Live 5 News
Elon captures 2 dramatic wins in doubleheader over CofC (VIDEO)
March 4, 2012
Post and Courier
Turbulent season for CofC comes to halt
Tommy Braswell
March 3, 2012
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- A tumultuous season for the College of Charleston ended with a head-shaking 93-81 loss to Appalachian State on Friday in the opening game of the Southern Conference men's basketball tournament at U.S. Cellular Center.
The Cougars, who beat the Mountaineers with great outside shooting earlier in Boone, N.C., couldn't buy a 3-point basket against Appalachian State until it was too late. And the Mountaineers hit better than 50 percent (8 for 15) from beyond the arc after going 3 for 19 in the previous meeting.
Appalachian State's offensive production, coupled with the combined 29-rebound effort of Isaac Butts and Andre Williamson, allowed the Mountaineers to build an insurmountable 18-point second half lead.
Charleston, after going 0 for 9 on 3s in the first half, finally got its first long-range goal three minutes into the second half, a Nori Johnson basket that tied the game at 37. The Cougars didn't hit another 3 until 13 minutes later when Johnson ignited a late rally that saw the Cougars cut ASU's lead to eight points. Five of the Cougars' six 3-pointers came in the final 3:19.
The Cougars ended their season at 19-12, while Appalachian State improved to 13-17. The Mountaineers will play North Division champion Greensboro today.
"The game in some ways resembled our season and some of the things we went through," said interim coach Mark Byington, who was 7-4 after replacing Bobby Cremins on Jan. 27 when Cremins began a medical leave of absence. "I told them I was proud of a good year. This was a game where things didn't go our way, but they kept fighting, kept playing as hard as they could. We were a possession away from doing something really good.
"I think App State deserves the credit. They have a senior-oriented team, and some of the seniors stepped up and made plays. They saw the ball go in, and that kind of gives them confidence. It gives them energy. We saw a different team than we saw a couple of weeks ago."
Appalachian State coach Jason Capel called it the best 40 minutes of basketball the Mountaineers have played this season.
"We dialed in from the opening tip. I think that started this week in practice. ... I thought we came out with great confidence and we played as a team on both ends of the ball," Capel said.
Live 5 News
CofC falls to App State in SoCon Tournament (VIDEO)
March 3, 2012
Spartanburg Herald-Journal
Wofford women run past Charleston at SoCon Tournament
Dean Hensley
March 3, 2012
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Usually a single play doesn’t change a game’s outcome, but it did Friday in the first-round Southern Conference tournament game between No. 9 seed Wofford and No. 8 seed College of Charleston at UNC Asheville’s Kimmel Arena.
The Cougars’ Latisha Harris, a 6-foot-3 junior center, was ejected for a flagrant foul early at the 17:29 mark of the second half with Charleston holding a 29-22 lead. After she left, Wofford went on a brutal 23-4 run over the next six minutes and never looked back, earning a 64-53 win.
“That part of the game did have a big impact,” Wofford coach Edgar Farmer Jr. said. “It seemed to give our girls an energy boost, and we used that energy in a positive way, hitting our shots and making plays.”
Leading the way was junior Morgan Wrightson, who had 17 points and nine rebounds and also hit two big 3-pointers in the Terriers’ decisive run.
The first 3 she hit gave Wofford the lead for good at 36-33, and just minutes later, she drained another, smiling and holding up her fist as she ran back down the court.
“It felt great to hit my shots and to have support of the crowd here in Asheville. It’s a beautiful place to play,” she said.
Three other players reached double digits for Wofford (13-17): Rachel Brittenham (13), Daniella Motley (11) and Logan Morris (10). College of Charleston was led by Alyssa Frye with 14 points. Jillian Brown added 12 points, and Alexis Hicks was close behind with 10.
It was the last game for Cougars coach Nancy Wilson, who is retiring after a 30-year coaching career.
Live 5 News
College of Charleston Tops Elon, 7-1, In Conference Opener (VIDEO)
March 2, 2012
Post and Courier
ASU hopes to limit Cougars’ Andrew Lawrence
Tommy Braswell
March 2, 2012
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- There are several things Appalachian State basketball coach Jason Capel has not forgotten about his team's 74-62 loss to the College of Charleston in early February.
Foremost is the contrast in shooting between his Mountaineers, who by Capel's count missed 19 layups, and Charleston guard Andrew Lawrence, who hit 6 of 8 3-point shots.
Capel said containing Lawrence and converting offensive opportunities are
two key factors for the Mountaineers, who face the Cougars in today's 11:30 a.m. Southern Conference tournament-opening game at the Asheville Civic Center.
"We were pretty dominant inside and rebounded the basketball well in the previous game. The problem was we missed too many layups and gave them some pretty good looks. If we can rebound at the same clip, I feel pretty good that we're not going to miss 19 layups," said Capel, whose team enjoyed a 46-32 rebounding advantage over Charleston.
"Defensively, we have to do the job, and that starts with containing Andrew Lawrence," said Capel, whose squad (12-17) was fifth in the SoCon North Division (7-11). "We have to continue to pound the ball inside and take care of it. We left too many points on the board the first contest."
Capel said his team has a different mindset going into the tournament. "Everyone going into the tournament should have some semblance of confidence," said Capel, a sentiment also voiced by Cougars interim coach Mark Byington.
"You want to be confident as a coach. You want to be confident as a player," Byington said. And he feels the Cougars have that confidence after a seesaw season. The Cougars (19-11, 10-8) got off to a 10-2 start. Injuries contributed to a 2-6 slump, but the team has gotten healthy, and the return of guard Anthony Stitt, who missed 12 games with a broken hand, has the Cougars optimistic.
"It's nice to have everyone back, especially Stitt," said sophomore Trent Wiedeman. "Now that we have everyone back, the team has confidence that we can win the tournament. We just have to play as well as we're capable of playing."
Byington said Stitt visibly demonstrated his value to the team in the two games he has played prior to the tournament. He hit only one field goal against Georgia Southern, but it was a clutch 3-pointer that put the Cougars back ahead of the Eagles. In the second half of the Cougars' win over The Citadel, Stitt had a couple of steals that led to layups at a critical time, Byington said.
"He gives our team a different level of confidence, a different belief in itself. It rubs off on the team," Byington said.
Post and Courier
Wilson, Cougars hoping to stretch season
Tommy Braswell
March 2, 2012
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Nancy Wilson knows the end of her coaching career at the College of Charleston is just around the corner, but she doesn't want it to end anytime soon.
The all-time winningest coach for the women's basketball program announced before the season that she was stepping down after this year, so the team's next loss will be her final game.
The Cougars (7-22, 6-14 in the Southern Conference) face Wofford (12-17, 5-15) at 11:30 a.m. today at Kimmel Arena in the opening game of the Southern Conference women's tournament. The winner of the battle between the No. 8 and 9 seeds will face No. 1 Davidson at noon Saturday.
"That's what tournament time is all about, make it go as long as you can," said Wilson, who over 30 years has amassed a 542-364 record and has a 311-215 record in 17 seasons at C of C.
Wilson has good feelings about this team, which has a pair of close wins over Wofford and snapped a seven-game losing streak with a road win over Furman in the Cougars' final regular season game.
"You always hope to do better from a won-loss standpoint," Wilson said. "I knew we were in a rebuilding year last year and we lost our two leading scorers. I knew this team would have some challenges to produce victory. I also knew what kind of non-conference schedule I had thrown them into in the first semester.
"We've been pleased with their progress, but it doesn't always show up in the won-loss column if you're not putting the ball through the hoop enough. You're always hoping for a little more, to turn another corner. But I've thoroughly enjoyed this group."
Post and Courier
Coaching uncertainty not weighing on Cougars
Tommy Braswell
March 1, 2012
The questions surrounding the College of Charleston men's basketball program are many as the team prepares for the Southern Conference tournament.
Will coach Bobby Cremins return next season? If not, who will be the head coach? And how will the coaching situation impact the Cougars' roster next year?
There's been speculation that the Cougars' two freshman stars -- Adjehi Baru and Anthony Stitt -- might transfer to other schools if Cremins doesn't return.
And there are rumors that representatives of other schools have approached the players or members of their families.
Both players say that hasn't happened.
"No, nobody has approached me," said Baru, a 6-9 freshman from the Ivory Coast who chose the College of Charleston over North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia Tech. He was rated the No. 3 big man in the Class of 2011 by ESPN College Basketball Recruiting.
"We're just focusing on the (Southern Conference) tournament. We're not worrying about any coaching stuff right now," said Baru, who has started 27 games and is averaging nearly eight points and six rebounds per game. He was named Tuesday to the SoCon All-Freshman team.
Stitt, a 6-1 guard from Charlotte who recently returned to the Cougars' rotation after missing 12 games with a broken hand, has been a big spark on offense and defense. He said no one has contacted him about transferring.
"If coach Cremins doesn't return, I'll be more than happy to have coach B (interim coach Mark Byington) as head coach," Stitt said. "He's a great coach and we all respect him."
Post and Courier
College of Charleston 7 Jacksonville 0
February 29, 2012
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- College of Charleston took a perfect game into the ninth inning at Jacksonville before an infield single by Matt Frank broke it up on the first at-bat of the inning.
Four Cougars pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout behind a dominant six-inning performance by senior Ryan West in his first career start.
West struck out four with no hits or walks allowed before leaving due to a pitch count. Kyle Owings and Dre Watts pitched a perfect inning apiece in relief before Jacksonville got a pair of hits against closer David Peterson.
"I'm obviously very proud of Ryan West today," Cougars coach Monte Lee said. "He had great command and literally had a perfect performance. We had outstanding defense behind him, and we were able to get RBIs in two-out situations. It was a great effort out there today."
Daniel Aldrich homered and drove in three runs for the Cougars (6-1), while Bradley Goodson, Marty Gantt and Tyler Jackson had two hits and one RBI each.
College of Charleston will host Elon in a three-game conference set starting on Friday at 6 p.m.
Post and Courier
Goudelock finds niche with Lakers
Tommy Braswell
February 28, 2012
NBA rookie Andrew Goudelock is getting a lot more comfortable in his role with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Since finishing his career at the College of Charleston, the 6-3 guard has gone from someone who might not be drafted to an entrenched spot on the Lakers' second team.
Lakers coach Mike Brown now occasionally pronounces his name correctly, although he's more likely to say GOO-de-lock as GOWD-lock. Star guard Kobe Bryant, whose nickname is "Black Mamba," has christened his understudy as "Mini-Mamba."
"It's been great, everything I imagined," said Goudelock, who was in town over the weekend during the NBA All-Star break.
"I've grown accustomed to the game. It's a lot different than college. We've got more plays. But I'm getting used to everything.
"The biggest adjustment is the pace of the game, the 24-second clock and the 3-second calls. The terminology is different for everything. You have to find your niche, find where you fit in, and that's what I've been trying to do."
The highlight of his year, he said, was just making the team.
"Having guys like Kobe embrace me as his understudy, so to speak. Fish (Guard Derek Fisher) being so helpful. I'm just so happy in the situation I'm in. I feel really blessed," Goudelock said.
"(The veterans) treat us like little kids. We have to get their laundry, grab their shoes, pick up balls after practice. Whatever they say you have to do. Kobe made me fix him a plate (of food)."
Brown, in a story by Elizabeth Benson on Laker Nation, said recently: "He's been ready whenever we've called on him and has done a good job. He's very confident out there. He knows what we expect of him, and he tries to deliver. He's not intimidated by the pressure of playing in the NBA; that's for sure."
