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7B SPORTSn'he Charlotte Post Thursday, April 3, 1997 Davis sees pluses at JCSU Continued from SB years, responded with a 7-3 record in 1996, the Golden Bulls’ first winning season since 1982. “I’m definitely interested because it’s home,” Davis said. “My mentor (former Smith coach Eddie McGirt) is there. My fam ily lives near there. My wife’s mother lives just behind the campus. There’s a lot of pluses there.” In addition to coaching, Davis wfll assume the athletic direc tor’s role from Steve Joyner, who remains men’s basketball coach. Spring practice has been pushed back a week and ends April 19 with an intrasquad scrimmage. Davis, who was on 'Itermessee State’s faculty, is popular among Smith alrrmrri, who had ^own accustomed to losing before McNeiU’s arrival. Davis, who applied for openings at Savarmah State and Delaware State only to be passed over, said he can build on McNeill’s suc cess. “If I get the chance to come to Charlotte, it would be coming back to the way it used to be,” he said. “I see great promise in the program to get it back to where it was.” Davis has been a mentor to his assistants who have moved on to laimch winning careers. There’s McNeill, one of the hot yormg stars among black college coach es, and Joe Crosby, who succeed ed Davis at Savarmah State and is now at Morris Brown in Atlanta. In a way, their success rrrirrors Davis’. “We have a long track record,” he said. “They have the Bill Davis flavor. 'The thing I miss about coaching is to see them make contribution. “The one thing coach (McGirt) told me was to take care of yoirr McNeill era ends with a flurry Continued from SB the Bulls’ first winning season since 1982. Leaving was the last thing on his mind, but Savarmah State’s package, which includes a television coaches’ show, was enough to convince him to move. “I definitely have a lot of feel ings that’s indescribable,” McNeill said. “I wanted to firrish what I started, but Savarmah State put together an outstand ing package that I couldn’t tirm down.” Smith’s tumaroimd last sea son came after McNeill sprin kled junior college transfers with holdovers from former coach Ray Lee’s tenure. Leaving those play ers, especially in the middle of spring practice, is awkward, but McNeill had nothing but praise for them. “They are my heroes because of where they’ve come from, he said. “They’re my biggest' con cern. Along with his former players, McNeill credits the JCSU com munity with helping turn the football program aroimd. Smith President Dorothy Cowser Yancy and athletic director Steve Joyner helped create a wimring atmosphere on campus, which spread to success on the field. “I can’t thank Doctor Yaniy for the things she’s done for me and coach Joyner for sticking with me,” McNeill said. “It’s a real heartfelt place for me and Til always have a place in my heart for Johnson C. Smith.” Although Smith gives only 13 scholarships, least in the nine- team CIAA, McNeill put togeth er a team that led the league in fewest points allowed and improved its record by five wins. Still, putting more resources into football can help make the program more competitive, a complaint of coaches who have quit in frustration or passed on the job. “We can win at Johnson C. Smith,” McNeill said. “There’s nothing wrong with what we have, but what if we had a Mttle bit more?” Savannah State, which starts spring practice April 24, had been without a coach since Wendell Avery was fired in November. In McNeill, the Tigers have one of the top young coaches in black college football and will be be expected to chal lenge Albany State for the league title. In the future, McNeill said he’d like to sched ule Smith. ‘Td like to do that,” he said. “What I really hope is well be playing m the Pioneer Bowl (the new postseason game pitting the CIAA and SIAC champions) in December.” Braves take on a different look Continued from 1B media and snippy with manage ment. In the end, though, the Braves couldn’t afford to pass up a play er who is probably the best lead- off hitter in baseball, with 323 stolen bases since 1992 while Atlanta has only 455 steals as a team during that time. The trade also frees up playing time in the outfield for 19-year-old phenom Andruw Jones. “I’m just glad to go somewhere where they win,” Lofton said. “The rest wfll take care of itself” The Braves have done plenty of winning since 1991, mainly because of three pitchers who have won the last six Cy Young awards. John Smoltz (24-8, 2.94 ERA) broke Greg Maddux’s four- year streak in 1996 when Maddux “slumped” to 15-11 with a 2.72 ERA. Atlanta also has 1991 winner Tbm Glavine (15-10, 2.98) and Denny Neagle (16-9, 3.50), who was acquired last season from Pittsburgh and now shdes into the fourth starter role formerly occupied by Steve Avery, who became a free agent and signed with Boston. The bullpen was shaky in the postseason, so the Braves are counting hea-vfly on two players who have missed most of the last two seasons with injuries. Kevin Rogers earned a spot as the top left-hander, while former Angels and Marlins closer Bryan Harvey is likely to work in mid dle relief once he recovers from a pulled muscle in his side. The closer is Mark Wohlers, who had a club-record 39 saves last season but was marred by Jim Leyritz’s three-run homer in the World Series. That blow in Game 4 was the clear turning point m a series that began with two straight Atlanta -victories and ended with New York win ning the last four. Wohlers and the rest of the Braves insist there won’t be a hangover from their stunning loss to the Yankees. Atlanta has been to the playoffs eveiy non strike year since 1991, but has only one World Series title to show for it. “People can say what they want,” Chipper Jones said. ‘We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished the last six years. We’re the best team in baseball over that period of time. We have been over the long haul. Some teams may come up and beat us in October, but that’s going to happen every once in a while. No one is going to take anything away from us.” Florida would like to take away something from tlje Braves: their run of divisional titles. 'The sleepy NL East took on a whole new dynamic during the offseason when the Marlins spent $89 miUion on free agents and hired Jim Leyland as man ager. “Whoever’s got the best team is going to win,” Jones said with an unconcerned shrug. “If they’re better than we are, we’ll tip our caps to ‘em.” Mason puts his best foot forward Continued from 1B “Mase is one of the guys that can consistently just back a guy in and get right to the rim, draw a foul and draw a double team.” As eager as Cowens is to have Mason’s 16.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists in the lineup, there’s no way he’ll rush the power forward back. “It’s whenever he’s ready to coma back and he feels comfort able coming back,” Cowens said. “I don’t think there’s going to be a big lag in terms of when he’s going to be ready to get his game legs underneath him again. I don’t think that wfll be a big issue.” Despite the finstration of los ing two tight games last week, Geiger says the team has to take Bullets Continued from 4B themselves - and whoever they happen to be playing. “If we don’t, that means that we’re out of focus,” Washington’s Tracy Murray said. “We have to keep putting people away. We have to be cold-blooded and just keep pounding them when they are down.” some positives from those games. “There’s some promising things,” he said. “I feel like I’m playing better -with Mase’s absence, so we’re getting min utes to some other guys on our team that hadn’t been getting them. “Tliat will make us that much better when Mase comes back but this team can win without him, we just got to go out there and do it.” Another player getting extra playing time is veteran forward Donald Royal. He’s a good defender who can also be an offensive asset. He says it’s not just one person that can fill in for Mason. “AH the guys in this locker room have to step up with Mason going down because (he’s) a guy leading the league in min utes,” Royal said. “It’s going to be a team effort to tiy and replace him, not just an indi-vidual.” “Friday (against Indiana game) you saw us collectively come in and do a decent job off the bench in his absence and that’s what we have to continue to do, to hopefully either move up in the standings or stay where we are.” When Mason does return, he doesn’t expect the Hornets to go through an adjustment period. That already happened at the start of the year. “I’m not the type of player that you have to switch anything for,” he said. “I’m the type of player that can fit m. I’m the type of player that does a few things, does so many things, that it’s easy to fit in. Whatever is lack ing is whatever I go after.” Including helping the Hornets get back on track towards their most successful regular season ever. 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