3B
SPORTSyThe Charlotte Post
Thursday, August 21, 1997
Lane might win a job
Harris
Continued from IB
Sn practice. We like what we see
;so far.”
i Football is in Lane’s blood. His
father, Fred Sr., was a star back
■!at Tennessee State and later
•played for the Washington
■Redskins.
i “They called him Night Train,”
!the younger Lane said. “They
^called me Little Night Train.”
;■ Little Night Train chugged
through
defenses at
Lane, a
Division II
school. As a
junior, he fin
ished second in
:the nation in
:mshing in
1995 with
•1,833 yards
and Lane fin
ished 8-2. Lane’s senior season
jfas curtailed by injuries, but he
jnanaged 825 yards, good enough
to convince Carolina general
manager Bill PoUan to sign him
to a free agent contract. Although
Lane never gave pro football
much thought, he earned a shot
at the big time.
I‘T was just having fun playing
tlack college football because it
|vas a lot of fun,” he said. “I never
{bought I’d be in the NFL playing
in front of all these people doing
my thing.”
Lane’s thing has been impres
sive. At 5-10 and 205 pounds, he’s
shown power and speed during
•the preseason.
• “He has natural instincts to
■play the game,” Harris said. “He
has a burning desire to get the
ball to the goal line.”
The pros is “a whole different
world," from the college game.
Lane said. The complexity of
offenses was confusing at first,
.but he’s adjusting quickly. The
results C£m be seen on the field,
where Lane has shown bursts of
power between tackles and the
speed to outrun defenders.
PHOTO/WADE NASH
Fred Lane has been the biggest surprise of the Caroiina Panthers’
preseason.
“I’m way better than the first
day of minicamp,” he said. “The
first day, I was lost. It was hke I
was in a foreign country or some
thing. Now it’s coming along.”
Harris wouldn’t tip the
Panthers’ hand as to whether
Lane would make the opening-
day roster. But his impressive
showing on offense and work on
special teams works to Lane’s
advantage.
“He’s right in the middle of
things,” Harris said. “A ruiming
back in a backup role has to be
done well on special teams.
Biakabutuka and Johnson
aren’t likely to be supplanted as
Carolina’s top running backs, and
Lane knows it. What he wants is
the chance to prove he belongs on
an NFL roster.
“Tve got to work harder than
they do because thejfve been in ■
the league longer than I have and
they’re more experienced,” Lane
said. “Tve just got to sit back and
pay my dues, then when I get my
chance to get in the spotlight,
then go ahead and do it.”
able to play several roles. He’s Quietly, of course.
Ramsey brings versatility to plate
Continued from IB
than most of the guys in the gym,
so they were excited.”
• After beating up on men in
Golden Gloves tournaments,
tlamsey had three bouts fined up
against women, but got a call
from Diamonds coach Judy
Martino to try out. She had to put
boxing on the back burner.
; “I said Td be right back in a cou
ple of months, so just keep me in
mind,” Ramsey said.
■: The move to Charlotte has had
its ups and downs. Ramsey
gained valuable experience play
ing fast pitch, becoming a pioneer
in a new league. But sbe had bad
luck early in the season, injuring
Her right knee sliding into second.
I‘It’s been great to me so far
elxcept for the injury and it’s both
ered me the whole season,” she
said. “So I haven’t been able to
jjroduce the way I want to. Tve
had to play on it because we did
n’t have enough players.”
Despite the injury, which won't
fuUy heal until Ramsey rests her
knee during the off season, she is
stiU the answer to a Diamonds
trivia question. Ramsey hit the
franchise’s first home run at UNC
Charlotte.
“Tm glad I had it,” she said. “I
didn’t expect it, especially in that
at-bat, but I guess the coach can
see me progressing, the bat speed
and the timing.”
Martino has seen it. Ramsey’s
bat has come alive in the second
half By early last week, she had
raised her average to .248 with 32
hits, 3 doubles and 5 RBIs.
“Lisa is a raw athlete, she plays
every sport,” Martino said. “She’s
just a tough athlete, some things
she does in softball are not pretty
but she gets them done.”
Ramsey’s fife also hasn’t been
the easiest. The Lake Wales, Fla.,
native is raising her 10-year old
daughter, Alysia, by herself while
Littlejohn wins Open
By Herbert L. White
TflE CHARLOTTE POST
• Donald Littlejohn won the
Bar-Buster Open Golf
'tournament Sunday at
Bastwood Golf Course in
Charlotte.
{Littlejohn won with a two-
rjound total of 140. Andre
Robinson was three strokes
jack in second place and Tom
'olito third at 147.
• Robert Brown took first in
first flight play with 152, two
^ots better than Melvin
itackson and four ahead of Otis
Worthy.
{Results from the Par-Buster
Qpen Golf Tournament at
^astwood Golf Course:
[Championship flight: Donald
Ijittlejohn 140; Andre Robinson
143; Tom Polito 147; Buddy
itolson 148; Donnell Davis 149.
First Flight: Robert Brown
l62; Melvin Jackson 154; Otis
Worthy 156; James Glenn 157;
John Neely 158.
'Second flight: Doug Beamer
157; Wanda Green 158; Aquil
Shamsid-Deen 74; Robert
Patterson 161; Paul Cooper
161.
Third flight: Dan Bentley
164; Reggie Sellers 164; Mike
Sharpe 169; Charles Shivers
trying to find a home and lay
do-wn roots.
“I Uke the Charlotte area and I
was hoping I would find some
teaching job or something,” she
said. “If the Diamonds ask me
back, that would be good, then I
can learn the city and learn the
people but if not, Tm going back to
Florida and find something.”
This season hasn’t played out
the way the Diamonds expected.
A decent first half, (16-19), was
followed by a two-week losing
streak that knocked the
Diamonds from the playofi' race
but the team has shown improve
ment of late and point to year two
as being better.
‘We have some great players,”
Martino said. “Now but we have
to get a little more consistent.”
At the moment, Martino’s plans
for next season include Ramsey.
“Her primary role is as a desig
nated player, that she woirld do a
lot of hitting,” Martino said. “She’s
a good base runner (but) a little
shaky in the field so we have a
few things for her to work on over
the winter.”
For Ramsey, the season has
been an eye-opener.
“I haven’t seen this great an
amount of talent except at the
Olympic team. I never went to col
lege at the Big Tfen schools, I
played one year (at Florida A&M),
so Tve never seen the best of the
best.”
Now Ramsey has and she hopes
to stay awhile.
Former JCSU star going to S. Korea
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Robert Boykins’ success in the
U.S. Basketball League has
landed him a job with a South
Korean professional team.
Boykins, a former Johnson C.
Smith standout, has signed
with LG Sakers in South
Korea’s premier league. The
fifth pick in the league’s draft of
American players, Boykins’ con
tract, including incentives, can
top $100,000. Although he does
n’t know much about LG
Sakers, Boykins said the chance
to play professionally is an
opportunity too good to pass on.
“AUI know is it’s in Korea and
the pay is pretty good,” he said.
Boykins helped the Atlantic
City Sea GuUs to the USBL title
this year with a 26-26 record.
Playing small forward and
power forward, he averaged 16
points and five rebounds a
game, in addition to defending
opponents’ top offensive threat.
“Whoever their scorer was, I
had to check him,” Boykins
said. “It let me know something
that the coach thought enough
of my defense to put me on the
best player.”
The 6-7 Boykins has worked
on fine-tuning his overall game
in summer leagues like the
Charlotte Pro-Am and minor
leagues like the USBL and
CBA. In college, he concentrat
ed on scoring; as a pro, the
emphasis has shifted to the fun
damentals.
“My outside shot has
improved and my ball-handling
is better,” he said. “Tm more
focused. I guess it comes with
age and experience. I’m playing
fike Tm playing for fun.”
Boykins, who was with the
CBA’s Shreveport, La., fran
chise in 1995, would stiU fike to
take a crack at the NBA. South
Korea isn’t the U.S., but it’s a
stepping stone. He leaves for his
new job on Sept. 1.
“It’s always been my dream to
play in the NBA,” he said.
“HopefiiUy, by playing in Korea,
RLE PHOTO
Former Johnson C. Smith
standout Robert Boykins wili
piay in South Korea.
someone in the NBA wiU see
me.
“It’s not a five-or-die situation
if I don’t get to the NBA. It’s fike
in Jerry Maguire - show me the
money.”
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the 1997
PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS 111
Mike Sharpe putts during the
Par-Busters Open golf tourna
ment at Eastwood Golf Course
in Charlotte. Donald Littlejohn
won the tournament with a two-
day score of 140, three shots
better than Andre Robinson.
Tom Polito was third at 147.
169; Dale Suggs 170.
Fourth flight: Paul
Cunningham Jr. 179; Earl
Moore 180; Walter Burgess
184; William Schenck 185.
$1 MStniinED ADirai $i
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Thursday August 28, 1997, 7:00pm
@ Salisbury High School’s Ludwig Stadium
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