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Cljarlotte
THURSDAY, May 1, 1997
IB
SPORTS
Hush, hush sweet Charlotte
Despite injuries, 3-0 loss surprises Hornets
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
The Charlotte Hornets came
into the NBA playoffs limping.
And that’s how they’re headed
into summer vacation.
The New York Knicks saw to
that Monday, beating the
Hornets 104-95 to complete a
three-game sweep in their first
roimd series. As big a surprise as
Charlotte’s best season ever was,
so was the Hornets’quick exit. It
didn’t have to be that way, for
ward Glen Rice said
“It’s going to be real hard for
me to swaHow,” he said. “We
should’ve gotten a lot farther
than we did, regardless of how
ACC
packs
Sting
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
The Charlotte Sting has a dis
tinct ACC flavor.
The WNBA team stayed close
to home in the first two rounds of
the league’s first draft Monday,
selecting Virginia guard Tora
Suber with the seventh pick
overall and N.C. State center-
forvard Sharon Manning with
the 10th selection. Their addi
tion brings the Sting’s ACC con
tingent to five, including former
North Mecklenburg High and
N.C. State standout Andrea
Stinson.
“I’m very excited about the
players that we added to our ros
ter,” Charlotte coach Marynell
Meadors said. “We entered (the)
draft looking for point guards
and post players and filled those
needs wth extremely talented
players.”
The 5-7 Suber directed
Wrginia’s offense as a four-year
starter. She was a Naismith
Award finalist and an Associated
Press All-America honorable
mention last season. She fin
ished her college career as the
Cavaliers’ all-time leader in
three-point field goals made
(220) and as third-leading scorer
(1,767).
“I’m overwhelmed right now by
the good news,” Suber said.
“This is a dream come true for
me. I’m happy to be a member of
the Charlotte Sting.”
Manning, 6-3, was a teammate
of Stinson and Rhonda Mapp,
another Sting player, at N.C.
State. She currently plays for
Thienne in the Italian League
with Stinson. In four seasons at
N.C. State, Manning was most
valuable player in the 1991 ACC
tournament and was named all-
ACC in 1990. She averaged 13
points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5
assists per game with the
Wol^ack.
"Ibra Suber is an explosive
guard who has incredible shoot
ing range and tremendous
quickness,” Meadors said.
“Sharon Manning possess an
innate ability to get to the ball
and put it back in the basket.”
In the third round, Charlotte
picked 5-8 guard Debra
Williams from Louisiana Tech
and Mercer forward Andrea
Congreaves in the fourth.
Williams was a 1996 Kodak All-
America selection and three
time aU-Sun Belt Conference
and all-toumament selection.
Congreaves, 6-2, averaged 24
points and 10 rebounds at
Mercer. She was named a Kodak
All-America as a senior in 1993.
wen we did in the regular sea
son. I really felt we had a chance
to really do something.”
After watching New York lay
waste to Charlotte’s postseason,
point guard Muggsy Bogues,
who was hampered by a sore
hamstring, gave the Knicks
credit. StUl, he couldn’t help but
wonder what might have hap
pened if both teams were at full
strength.
“You can’t make excuses. I
think we still could’ve beat those
guys the way we were, but it
would’ve made it easier if we
had healthier bodies,” Bogues
said. “This is the time where
guys go into the playoffs with
healthy bodies, go in with a
game plan, having your core
guys who got you up to this
point. But because of my situa
tion, Dell’s (Curry, shoulder) sit
uation and Matt’s (Geiger, back)
situation, coach (Dave Cowens)
had to go with a scramble-type
rotation and try to find who
could give us some kind of spark
or contribution.”
Even with the injuries,
Charlotte had chances to win
each game. Aches or not. New
York, led by ex-Homet Larry
Johnson, took Charlotte’s best
shot in moving to the next
round.
“Everybody had ■ a heart like
warriors,” said forward Anthony
See HORNETS on page 3B
New guys fuel Knicks sweep
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
PHOTO/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Larry Johnson dunks the ball
home Monday in New York’s
104-95 win over Charlotte.
The New York Knicks took a lot of abuse for spending a lot of money
on free agents and trades last summer.
In the first round of the playoffs, at least, it looks like money well
spent
Guards Chris Childs and Allan Houston came via free agency.
Forward Larry Johnson, the $84 million whipping boy as a Charlotte
Hornet, came in a trade. They all had a hand in dispatching Charlotte
104-95 Monday and sweeping the Hornets 3-0 in their best-of-five
series. After being blinded by the glare of New York-style expectations,
the new guys - especially Johnson, who has been knocked since the
trade for a lack of offensive production — needed a breakout series.
“It meant a lot to all of us,” Childs said. “Allan came out and really
got us going early.
“U has been consistent all year. It’s just that early on in the season
a lot of teeims were double-teaming (him) and he’s a not a guy who’s
not going to be unselfish, ff he doesn’t have the shot, he’s going to pass
See KNICKS on page 3B
Learning the ropes
Barrow wants
that winning
feeling again
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
PHOTOAVADE NASH
Micheal Barrow is learning
how to win again.
The Carolina Panthers line
backer didn’t get to do a lot it in
five seasons With the Houston
Oilers, but that changed with an
offseason switch in teams.
Slowly, he’s learning that being a
part of a winner requires a
change in attitude.
“For me to conie in. I’m being a
sponge. I StUl have a disease of
losing that’s in me that I need to
get out,” he said. “When you
associate losing with Houston,
we lost a lot of close games and
that became contagious. Here,
they won a lot of close games,
and they know how to win and
I’ve got to get back to the old feel
ing, that feeling of knowing how
to win and getting the best out of
my ability constantly.”
The first thing Barrow learned
in last week’s minicamp is the
how the Panthers pay attention
to detaUs. The coaches expect
discipline, and the players pick
up on it quickly. There’s little
room for deviation - or error.
“It’s definitely different fi'om
where I came from,” he said.
“This is a tight ship, a stickler
for details....You still have a
chance to relax in this type of
atmosphere, but there’s no gray
area. You understand what
you’ve got to do.”
Barrow, who is projected to
start at inside linebacker beside
37-year-old Sam MUls, is mak
ing the adjustment from free
lancing on the field to taking a
more disciplined approach to
attacking the baU. Carolina’s 3-4
defense is expected to free the
Carolina Panthers receiver Rae Carruth looks in a pass during minicamp last week in Charlotte. See BARROW on page 3B
Carruth, the 27th pick in April’s NFL draft, is expected to be a major contr butor on offense.
Top pick flashes speed
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Rae Carruth spent most of
his first minicamp with the
Carolina Panthers sleuthing.
The rookie wide receiver
tried to draw similarities
between the offense he
starred in at Colorado and
Carolina’s. Although last
week’s minicamp was just an
introduction to the NFL,
Carruth said the Panthers’
offense won’t be too difficult to
master.
“I think our offense might
have been technically a little
more difficult” at Colorado, he
said. “It’s just a transition
from a lot of numbers to
words. I’m trying to crack the
code -1 guess that’s what they
call it in football terms.
“It’s a little bit different. It’s
like my first practice in col
lege, but I’m picking it up
pretty fast.”
Carruth, who was selected
27th overall, showed off the
speed that made him one of
the top receivers available. He
impressed coaches and
Carolina quarterback Keny
Collins with several superb
catches, including one that
Collins felt he’d overthrown.
With a start like that,
Carruth is already making
himself a part of the offense
that Carolina coach Dom
Capers said needed more
speed.
‘Tm starting to feel comfort
able in it,” Carruth said.
“They’ve accepted me, and I’m
glad to be here.”
See CARRUTH on page 3B
PHOTO/WADE NASH
Michael Ban'ow says he likes
Carolina’s discipline and
aggressive defense.
Colorado
not rocky
on road
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
One of the big tumaroimds in
baseball this year is how the
Colorado Rockies are playing on
the road.
“All we heard last year was
how bad we were playing on the
road. Now all we’re hearing is
how well we’re playing on the
road,” Larry Walker said after
the Rockies beat the St. Louis
Cardinals 5-4 Friday.
Colorado won a club-record
seventh straight road game for
an overall record of 16-7, includ
ing 8-3 on the road. The fast
start is a sharp contrast to last
year’s road record of 28-53.
Walker, who hit his NL-leading
10th home run, said there was a
lot of pressure on the Rockies
last year because their poor road
record sparked a lot of com
ments from fans and the media.
“That was all we heard about
last year and I think that put a
lot of pressure on us,” Walker
said.
“Maybe we’re doing a better job
this year of shutting that talk
out.”
Rockies manager Don Baylor
said the team dedicated itself
over the winter to winning on
the road.
“We knew we had to address
that issue this year, and we have
done that,” Baylor said. ‘T can’t
really say how we’ve turned it
around, but we’re happy about
it.”
Colorado was 7-2 on the road
through last week and 7-3 at
home.
“We have to make sure we
don’t play at home this year like
we did on the road last year,”
Walker said.
Rockies starter Kevin Ritz (2-
3) is 2-0 on the road and 0-3 at
home.
“I don’t know what it is about
the home and road,” Ritz said.
“AU I know is I had a 4-0 lead
when I took the mound, and that
makes it easier to pitch.”
Baylor said the early lead gave
Ritz the confidence to use his
breaking ball to set up a good
fastball.
“He kept the Cardinals guess
ing, and that made all his pitch
es effective,” Baylor said.
The Rockies got some stout
defense from catcher Jeff Reed,
who threw out runners trying to
steal twice for inning-ending
double plays as the batter was
striking out on the pitch.
Walker, who was one behind
Ken Griffey Jr. for the major
league lead in home runs at the
start of the game, said he was
glad to hear that Griffey hit
three Friday.
“I’m glad he hit those tonight,”
Walker said. “I don’t want to
have to think about chasing
him.”