Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Dec. 28, 1989, edition 1 / Page 20
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Thursday, December 28, 1989 Ije SPORTS James Cuthbertson Post Sports Writer A Wish List For 1990 Year In Local Sports Wishes for 1990... ... Twenty-five victories for the rejuvenated Hornets and a finish above the Minnesota Tlmberwolves in the Midwest Di vision. ... For Robert Reid to finish his outstanding NBA career in Charlotte. ... Rex Chapman to keep emerging as the outstanding super- star that he is. ... Dell Curry to continue on his road to prove that he is a great NBA player. ... The Harding High School Rams of Coach Bob Moore to have many games like their early season upset of AC. Flora. ... The basketball program at JCSU under Coach Joyner to continue on its road to prominence in the CIAA Conference. ... All CIAA status for Smith basketball players Columbus Parker, Mark Sherrill, Reginald Torrence and Christopher Hicks. ... The women's basketball program at JCSU under Coach Hythla Evans Lelbert to rock the CIAA Conference. ... All CIAA status for Kim Brewlngton, Julie Hogan, Tracey Hilliard and Darlene Gordon. ... An NFL league team in Charlotte named the Charlotte Ti tans. ... A Mid-Eastern Conference tournament basketball cham pionship for all of our local NC A&T fans, some of the most loyal college fans that I have ever seen. ... More stamina for Tyrone Bogues who is emerging as one of the best point guards in the NBA, despite his 5-3 height. He very seldom m^es a turnover. ... Increased playing time for the awesome Armon Gilliam who shows us what a power forward should be. ... Continued sellouts for the Charlotte Hornets. ... More wins for JCSU, UNC Charlotte, Davidson and North Carolina. ... A CIAA football championship for Coach Horace Small and the stampeding Golden Bulls of the gridiron. ... City tennis championships for my nephews Comyron, Melvin, Ritchie, Anthony, Darian and Coties. ... A good start in tennis for my niece Shanltrla who is four years old and has already been named as a Homecoming Queen for her Pop Warner football team, PAL North. ... Good health and strength for myself, all the members of my family and my brothers and sisters of the world. We are all in this together. United we stand; divided we fall. ... An on-campus football stadium seating 7,500 at JCSU. ... A CIAA tournament championship forthe Basketbulls and a trip to the NCAA playoffs. ... A new field house seating 7,500 for JCSU. ... A top notch Charlotte Christmas tournament hosted by the Golden Bulls for Coach Joyner. ... NFL status for two outstanding football players at JCSU — linebacker Otis Prioleau and wide receiver Joachim Weinberg. ... A CIAA basketball tournament in Charlotte and hando ver, Maryland Instead of Norfolk and Richmond. ... Best wishes for the CIAA Conference office and my friends Anne, Linda, Danny and Leon. Notes Musings... With the admittance of Pennsylvania State to the Big Ten Athletic Conference and the search for a 12th member to round out the difference, look for some Big Eastern and Mid western universities who are football and basketball power houses to consider joining the Big Ten.... Watch out for Pitts burgh, Syracuse or Louisville. How would the ACC look with two additional teams who are natural rivals and would enhance the conference's image? How about an ACC with Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Caroli na. Wake Forest, N.C. State, Maryland, Duke, Virginia, West Virginia and South Carolina. How about a Mississippi Valley Conference with Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tul*ne, Southern Methodist, Rice, Baylor, Texas Tech and Texas Christian. How about a Southeastern Conference with Alabama, Flori da, Auburn, Tennessee, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida State, Mi ami of Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Houston. How about a Sun Belt Conference with UNCC, UAB, Western Kentucky, Souih Alabama, Jacksonville, South Florida, Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth, New Orleans and Evans ville. How about a Mld-Southem Conference with JCSU, More house, Paine, Tuskegee, Livingstone, NCCU, WSSU, FSU and Benedict. How about a Mid-Eastern Conference with NC A&T, S. C. State, Maryland Eastern Shore, Coppln State, Howard, Flori da A&M, Morgan State, Bethune-Cookman, Delaware State and Norfolk State. NFL Playoffs Start The Associated Press Two years ago, the San Fran cisco 49ers finished 13-2 and were prohibitive favorites to ■ reach the Super Bowl. Then they were summarily dispatched by the Minnesota Vikings in their first playoff game _ at home. That fact should be kept in mind as the 49ers (14-2) enter this season's playoff's with the best chance to repeat as NFL champions since the Pittsburgh ff.' m- :i ' -I 4v- i Photo/FRANK WILLIAMS Things haven't gone swimmingly for the Charlotte Hornets of late, especially when it comes to finding the basket. In this case, Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton blocks Armon Gilliam's shot. The Hornets {day the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. Hornets' Play Souring Love This Just Isn't The Same Team In Performance And Spunk By HERB WHITE Post Managing Editor Remember Charlotte's love af fair with professional basket ball? It was great, the outpour ing of affection for those lovable Charlotte Hornets, who gave the home fans some thrills in fin ishing 20-62 In Its rookie sea son. Well those days are on hold for many, as the Hornets are threa tening to sink to new lows in on- court performance. The first thing people look for with this team Isn't necessarily won-loss records--lt Is an ex pansion team, folks--but the HQ (Hustle Quotient). Last year's crew had If nothing else but the desire to fly around the floor after loose balls and giving the NBA's heavyweights a tough time. Heck, even If Charlotte was blown out on ocasslon, the Hornets were scrappy enough to give the fans a good time and competitive games most of the time. But something's gone sour this year. The guys In teal just don't seem to have that HQ folks loved last season. The mistakes are more easily seen and fans-- and media alike are less toler ant of those goofs. One could easily point a finger In all kinds of areas, so let's proceed. • Coaching. More than one per son has wondered aloud why Dell Curry has been sitting on Dick Harter's bench for so long. The sharpshooting guard has been the Hornets' best outside scoring threat all year, but couldn't crack the starting line up until tonight's game with Cleveland at the Charlotte Coli seum. Kelly Trlpucka, who was brought to Charlotte last year for the sole purpose of scoring, has been miserable most of the season. In the Hornets' last two outings, against San Antonio and Utah, Trlpucka has thrown up several airballs from within 10 feet of the basket. Yet he's been a mainstay. And Stuart Gray hasn't done much on the court other than nearly choke the life out of Los Angeles Laker Michael Cooper. Harter was Intent on getting Gray in the off-season, but it hasn't worked to the Hornets' advantage so far, giving only token support as a backup to J.r; Reid. Can Charlotte get Earl Cureton back from Italy? • Balance. Granted, there Is a problem with developing chem istry on a team that has seen more than its share of Injuries. With the lineup being Juggled constantly to achieve some bal ance. you wonder if it'll happen before the natives get really rest less. J.R. Reid and Rex Chapman, the franchise's prized young sters, have shown their youth, with Inconsistent outtngs of late. Chapman started the season on fire, but has been more like an ember at times. Reid, who is ex pected to knock folks out on his way to points, hasn't been the Intlmldator the Hornets' brass hoped for. But both should get better once , they master the in tricacies of the NBA • Finding the best players. Gen eral manager Carl Scheer is go ing to have to look high and low for players to solve the matchup problems the Hornets face every night From the inception of the fran chise, Scheer has stuck to a phi losophy of mixing young and veteran players. The only prob lem is that In most cases, the Hornets are shorter than most opponents. It got to Harter after a recent loss. "I'm not the director of player personnel (Gene Littles Is) and I'm not the general man ager," he said. "AU I can do Is try to coach the players I have." One player who has done well Is Armon Gilliam, who was brought to Charlotte In a sur prise trade for Kurt Rambls. He has the physical tools to play, which Is a good move on Scheer's part. Once he learns the system and becomes comforta- See WHATS On Page 8B NFL Isn't Betting On NBAs Suit Steelers last accomplished the feat a decade ago. Or as Coach George Seifert said after the season ended Sunday; "The trick now Is to keep It go ing." Still, It's not difficult to classi fy the 49ers as favorites going Into the Super Bowl tournament that wlU culminate In New Or leans on Jan. 28. It's also not difficult to suggest See PLAYOFFS On Page 9B PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The National Football League is sup porting the National Basketball Association's lawsuit to stop Oregon from allowing betting on NBA games but the NFL is not sure the basketball league will win. "It's up to the NBA to make any conjecture about the outcome" of the lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court of Eugene, said Jim Heffeman, NFL direc tor of public relations, from the league office In New York. Heffernan said Friday he couldn’t comment on whether the NFL was Involved with the NBA’s preparation of its lawsuit to stop the Oregon Lottery from adding NBA games to Its popular Sports Action betting contest on NFL games. He said the NFL had no plans to join the NBA in the lawsuit, but added, "should they ask us to, we would certainly be willing to dis cuss participating to some ex tent." The NFL has criticized Sports Action but the league hasn't sued the Oregon Lottery. 'That was just our decision," Heffeman said. "The position taken by the league, our position all along, has been in opposition to the Oregon game. We’re op posed to lotteries of all forms. It's something we'll be monitor ing." Jim Davey, the lottery director, has said the NFL might have avoided a lawsuit because league officials decided they probably couldn't win in court. But Heffer nan challenged that assump tion, saying that "1 don't think an3dhing can be Inferred by our action or Inaction." Heffeman said the NBA Is In a different position because It has a team In Oregon, the Portland Trail Blazers, which Davey has said will be excluded from the Sports Action game as a courte sy. The NBAs lawsuit contends that Sports Action is not a legal lottery because it Is a game of skill rather than chance. The suit also alleges Infringement on trademark and property rights. Heffeman acknowledged that the NFL didn’t win on those Is sues during a 1976 Delaware court battle concerning a game See LEAGUES On Page lOB
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