1
Page 8B
SPORTS
Ci^atlotu
Thursday, February 2,1989
Bulls Ride Hurd In Rebuilding Year
Guard
Lights Up
CIAA
By HERB WHITE
Post Sports E^tor
Johnson C. Smith sophomore
basketball player Walter Hurd,
always a gym rat of sorts, has
developed night habits to im
prove his game. While most stu
dents are asleep, Hurd will go to
Brayboy Gym on campus in the
wee hours to work on his moves.
"While everybody else is
asleep. I'll go to the gym at one,
two o'clock in the morning," he
said.
Those mornings in the gym are
paying off, as Hurd is the CIAA's
top scoring machine, with a
league-leading 27 points per
game average. For the 3-14
Golden Bulls, who play Fayette
ville State at home tonight, suc
cess is more likely when Hurd
has a good game.
Comparisons with the Chica
go Bulls' Michael Jordan aren't
uncommon and Hurd says peo
ple have even done double takes.
"People sometimes say 'That's
Michael Jordan' in the mall, but
in the back, some people will
say, 'That's not him because
he's not tall enough,"' said the 6-
3 guard. Jordan is 6-6.
There are other similarities, at
least on the court. Hurd is the
main cog in a wheel consisting
of young players. For Smith to
win, or even stay in the game,
Hurd has to score. And score.
And score. But he likes that role.
"My whole attitude is I can
handle anything within reason,"
he said. 'The scoring load I can
handle. If we had a little more
help on offense, we would be
better off."
The Bulls have struggled this
season, but have developed a
modest string of two wins in
their last three games, all on the
road. Still, the pain of losing
hurts, Hurd said. He has even
given some thought to transfer
ring, but won't because of his
relationship with coach Steve
Joyner.
"It hurts to see him lose. He's
the best coach I've ever had,"
Hurd said. "That's the reason
why I'm still here. I could've
transferred to Virginia Union or
Norfolk State, where my style
would fit in, but I like the school
and I love coach Joyner."
Joyner has nothing but praise
for Hurd, noting that he has ma
tured rapidly this season, both
on the court and off.
"He's getting better on his work
Photo/FRANK WILLIAMS
Johnson C. Smith guard Walter Hurd (right) leads the Golden Bulls and CIAA in scoring with a 26.5 points per game average.
Prop 42 Undercuts Colleges
Commentary By
Chester A. Higgins
NNPA News Editor
WASHINGTON, DC - He was a
little man, old even then some
20 years ago, but his eyes were
alive and sparkling with life as
he told me how as president of
Grambllng, he was Jack-of-all-
trades. He was not physically
imposing, but you knew imme
diately you were talking to an
authentic American original.
Bom August 6, 1905, Dr. Ralph
Waldo Emerson Jones came to
Grambllng (it was called the
Louisiana Normal and Industri
al Institute at that time) in
1926, taught math, science, was
dean of men, and was named
president of the school June,
1936, in the depth of the De
pression.
was merely a football factory for
development of big, over
muscled and under-celebrated
young men, you've got another
think coming. Many of these
young, unpolished, unlettered
youth bloom and go on to grad
uate school in some of the na
tion's premiere universities.
"Big, black boys used to come
to us in the Depression years,"
Dr. Jones told me. "Some of
them dressed in overalls,
brogue shoes with a nickel and
nail rubbing together in their
pockets; their worldly posses
sions on their backs. But we
took 'em in. Because we were
their last resort, their way out of
backwoods ignorance and pov
erty. They were eager to learn;
they had faith that we would
teach 'em and we taught 'em."
"I coached basketball, football
as well as cleaned the gym, did
everything in those early days.
Had to," said Dr. Jones, as he
looked around proudly at what
this little school, carved out of
the mud of backwoods Louisia
na, built on faith, sweat, tears, a
nickel and a nail, had become
on that date in 1970. It now
boasted handsome new build
ings, a burgeoning student
body, topnotch teachers and a
football coach, Eddie Robinson,
who was even then a living leg
end.
Photo/FRANK WiLLIAMSI
UNC Charlotte's Henry WUliams (34) suffered head and facial injuries
on this play when he was hit by South Florida's Gary Alexander. The
49ers won the Sun Belt game, however, 71-47 and Williams is expect
ed to fully recover. See story on page lOB.
In all Coach Robinson has
produced more than 230 stars
for pro football. Including Paul
Tank Younger, Buck Buchanan
and most recently all-pro
Washington Redskin quarter
back Doug Williams while be
coming the winnlngest coach in
the history of collegiate football
(349-122-15) as of late last year.
The Grambllng Marching Band
was the envy of the college
world, and still is.
But if you thought Grambllng
And now an all-white NCAA
member organization has voted
to impose Proposition 42 that
would fall all intents and pur
poses complete the blocking of
many young black athletes'
chances td secure a college ed
ucation through a leg-up fresh
man scholarship. Passed by
the NCAA earlier. Proposition
48 began the blocking process.
Although he is not personally
affected, John Thompson, the
very successful black George
town University basketball
coach, saw immediately what
this final move to Proposition
42 would do to aspiring, poor,
black athletes and he has vigor
ously protested.
You must try to envision what
life was like for blacks in the
deep South 50 to 60 years ago.
The Civil War put an end to
slavery in 1865, but despite he
roic efforts by many whites of
goodwill who swarmed to the
South, established schools for
the newly-freed slaves in the
Reconstruction Era, and des
perately sought to teach the
basics -- readln', ritin',
'rithmetlc, to a whole generation
of unlettered ex-slaves the glow
faded, bigotry won out.
A series of "black laws" naked
ly designed to re-enslave the re
cently freed slave, culminating
in the notorious 1896 Plessy v
Ferguson, Supreme Court
"separate but equal" decision,
lowered the curtain of darkness
over black aspiration, snuffing
out the gleam of hope in black
eyes. For the law while rigidly
enforcing racial separation,
was an unmitigated fraud for it
made no attempt to guarantee
even a semblance of equality in
allocation of local public funds,
quality of teachers, teaching
material, physical plant, man
datory classroom attendance,
etc.
Centuries of black enslave
ment during which it was
against the law and custom in
that brutal system to teach
blacjjfs to read or write in an
area where most African Ameri
cans lived was thus followed by
Imposition of the wretchedly in
ferior system of segregated edu
cation. Some 30 years after
Plessy, Dr. Jones arrived at
Grambllng. These nearly illiter
ate blacks stumbling in bewil
dered eagerness onto that
primitive little "college" campus
must have been a heart wrench
ing experience to behold. But
Dr. Jones and his small band of
educators did not hesitate. For
51 solid years. Dr. Jones taught
'em. He did not seek SAT scores,
they didn't have accumulated
grade point averages. They
came desperately in need of
teaching, and he taught 'em. He
retired in 1977 and died two
years later, 1979. But he left a
legacy of how to in terms of in-
structing the so-called
"uninstructable."
Something the present-day
NCAA members might ponder.
habits. We're attempting to get
him to work on his all-around
ability," he said.
That ability has not gone un
noticed around the CIAA. In a
conference where every team
has gunners, Hurd stands out
from the pack, and defenses act
accordingly. Joyner said part of
Hurd's improvement comes from
the fact that he tries to get his
teammates into the offensive
act.
"He's listening and he under
stands he's a marked man when
he steps into most gyms," Joyn
er said.
Hurd takes all the attention in
stride, but has been known to be
a talkative leader, unafraid to let
opponents, officials or team
mates know what's on his mind.
On the floor, he truly believes a
defense can't stop him.
"I'm not a cocky player," Hurd
said. I'm a confident player."
That confidenence was shaken
early in the season after Hurd
offered a challenge. Before a De
cember game at UNC Charlotte,
he all but guaranteed a 30-point
night agianst the 49ers. UNCC
heard that and proceeded to
limit Hurd to 12 points in the
49ers'98-71 win.
After eating crow, Hurd real
ized UNCC as the turning
point in his season. Since then,
he's been on a tear, going
around and through defenders
with whirling moves to the bas
ket when he's not floating feath-
eryjump shots,
"UNCC made my game much
better. I have to give credit to
(49ers coach) Jeff Mullins and
Jeff West (who defended against
him)," he said, "I'm grateful for
that game. Not many people get
the chance to prove themselves
again."
As Smith, a squad that starts
three sophomores, a freshman
and a senior. Improves, Hurd
will likely relinquish some of the
scoring burden. A good sign
came Saturday when the Bulls
beat Winston-Salem State 86-
78 when Hurd left the game with
four fouls midway through the
second half. Smith hung on to
the lead with Hurd out and put
the Rams away in the final min
utes when he came back.
Hurd, however, wishes those
wins came more regularly, but
realizes the Bulls are rebuilding.
His job is to help speed it along
as best he can.
"Everywhere I've gone, we've
won. When I was with the Gau-
chos (a New York AAU team) we
were the only team to beat the
Russians," he said. "Now it's say
ing 'Hey this is the other side of
it'. I want to win. I guess 1 just
want to do it now."
Local Table
Tennis Players
In Tournament
National Champions will par
ticipate in the Charlotte STIGA
Spring Open Two Star table ten
nis tournament Saturday and
Sunday at ITickaseegee Recrea
tion Center at 4820 Tuckasee-
gee Road.
The tournament, sponsored by
the Charlotte Parks and Recrea
tion Department and the Char
lotte Table Tennis Club will of
fer over $2,000 in prize money
and trophies.
Sixteen events will be held at
various levels ranging from no
vice to expert. There will be free
refreshments during the tourna
ment and a party for partici
pants.
Play begins at 9 a.m. both days
and is free for spectators. Com
petitors' fees range from $3 to
$15 per event. For more Infro-
mation, call the recreation cen
ter at 399-4492.
February Ski
Trips Planned
The Mecklenburg County Park
and Recreation Department and
Alpine Ski Center are sponsor
ing one-day ski trips on Satur
days in February to Winter
Place, Beech Mountain and Sug
ar Mountain. Each day trip costs
$44.95 and Includes transporta
tion and lift ticket. Ski rentals
are available for $10. $12 and
$14 based on the type of ski
rented.
All tripq depart at 5:30 a.m.
from the Sears Automotive Cen
ter parking lot at Southpark and
return at approximately 9:30
p.m. To register, visit Alpine Ski
Center at 1501 East Boulevard
or call 332-2824.