THie CmtxifliMb ^owwaZ
Tlie Student Newspaper of the University of North Cart>liiia at Qiarlolte
Volume XII; Number 16
Charlotte, North Caroluu
January II, 1977
49ers explode in island paradise;
Hilo coach calls Massey ‘Too much’
By Ron Green
People on the big
island of Hawaii have been
warned that Mauna Loa,
one of the few active
volcanoes in the world, will
have a major eruption in
the next few years. An
erruption would destroy a
tremendous amount of the
island paradise.
But Mauna Loa would
have to go some to equal
the destruction the UNCC
49ers left in Hilo. The
49ers fresh from three days
on Waikiki Beach, blew
into Hilo and wiped the
previously undefeated
Vulcans out 112-75 and
80-64 on consecutive
nights.
Although the games do
not count oh UNCC’s
record, the two victories
were another positive step
in the 49ers struggle to
return to the nation’s top
twenty.
The first game was one
of LfNCC’s classiest
performances of the year.
Playing in front of a sellout
crowd of 2700 in the Hilo
Civic Auditorium, the 49ers
shot a blistering 70 per cent
from the floor in the first
half to jump to a 50-34
halftime lead.
Junior forward Lew
Massey led the . assault
hitting eight of nine shots
and scoring 17 points by
halftime.
The second half
opened with UNCC playing
awesome basketball for the
first three minutes. They
ran off 18 straight points
against their hosts to boost
the lead to 74-34. From
then on, the only question
was how many points
UNCC could score.
Massey led the way
with 21 points and Cedric
I Maxwell had 20. Four
other 49ers scored in
double figures as the team
hit 64 per cent of its field
goals.
Before the game, there
was some question as to
how well the 49ers would
play. Having spent four
days sightseeing and taking
it easy, basketball had
taken a backseat in the
minds of the players.
Once the game started
all the, thoughts of
Diamond Head and the girls
on Waikiki Beach left.
Melvin Watkins said,
“Coach Rose told us we
had a job to do. We had
been away from it a while,
but once game time, came,
we were ready to play.’’
Hilo Coach Jim Yagi
was irnpressed with the
49ers. He said, “We tried
our best, but it was not
good enough. They have a
national reputation to
protect. They are a well
coached and well
disciplined team.
They are definitely the
best team on our schedule.
We (an NAIA) school) had
no business playing a
Division I school but it is
good for our fans to see a
ball team of that level come
m.
The second night was
totally unlike the first.
After dominating the first
game, UNCC was pushed to
the limit before downing
the Vulcans 80-64. With
Maxwell not playing
because of a pulled groin
muscle, UNCC trailed by as
many as seven points in the
first half before gaining a
31 all tie at halftime.
UNCC maintained a
small lead most of the
second half and finally iced
the game by scoring the last
11 points. Massey was the
key to the 49er success,
scoring 32 points and
pulling down nine
rebounds.
With 53 points in the
two games, Massey was the
center of Yagi’s attention.
He said, “Massey was just
too much. You have to give
him a lot of credit. 1 wish
he was on my team.
“Maxwell is so great.
you have to, miss him, but
in a lot of cases another
players steps in to carry the
load as Massey did. That is
the mark of a great team.”
Back in the hotel after
the game, 49er coach Lee
Rose leaned back against
the wall of an elevator and
sighed. He said, “You’ve
gotta love coaching. You
beat them one night by 50
and the next night you
have to struggle to aim.”
He’s not exactly Richard Daley...
But Charlotte is definitely his turf
By Brad Rich
Mayor John Belk is the
dominant figure in Charlotte area
politics. He has become almost an
institution, and, like him or not, it
is hard to imagine the city without
Belk at the helm.
Various politicians have taken
shots at the Mayor, but through
some combination of political
know-how, business sense, finance
and folksy, down-home appeal,
Belk has remained in office.
Belk’s opinions, together with
those of the Charlotte City
Council, shape much of the policy
output of our local government. To
find out just where Mayor Belk
stands on a few of the more
important local issues. Mayor Belk
was interviewed in his office on
East Trade Street December 28,
.1976. _ ^
Belk’s office on the second
floor of City Hall is the epitome of
good taste. The furnishings are
elegant without being extravagant,
and give the room an air of quiet
but confident dignity. You get the
feeling the Mayor rarely conducts
business in this room, but rather
in some small, dimly-lighted room
in the rear of the building.
The interview started with the
usual trivia - small talk about the
holiday season, sports and the
weather. Belk talked of his days as
captain of the Davidson College
basketball team, and praised
UNCC’s 49ers for their good
showings of late. Then it was time
for business.
The first question dealt with
District Representation, and
whether or not a change to this
form of government would greatly
affect the actual policy output of
the city government.
‘‘I think Council is
overemphasizing this thing,” Belk
said. “I personally think our
! change should be to a city-county
consolidation.”
He talked about the division of
opinion on the Council; their
disagreement on even the number
of districts to be included in the
new plan. “They get together on
one point, then disagree the next
day,” said Belk. “Some of these
neighborhood groups are saying
they don’t have representation.
They have a right to say this, and I
have no objections. Let them vote
on it in a referendum.
“My opinion is that it (District
Representation) would divide the
city, and I want a unified city...If
we have good councilmen, it
doesn’t matter where they come
from.”
Next, Belk gave his opinions
on Charlotte’s Ambulance service.
When asked how he felt about a
paramedic program handled
through the Fire Department, Belk
replied that he was against such a
■move; rather, he favored giving the
service to the county, which runs
the hospitals. “After all,” said
Belk, “Most of the bodies that are
injured end up in the hospitals.”
He did praise the Fire
Department’s first aid program,
which started this fall. He said his
objective was to have “the best
trained fire department of any city
in the country.”
the next question dealt with
liquor by the drink. The last time
this question was brought to a
public vote, Mecklenburg approved
it, while it was defeated statewide.
“We don’t control that,” said
Belk. “It’s handled by the state.”
He also said Governor-elect Jim
Hunt would not approve liquor by
the drink, and he can foresee no
change in the law in the near
future. He did say he was already
on record as supporting liquor by
the drink, and thinks it is the best
way to control alcohol usage.
The recent Charlotte city bus
strike was of great concern to the
Mayor. When asked if he approved
of the vvay the strike was handled,
Belk said, “No. I think it was
disgraceful. Someone from outside
should not have been able to come
in and disrupt our city for 90 days.
I don’t think any municipal
! employee should have the right to
strike.” •
! Belk said the
I Charlotte-Metrolina area is always
working on improving it’s mass
: transit system, but our population
is 'not presently sufficient to
; support anything like a subway
, system. “We are currently moving
large numbers of people on the
buses, but not at an extremely fast
rate of speed,” he said. He doesn’t
foresee any wholesale changes
oc curing until the population
reaches three-quarters or a million.
“This probably won’t occur until,,
say, the year 2000,” he said.
When asked if he favored
controlling or limiting growth in
Charlotte, Belk said, “1^ not in,
favor of government control of
much of anything.” He said he
i thought the city should have the
freedom to grow as much or as
little as it wants, but the important
thing is to have the plans for
growth and expansion developed
well ahead. He said when the city’s
last, ten year plan was drawn up, he
had favored going to a 20 year
plan, but was told it would be to
I hard to control all of the factors
for that long a time period.
■ Belk said he sees the
j relationship between UNCC and
; the Charlotte community as
“outstanding.” He said the city had
zoned the area around the
University in a manner such that
no one could “come in and destroy
the University.” He was in favor of
this zoning, which limited
commercial, residential, and ^all
other types of development around
the campus.
He thinks UNCC (and Central
Piedmont Community College)
iprovides the city a valuable service
!by inticing more of our youth to
stay in the area. He said many of
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