf-'AC in vonng delcnsc (allowed
66.6 ppg ). ncld goal percentage
( ;S9), fn Id goal defense percent
al 0 (.406 :? bound margin (+ 5.3),
and scoring margin (+ 10.2).
Syrai aw is a big team, physi
c : ! ly and <hoy rcl> on their inside
r .me a gi^al deal T hr team's
1 .. w. ?.?! ,
l>errick ( oleman. the Big East
Player Of t he Year f or the season,
< oleman Allied IS 2 points and 12
? t bounds a game. Billy Owens, a 6
lorward kd the team in scoring at
1(>.3 pp^ and 6 4 senior guard
Stephen I hompson added IS ppg.
Hie (Hlier starters are 6 10 cen
ter LeKon Hits and Ireshman point
/nan I Mkhocl bdwards, who aver
ages 5.5 assets per game.
this is Coppm Slate's first
t ,aek at the NCAA title. But the
I agles do own a national basketball
championship, having- won the
\ AIA crown in 1976
Th<^ MEAGVpr^vipus results
in NCAA Division TMcn's Basket
ball Championship competition is
as follows:
? 1981 ? Wyoming 78
Howard U. 43
? 1982 ? West Virginia 101
North Carolina A&T 72
? 1983 ? Princeton 53 North
Carolina A&T 41
? 1984 ? Morehead State 70
North Carolina A&T 69
? 1985 ? .Oklahoma 96 North
Carolina A&T 83
? 1986 ? Kansas 71 North
Carolina A&T 46
? 1987 ? Alabama 88 North
Carolina A&T 71
? 1988 ? Syracuse 69 North
Carolina A&T 55
? 1989 ? Duke 90 South Car-^
olina State 69
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able lo hold its own thanks 10 two
key people.
Travis Williams was one ol
ihose factors. The 6-ft junior lor
ward scored 20.9 points and pulled
down 10.1 rebounds a game He
The oulsule game was null anil
void lor the tournament because ol
an altercation between guard Kicks
Byrd and forward Chris Felix U v4
ppg). After a game against Nouh
Carolina A c<i T late in the regular
season, Byrd and Felix exchanged
words in the Dogs' dressing. Bvrd
pushed Felix, who fell and hu his
head, suffering a contusion in the
process.
Byrd was suspended from the
team for the rest of the season and
Fclix^ didn't ptay in the tournament
because of the in jury. He is recover
ing nicely from the injury according
to reports.
Can be good in transition
The Dogs haven't been noted
for running the break with any gicat
frequency. But that could change
next season if Alexander can ^et
- additional rebounding help
"When we can we tan
have a good transition game." the
coach explained. "We'ie not as big
' as we need to be, but that's going to
change next season.
"Still, we have to be sound fun
damentally. We have to block out,
seal off and attack the boards We
have the guards who can push the
ball up the floor and the people who"
can run. But if you don t get
rebounds, you can't run "
Fleet guards
The Dogs have a pair of fleet ol
feet guards who are supci b at .rig
gering the break Curtis Fau4-i u
7, is more oi a pure poiiu gi ar J
than Anthony Higgonbottham, aIu,
plays both guard positions m i i>
more of a scotci. Both arc oiten on
the floor at the same time, which
will give the Dogs that last bieak
potential eveiyuine thc> >?*. t
rebound and make a good uuik i
pass to either one ot then baiinan
dlers.
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