11B
SPORTS/The Charlotte Post
UNCC defense tested tough
Thursday, February 1, 1995
NO OTHER SUFERMAKtCET CAN OFFER THE QUALITY ANP THE VARIETY THAT WALTER CANI
Continued From SB
factor has been the improve
ment of center Alex Kuehl,
who gives the 49ers a shot
blocking big when he returns
from an ankle sprain. He’s
expected back in six weeks,
whichwill force changes.
“This is our season and we
want to be as competitive as
we can, so we want to give our
all on the floor,” James said.
“We just try to play defense as
a unit, help each other out and
mainly don’t try to give pene
tration.”
Last week’s 79-69 win over
24th-ranked Marquette was
another step in UNCC’s
growth. The 49ers domination
of the Golden Eagles was their
best win of the season and
another sign of their ability to
compete in one of the nation’s
top leagues.
“I’d say it (was) one of our
biggest games,” Mullins said.
“We’ve had a couple of oppor
tunities and quite honestly
this team was growing up. The
parts are getting better and
the team is getting better, so it
was a very satisfying win.”
Big games like the
Marquette win left Johnson
and the other 49ers feeling
they deserve the kind of recog
nition that goes to Conference
USA’s marquee programs,
which include Louisville,
Cincinnati and Memphis.
“We try to get up every night
to play against a conference
team,” Johnson said. “I know
you try to get up to play
against everybody, but it
makes such a big difference to
play the 24th-ranked team.”
With Kuehl providing a mas
sive presence in the paint,
Johnson is relieved of the bur
den of patrolling the paint.
The result has been a stronger
defense that prevents oppo
nents from developing any
consistency. It was especially
evident in the Marquette
game, where the Eagles made
less than 40 percent of their
shots from the floor.
“By us playing tough
defense, we’re going to make
teams shoot poorly,” Johnson
said. “By us playing tough
defense, I think we’ve got a
chance every night.”
The meat of UNCC’s season
is still to be played, with
return games with Louisville,
Cincinnati and Memphis to be
played in Charlotte. If the
49ers can keep up their pace,
they could be a factor in the
conference race and a con
tender for postseason consid
eration. Downs is confident
that’ll be the case.
“We think we’re a good team,
but we can get a lot better,” he
said. “We’re playing in a con
ference with a lot of great
teams and it’s a challenge for
us every night to come out and
compete. We feel we’ve got a
chance to win like every other
team.”
Cowboys try to make mark on the decade
Continued From SB
including offensive coordinator
Ernie Zampese.
“It was an emotional game
for me,” said Zampese, who
worked for three different
NFL teams in 16 seasons. “I
had never even been to a
Super Bowl before as a specta
tor.”
The win culminated a frus
trating season for Aikman,
who had his problems with
Switzer. Among them was an
allegation by former assistant
coach John Blake that Aikman
singled out black players for
criticism.
Haley led the parade of play
ers defending the quarterback.
“Nobody on this team has a
problem with Troy Aikman,”
he said. And Aikman, who will
skip next week’s Pro Bowl to
have elbow surgery, wanted to
take a pass on the Switzer con
troversy, too. “There is no need
to talk about that right now.”
Also left for some future date
is whether Haley will return
next season.
“It depends on what the doc-
Dallas cornerback/wide receiver
back-to-back Super Bowl rings.
tors say,” said Haley, who had
back surgery seven weeks ago.
“I’m optimistic. I think I
might continue to play. But if
the doctors tell mere there’s a
really good chance that I
might rupture my back again,
then I probably won’t.”
Dallas city fathers were
PHOTO/WADE NASH
Denion Sanders (21) has won
planning a parade late in
February, and wide receiver
Michael Irvin served notice to
owner Jerry Jones.
“'I want Jerry to know I want
big, big, big diamonds on our
rings this time,” Irvin
said.”Make it giant ones,
Jerry.”
Herron student of the game
Continued From 8B
Their only loss was a 47-36
loss at South Mecklenburg.
Herron is wise enough to know
that loss following 14 straight
wins could be a blessing in dis
guise.
“I think we needed the loss.
It taught me to give it all I got
every game not to give up, to
go out and give her (coach
McDonald) 100 percent, no
giving up no matter how many
we’re down by and how many
minutes to go,” Herron said.
The Indians haven’t been
down much this year, beating
teams by an average of almost
16 points. The Indians knew
they would be good before the
season started but didn’t think
they would be this good. After
all, they lost senior captain
Jennifer Elliot and power for
ward Tamika Mackey, who
graduated to UNC Charlotte.
Still, four starters are back
and the Indians have picked
up right where their 21-4 sea
son ended last year.
“Our offense and defense last
year focoused around Tamika
and now that she’s gone,
everybody knows thier role,
you can’t depend on Tamika
anymore,” Herron said. “I
know everybody depends on
me and Ashley (senior point
guard Ashley Holder, an all
conference and all-county
selection last year), but they
know when we’re not going
right, they’ve got to step up.”
Herron’s healthy this season,
something she wasn’t in ‘94-
’95. Just before the team’s first
scrimmage last year, she
turned an ankle playing bas
ketball at lunch. Though she
didn’t miss any games, there
was a lot of pain and swelling.
As a result, she didn’t have a
typical season. The true
Herron is back, but she’s not
willing to make any state
championship predictions.
“One day at a time, one game
at a time, got to go win the
conference title and then the
playoffs,” Herron said.
Herron wasn’t always a bas
ketball player. When she first
started playing sports, it was
softball that grabbed her
interest. But when the basket
ball bug bit, at age 10, it bit
hard and she’s loved the game
ever since. Herron said she
wouldn’t be where she is now
vrithout the help and guidance
of McDonald, who’s compiled a
career mark of 230-84 in 20
years of coaching. Herron
showed her smarts again
when she chose to go to West
Meek and learn from
McDonald.
“Me coming here is an oppor
tunity for me, it’s a good
opportunity,” Herron said. “If I
hadn’t come, I don’t think I ■
would be as good as I am now.
She has helped me a lot with
my attitude, with giving it all
I got. I mean, if it wasn’t for
her, I wouldn’t be here.”
Under McDonald’s guidance,
Herron has blossomed into a
scorer who loves to attack the
basket. She’s picked up the
scoring slack left by the gradu
ation of Mackey and allowed
the Indians to keep on win
ning.
“She’s come around so much
just with her attitude. I’m
really hard on her and I have
the support of her mom and
her grandmother,” McDonald
said. “She listens to me. She
doesn’t always want to but she
does and she’s learned to sac
rifice. She’s always been a
team player but she needs
somebody to discipline her and
be hard on her.
Could this be the year the
Indians bring West
Mecklenburg its first state
championship in any sport?
McDonald, like her star pupil,
doesn’t want to look too far
ahead.
“We’re just trying to take one
game at a time, prepare for it,
execute well, really work on
conditioning, intensity and
staying focused and going for
the conference title,” she said.
“Then the conference tourna
ment,” she said.
Sounds like teacher and stu
dent know what they want.
BLACK FAX
H: What was the name of the 16-acre camp near the Lincoln Monument in
1968?
h i : What is L.C. Bailey credited for inventing
li; Who co-starred with Sidney Poitier in “Porgy and Bess”?
S: W hat was the name of the first Black fully salaried professional basketball
team?
L.4: What Black poet organized the Black Arts Theatre in Harlem?
P: How many schools are in the Atlanta University System?
ANSWERS ON PAGE 14B
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