the Chronicle
Sportsweek^?
Winston-Salem Greensboro High Point t
section B . ? December 25, 1997
^^aggMI i^v
It's time to recognize
finances drive sports
Why aren't historically black colleges sports programs such as
Winston-Salem State better off financially?
Probably the same reason that they don't attract the same type of
applicants as the majority institutions for higher education do.
Their presence in the open market isn't up to the same level. And
African-Americans help that to be perpetuated.
Just think about it.
You can go into major department ana dis
count stores and see the other area schools' mer
chandise all over the place. But where's the
WSSU sweatshirts, pajamas, night shirts and
other paraphanelia that's being pushed by the
store?
That is quite obvious during a time of the
year when retailers do a lot of business, like
Christmas or back to school time. Everywhere
you look, it seems, you can see Wake Forest,
North Carolina, N.C. State, Duke or some of the
other major schools across the country. But
where is the merchandise for WSSU, Shaw,
Johnson C. Smith and North Carolina Central?
Usually, it's when you go downtown or to
stores close to those campuses that you find it.
But no one really makes much noise about.
Better yet, very few people (as the saying goes)
"are willing to put the money where their mouth
is".
Talk is cheap. But finances dictate what happens out in the free mar
ket. That too, is something that many college administrators have failed
to understand. Very few Historically Black Colleges and Universities
have become aggressive enough to hire someone to promote their sports
programs on a full-time basis. Most cite budget restraints as the culprit.
However, that is only a cop out. Any legitimate sports promotions pro
i fessional will be able to generate enough revenue to justify his or her
j salary. ?
| The problem is that most of the athletic directors at these schools
1 lack the savvy to make the right hires for the job. They also fail to study
the area in which they work and realize that nothing else in society sells
as quickly as sports does right now. If they fully understood that they
would go out and aggressively market their products like everyone else.
But far too many think that when the season comes around you just
roll out the balls, produce a schedule and expect people to show up for
the games. Very many, including some in the Triad Area, don't even
advertise their schedules.
What a shame that is. Unless something drastic happens, the trend
I will continue far into the future.
. Of course there are exceptions to the rule. Take for instance the
tJayou Classic, which was the brainchild of Eddie Robinson. Someone
had the foresight to realize that people would be willing to pay a huge
premium to get Jfcmthgrn and Grambling together on the football field
during the week of Thanksgiving. It meant both teams had to forfeit all
rights to the NCAA playoffs and the conference would lose its auto
! matic bid. But doesn't a payday of $1 million plus sound better than
going to the playoffs and getting beat up by a team that's better financed
and prepared?
Others around the country need to get on the bandwagon. Of course
every school isn't blessed to have the geographic location, natural rival
ries or prestige of the participants in the Bayou Classic, but they can
take full advantage of what they do have. After all, HBCUs have pro
? duced more African-American college graduates than the majority
schools have in this country.
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ovmr ilixabmth City.
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Kmsi Noblos scorod might
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WSSU't win ovor Sllsaboth
City.
Strong second'
half defensive
effort keys win
by Lady Rams
By Sam Davis
The Chkonicle Sports Editor
With a 5-5 overall record
going into last Saturday
night's game against
Elizabeth City State, Coach
Debra Clark of Winston
Salem State realized her
team was at a crossroads.
The Rams, coming off a
lopsided victory over
Division I North Carolina
A&T, needed a conference
victory to serve as a send off
for the Christmas break and
a tuneup for division play
after the holidays.
The Lady Rjims started
off sluggishly and trailed by
a 31-31 score at the half.
The second half was a dif
ferent story, however. The
team's defense keyed a 12-0
run to jump start the offense
in the opening minutes of
the second period and it
rolled to a 75-55 victory.
Clark said she was
pleased with her team's sec
ond half performance.
"In the first half, we
were kind of complacent,"
she said. "Going into the
game I was a little con
cerned because I knew they
were ready to go home for
the holiday and it would be
hard getting back going
n nftrr tfl/llW fittr* - ?"***
"At IfiatmmeTtold them
that in the second half they
had to play better and they
needed to be more consis
tent if they wanted to come
from behind and win the
game," she added. "In the
first half it was because of a
lack of effort, but we were
not executing."
The key to the Lady
Rams' second half run was
the defensive effort of
Renee Cameron and Holly
Griffin. Cameron came off
the bench to supply nine
points in only 13 minutes of
play off the bench. She was
also credited with three
steals. All three came during
the Rams' run that put them
in control of the game.
"If we can get a couple
of steals it usually gets the
team going," Clark said.
"Renee and Holly came off
the bench and got our
momentum going."
Rachel Hicks also
played a vital part in the
second-half performance.
She came off the bench and
provided eight points on
three-of-five shooting from
the field.
Erica Leggett led the
team in scoring with IS
points. She made six of nine
shots from the field and also
dished out four assists.
Kesi Nobles, a 6-0 fresh
man center, led the team in
rebounding with 11. She
also added nine points.
Point guard Nikki
Blackwell dished out a
game-high six assists and
steadied the team on offense
down the stretch.
The Rams had one of
(Ml bettar shooting games
of the season, making 26 of
S3 shots from the field..
They also made 22 of 30
free throws (73 percent) and
held a 48-33 rebounding
advantage.
Clark said the team is
beginning to come together,
but needs to continue to
work to become more con
sistent. That might be diffi
See LADY RAMS cm S3
Stevens, former WSSU student, getting settled in as Rams' athletic
By Sam Davis
The Chrosicle Sports Editor
Replacing a legend is always a difficult
task in the world of sports.
That's why Eddie Stevens knew his job
at Winston-Salem State would be difficult
- especially at the beginning.
Stevens came to WSSU in August to
replace Buddy Taylor as the Rams athlet
ic trainer. Taylor, known affectionately on
the WSSU campus as "Mr. T", served in
that capacity for more than 20 years after
a long career in sports medicine.
During Taylor's years at WSSU, he
had a close bond with the school's ath
letes. They often imitated him and gener
ally had a good
time with his
Sfemedic antics.
In fact Taylor
was responsible for
Stevens choosing to
become an athletic
trainer in the first
place.
Stevens, a for
mer WSSU football
player, injured him
self during his Edcfi* *#mvmn*
freshman season
and was forced to receive treatment for his
injury. It was during those sessions that he
began to develop a bond with Taylor and
eventually led him to major in Health and
Physical Education at WSSU. After grad
uation in 1989, he decided to attend grad
uate school to pursue a major in athletic
training.
"I feel kind of honored to be the one
that comes behind Mr. Taylor," said
Stevens, a native of Faison, N.C. "In a
way I think I was fortunate to get hurt my
freshman year because that gave me an
opportunity to get to know him. I
admired him and that got me introduced
to athletic training."
Still the association had little effect on
Stevens getting the job at WSSU. Stevens
had worked in the public school systems
in the metropolitan Washington, D.C.
area for several years and had kept little
contact with his tflma mater.
Last summer he came to the national
junior Olympics with a group from that
area and found out about the opening at
WSSU. He visited the school and decided
to apply for the position.
He talked with Taylor about it and
Taylor encouraged him to apply for it.
The job was offered to him just before the
start of the academic year. But that too
posed a problem. His wife, a Physician's
Assistant, had been offered a great oppor
tunity with a major medical practice in
Maryland.
"My wife and I talked about it," he
said. "This job was like a dream come true
for me. but I had to consider what^my wife
had been doing and preparing herself for.
My wife gave up the opportunity sPj^had
in Maryland for me to come here."
Stevens said he plans to make the most
of it.
"I feel very comfortable here in the
position I'm in here." he said. "Everything
here is just what I expected."
In addition to serving as the head ath
letic trainer, Stevens also teaches classes in
athletic training and First Aid/CPR. In
doing so. he said he might be able to help
someone else in the manner that Taylor _
helped him. If he does, Stevens will be
able to continue the legacy that \Vas
passed on to him by Taylor.
Yellow jackets
hoping to repeat
at Frank Spencer
Holiday Classic
By Sam Davis
Tub Chronicle Sports Editor
Ricky Holt, Carver's first year basket
ball coach, doesn't know what to expect
when his team squares off in the Frank
Spencer Holiday Classic on Friday at the
Layvrence Joel Coliseum.
Holt, in his first season as the
Yeilowjackets' coach, hasn't seen a game in
the tournament. But his players have
reminded him how important it is in the
team's season picture. The Yeilowjackets
are the defending tournament champions.
"The kids have already let me know that
this is a big tournament for us," Holt said.
"It is something that we want to do real
well at. Whoever comes out on top is going
to be in good shape going into the confer
ence season."
The Yeilowjackets are seeded third this
1
season. They will square off against
Parkland in the opening round at 3:30 p.m.
The winner of that game will take on the
winner of Glenn-North Forsyth, the No. 7
and 2 seeds, respectively.
Carver is coming off a loss to East
Forsyth last Saturday that dropped the
Yellowjackets' record to 5-2. Carver was
without two of its starters in the loss to
Sec JACKETS on S3
With Mayo Dodd loading tho way, tho YoHowjorkott captvrod latt toa ton's frank
Sponeor titlo. Dodd and throo othor ttartort havo tineo groduatod.
Persistence pays off for Parker at UCLA
By Sam Davis
The Chronicle Sports Editor
When he arrived on the campus of
UCLA (University of California at Los
Angeles) last fall, Darian Parker had
every intent of running track for the
Bruins.
Parker, a lanky sprinter from
Winston-Salem, had participated on the
track team at Parkland High during
each of his four years in high school.
He qualified for the state meet in the
400 meter dash in both his junior and
senior seasons. As a senior he won the
City-County meet in the 400 and also
finished among the top four in the state.
As soon as he arrived in Los Angeles
he began to gather information about
the track team at UCLA. But when he
started getting the details, he became
intimidated.
"I talked to the coach and he told
me what was expected," Parker said,
during a recent interview while at home
for the Christmas holidays. "He told me
that their program was a world-class
program and you had to train that way.
He gave me some of the times that were
expected and it
had me a little
concerned."
Parker was
so concerned
that he decided
not to even go
out for the team
as a freshman.
An honor roll
student and
member of the
? National Hon
or Society at
Parkland, Par-ker decided to concen
trate on his academics.
That paid dividends his first year.
He concluded the year with a 3.0-plus
average.
"That was tough," he said. "I have a
double major in American Literature
and Culture and Anthropology. All I
did was read and study."
He did find the time to get to know
a lot of his peers at UCLA. He
describes the school as a "very diverse
place". The school boasts of the fact
So- PARKER on M