8B CFiarlotte SPORTS THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 1996 Lady Eagles ’ new leader Robinson to coach at NCCU ASSOCIATED PRESS DURHAM, NC - North Carolina Central University named Joli D. Robinson, for mer head coach for girls varsi ty basketball at Indejjendence High School, the new head coach of the Lady Eagle bas ketball program, during a press conference held Aug. 15 in NCCU’s Leroy T. Walker Physical Education Complex, “North Carolina Central University was searching for an individual who could estab lish the Lady Eagles as one of the top basketball programs m the C.I.A.A. and the nation, both athletically and academi cally,” said Dr. William E. Lide, Director of Athletics at N.C. Central. “I am confident that we have found the person to accomplish these goals in Joli Robinson.” Since 1990, Robinson has directed the var sity girl’s basketball squad at Independence High School to an overall record of 96-56. During her six-year tenure she guided her team to back- to-back Conference Championships in 193-94 and 1994-95. For her work, she was hon ored as the Conference Coach of the Year in 1994, and N. C. High School Athletic Association Regional US Air Sportsmanship Award in 1995. Along with her responsibilities to the girl’s basketball pro gram, Robinson was also the head coach of volleyball and track & field, as well as department chairperson and an instructor of Health and Physical Education at Independence. Robinson, a native of Charlotte, graduated from Charlotte Catholic High School in 1973. She entered Winston Salem State University, where she played point guard for the Lady Ram basketball program^ for four seasons and earned a bachelor of science degree in 1977, with concentration Health and Physical Education. That same year, she attend ed West Chester University of Pennsylvania to begin her graduate studies in Health and Physical Education. In 1990, Robinson achieved her master’s degree in Health and Physical Education from N. C. A&T State University. Since beginning her coaching career in 1977, Robinson has coached basketball, track & field, softball and volleyball at four different school systems in Charlotte. She accepted her first coaching job at Wilson Junior High School, where she stayed for six years. Robinson spent five years at Eastway Junior High School (1984 89), earning Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1986, one year at Hawthorne Traditional School (1989-90), where she was again named Conference Coach of the Year in 1990, and spent the last six years at Independence High School (1990-96). Robinson has extended her vast experience to the community, as a coach for the A.A.U. Girl’s Basketball League and an instrucor for a variety of camps and clinics, including the Reebok Clinic at Queens College and the YES Clinic at UNC-Charlotte this summer. Panthers Buffaloed By Herbert L. White THE CHARLOTTE POST A fter two underwhelm ing preseason efforts, the Carolina Panthers are looking to find some answers. The Panthers, who play the New York Giants Friday in the final tuneup before the Sept. 1 season opener, dropped passes, turned the ball over and were thoroughly outplayed in a 24-0 loss to Buffalo. Offensively and defensively, Carolina just isn’t doing enough to win, said line backer Sam Mills. “We really didn’t do an54;hing out there to help ourselves,” Mills said. “Basically, we had a couple of plays in the game, but not near ly enough.” While preseason games are a time for yoimg players to impress coaches while veterans see little action. Mills sees them as a time to sharpen skills, something that hasn’t happened of late. “Each person has to go out and play better. Personally, I don’t like losing preseason games,” he said. “It doesn’t count against the record, but it’s still prepEu^a- tion. If you don’t see progress made in the preseason, alarms start going off, so you want to see progress each time you go out, and the last two weeks, I don’t know if I can say that.” “I thought we were just out there, not really making any thing happen,” Mills said. Running back Dino Philyaw, who wiU move further down the depth chart with Tshminaga Biakabutuka repwiting to camp, said the Panthers’ use of young See PANTHERS on page 11B Is He Ready? Biakabutuka says yes, despite holdout Biakabutuka, right, Is ail smiles despite a 24-0 drubbing by the Buffalo Bills, photo/calvin ferguson By Herbert L. White THE CHARLOTTE POST Tbhimanga Biakabutuka and Chick Harris are inseparable. Biakabutuka, the Carolina Panthers’ rookie running back, has been going throu^ a crash course on offense with Harris, his position coach. There’s plenty of skull sessions, plays the rookie has to learn before he takes a snap in an NFL game. Meetii^s in the morn ing, then practice in the afternoon. 'Then more meetings. How much schooling is Harris giving Biakabutuka? “A lot. We’ve been hanging together for most of the days. We’ve had a lot of meetings.” “I don’t have time for that. It’s time to go full speed and try to learn and get momentum with the linemen.” Biakabutuka, who agreed to terms with Carolina last week, may not be ready to play Friday against the New York Giants, but he pro nounced himself on the way to readiness after his first practices after a month long holdout. “We went through a lot of meetings and I remember most of the plays that I learned in minicamp,” he said. “That’s why I was doing a lot better than I thought I would.” Before Biakabutuka can start playing, he’ll have to continue his crash course. Panthers coach Dom Capers said. After missing all of training camp, it’ll take some time for Biakabutuka to learn the offense and contribute. “Obviously, he’s rusty in some areas, but he’s had good meeting time,” Capers said. Working Biakabutuka into the offense will take some time, receiver Willie Green said. Although he’s not expected to know all the plays, the extra study time can only help his game preparation. In other words, the rookie is on his own. “Fm pretty sure he can (catch up) if he’s an ath lete,” Green said. “I don’t worry about whether hell be there. If he’s there or not, the game’s got to go on and I’ve got to do my job. I hope he holds up his end.” Because Biakabutuka hasn’t played in a game since he suited up for Michigan last season, con ditioning is a concern, Capers said. Special care vrill be taken with his groin area, which was strained in June minicamp. “The biggest thing Tim’s going to have to do I don’t care what kind of running you’ve been doing off the field, it’s not football running - cutting with the ball and doing all the things you have to do. We’re going to have to monitor that to make sure he doesn’t pull a muscle or something that happens early in training camp.” Although he hasn’t spent much time scrim maging, Biakabutuka said he’s ready to play. Of course, Carolina’s coaches will determine whether he’s learned enough to start pla3?ing. See BIAKABUTUKA on page 10B PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSON Student cannot resist call of game By Herbert L. White THE CHARLOTTE POST Two years ago. Chuck Young turned in his football cleats for a roofer’s hammer. Now, he’s rebuilding his fortunes at Johnson C. Smith. Young, a junior, dropped out of Tennessee State in frustra tion after a lack of playing time and coaching changes. He took several jobs to sup port himself, but the game he’d tired of called. “I did a lot of things. I did a little roofing, I worked as a shoe sales man, I worked with the kids at the YMCA in Nashville,” Young said. “I think that year gave me a lot of time to ■ find myself and do a lot of grow ing up. It was all business, so I knew I had to work hard and that year prepared me to work hard, whether it was the books or on the field.” Although Young wasn’t playing, he stayed in touch with TSU assistant coach Daryl McNeill, who installed the Tigers’ offense as its coordinator. When McNeill became Smith’s head coach. Young followed him. “I gave him a ring and asked him point blank ‘Do you need a quarterback,’” Young said. “He said ‘I’ve got a good one in De’Trell Calloway, but I could use some help at the position.’ I said ‘Coach, do you think I can do it.’ He said ‘Do you think you can do it.’ Without a doubt in my mind, I knew I was ready.” Young has worked hard enough to earn the starting job with the Golden Bulls, who open Aug. 31 against Benedict. Although his statistics weren’t as good as Calloway’s, Young’s off-season and spring workouts vaulted him into the top spot. “In the spring I kind of felt it was up in the air and we had See YOUNG on page 11B PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSON Young Baseball very, very good, but not to all SPECIAL TO THE POST Kenny Lofton of the Cleveland Indians recently said that his baseball team may be suffering criticism because the team is heavily populated with Black and Hispanic ballplayers. In a report titled “A Statistical Analysis on Discrimination Evidenced by Voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame,” the researcher was quoted as say ing that “There is evidence that African Americans must perform at a higher level, on average than their white coun terparts to remain in the game.” Baseball’s bad boys come in all shapes, sizes and complex ions, however, white athletes seldom take as many verbal whippings from white sports “experts.” And if superstars like Barry Bonds, Albert Belle, Daryl Strawberry, Lee Smith, Doc Gooden, Eddie Murray, etc. weren’t so dense and cocky, they would also see it for what it really is. Even “good guys” like Tbny G3wnn and Ozzie Smith are not above being dogged for not always being superhuman. A few years ago, a popular sports magazine picked some of its all-time greatest baseball players and would you believe that only Willie Mays and Henry Aaron consistently made the lists. We seem to have forgotten that the National League, which first brought black ballplayers in wholesale, dominated the annual all-star game until the last 15 or so years. Many thanks to Bob Gibson, Frank Robinson, Willie McCoVey, Juan Marichal, Dick Allen, Orlando Cepeda, Ernie Banks, BiUy Williams, etc. Today, there are still only See BASEBALL on page l|l B