Sean Bell finished with 23 points. King is the
SP's leading scorer at 16.1 ppg, while Bell is the
league's best in assists (7.5 apg) and steals (3.3).
Elizabeth City State ? Darryl Riddick (15.4
ppg) has been one of the circuit's leading three-point
shooters this season. But what he did against Norfolk
State left spectators breathless. Riddick hit 11, three
pointers to set a new conference record for threes
41 points and was only three, tres shy of tieing the
NCAA mark of 14 in a game.
John McNeil is also a capable scorer at 15.6
ppg, while James Eaton (3.1 steals) and Ron Cousar
(35 blocks in 19 games) excel at the defensive end.
SOUTHERN DIVISION
Johnson C. Smith ? The Golden Bulls possess
a blend of gift$l offensive players combined with role
players who play within their capabilities.
Smith's attack is based on a two-man game with
Mark Sherrill and Chris Parker, arguably the league's
best inside-outside tandem. Sherrill (25.9 ppg), a
bulky specimen with a linebacker's physique, is an
i b mm
Photo by Max Dunhill
Chris Parker's outside shooting
makes Johnson C. Smith a learn to.
watch In thteyoafx tournament.
inside slasher with a soft touch fronxjbe outside. Park
er (24.1 ppg, 3.1 three-pointers mid^per game) can
explode at anytime during a game. He scores points in
a hurry.
Shcrrill and Parker are but just one part of the
JCS cog. Ron Boyd (5.8 apg) makes sure thai the
teams gets some even distribution in the way the
offense is run, while Kevin Reid has dedicated himself
to hitting the boards (10.9 rpg) so the Smith aces can
inflict their damage. Gerald Garvin takes the same
kind of pride defensively as a top-rated shot blocker.
Shaw University ? Offensively, the Bears are
the creme de la creme of the league at 94.6 ppg. But at
the same time, they give up more points any one else
at 87.5 ppg. Shaw has to be able to score to be effec
? 3
Photo by Doug Sang^
Fayetteville State's Darrell Arm
strong has led the Broncos to one
of their best starts In recent years.
tivc. How well they fare in a moderately paced game
is open to discussion.
-?Still, Shaw's offense makes them a team to
watch. As a unit, they shoot 50.1 percent from the
field, second-best among conference teams. Terry
McCoy and Sheldon Owens are the main trigger men.
McCoy (25.2 ppg) has a habit of destroying defenses
from the outside (4.2 three-pointers a game), while
Owens is arguably the CIAA's most complete player.
Owens' value is immeasurable by all counts. He
put points on the books (20.1 ppg) and rebounds well
(leads conference at 12.2 rpg). But he's also skilled
enougFas a ballhandler (6.6 apg) that he will often
run the offense as Shaw's version of the point forward
position. On top of that he has 36 blocks in 21 games.
The Bears are accustomed to fast paces and tight
finishes. They've split a pair vs. division rival St.
Augustine's, the game they won being a 1 14-113 deci
sion in three overtimes. Derrick McCarter hit two free
throws to seal the win. McKoy finished that game
with 38 points.
St. Augustine's ? The, Falcons have soared and
succeeded thanks to the machine gun artistry of Gary.
Mauison, who is the conference's top scorer at 30.2
. ppg. When learnt viai'St Aag's they find themselves
visiting Mr. Mattison's neighborhood and in most
instances, they are more than happy to leave. Mattison
has performed his skills almost at will against every
one. In the Falcons' 105-91 win over Shaw, he had 26
points, in the triple OT loss, he tossed in 47, and
against Smith (a 1 12-109 win), he finished with 46.
But there's more to this team than Mattison.
Mike Dearman is a capable scorer at 15.6 ppg, but he
also pulls down 10.6 rpg. Ianthan Alleyne provides
additional assistance on the boards (9.3 rpg) which
enables Mattison to concentrate on what he docs best.
Fayetteville State ? Up until mid-January,
Fayetteville State had taken everybody by storm,
ranking as high as No. 9 in the national polls with
their best start in 15 years.
All of that changed when they lost three of five
starters to injuries, which left them vulnerable because
of an inexperienced bench. As a result they nosedived
from the top the division standings to mid-level.
The absence of guards Darrell Armstrong and
Emmanuel Calloway plus leading rebounder Sherman
Pride (8.5 rpg) took its toll. Armstrong, the defending
CIAA slam dunk champion, had spearheaded the
Broncos revival. Armstrong provided 17.2 points and
three steals a game. Calloway added stability at point
guard, which gave FSU the kind of continuity needed
to contend.
Those three were expectcd to be back in action
by tournament time. Yes indeed, the Broncos are a
much different team when that irio is on the floor.
FSU rediscovers the groove it had before those key
injuries, look for the Broncos to do a lot more than
ride off into the sunset after the tournament's first
round.
Winston-Salem State ? How do you figure the
Rams out? They've suffered just one true blow-out in
20 games and they've been in position to win enough
games to put them in first place in the division. For
more on this subject, see article on Bighouse Gaines
on page 10.
Jon Hardin (19.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 53.8 fG percent
age) is the ringleader for the Rams offensively.
Charles Bennett compliments Hardin on the inside at
15.2 ppg. But what has hurt this team is inconsistency,
especially in terms of perimeter shooting.
North Carolina Central ? Perhaps the Eagles
best game of the year came against Fayetteville State
when they pulled off a 92-83 upset. True enough, FSU
Photo by T-tee
Jerome Coles is hopeful that Nor
folk State will be involved in anoth
er CI A A net cutting ceremony.
iidn't show up with their normal team, but Central did
what they had to do. Sean Kearney and Taro Knight
led the way, scoring 27 and 26 points respectively.
Livingstone ? The basketball world hasn't
been very kind to the Bears. However, they did gain
some measure of respect when they downed Elizabeth
City State, 81-79. Mike Widener was ranked among
the conference leaders in field goal percentage (.731).
Shawn Ricks