Dec. 7, 2005

Columbia, S.C. – The name of the drill leaves little to imagination. “Ten possessions. `War.’ Let’s go!” head coach Susan Walvius shouts at the Gamecocks’ practice facility Monday.

Each team receives 10 possessions to score. Only in this game, points don’t come solely from made baskets. The defense can earn two points for a stop, one point for each defensive rebound, and five points for a charge. The offense earns additional points for offensive rebounds and drawing fouls.

A few whistles in, it’s evident why they call it “War.” Players attack the ball like wolverines fighting for the last scrap of carrion. The paint becomes a minefield of elbows and splayed limbs. The game is played with an edgy intensity, each player fighting to hold her ground.

And of course, to the victors of “War” go the spoils: on this day, not having to do any lung-burning, sideline-to-sideline sprints afterwards.

With two weeks off after their disappointing loss to Georgia Southern, the Gamecocks are using their practices to bunker down – literally, in the case of “War” – and improve defensively.

“We’ve done very little with the basketball in the last week,” Walvius said. “We’ve done a lot of defensive footwork drills. Our kids are physically tired right now – or they should be – because of all the defensive stance work we’ve done.”

Junior Melanie Johnson rattles off the drills like they were shrimp dishes at Red Lobster. “All defense. Defensive stance, defensive position, help-side defense, getting low, pushing, getting rebounds,” the Barnwell, S.C., native said.

“It’s hard to play 30 seconds of defense. Imagine playing pretty much a whole practice of defense,” she added.

It may seem odd, this devotion to defense, considering South Carolina has held opponents to an SEC-low 30 percent shooting. However, in their three losses, the Gamecocks have been outscored by 37 points in the second half. South Carolina has only forced 17 second-half turnovers, compared to the 42 they’ve coughed up. Halftime leads against #18 Texas and #24 Purdue failed to hold up.

“We’ve had good moments. But we’re really looking forward to a much more aggressive defensive style. We’re going to press more in the fullcourt and in the halfcourt,” Walvius said.

“That’s where we mostly get our points, off defense,” said forward Lakesha Tolliver, who broke USC’s freshman blocks record last year. “The offense will come. If we can play great defense, we’ll be fine.”

Oh sure, Walvius has her concerns on offense as well. Too many players holding the ball, letting the shot clock dwindle down. Not enough players being active without the ball. Too much thinking and not enough “playing ball,” as she puts it.

But those issues will have to wait. For now, Walvius is in a defensive state of mind, ruminating on that old basketball staple which she hopes will be her team’s new calling card.

“If you play 35 minutes a game, you probably don’t have the ball in your hands more than four minutes a game. It’s what you’re doing in the other 30 minutes that you’re in the game, without the ball in your hands, that’s important,” she said.

The battles, of late, have been lost. The Gamecocks hope the war is far from over.

The Tip Drill

Suiting Up: NBA players aren’t the only ones conforming to a dress code. Assistant coach Ken Griffin, a former AAU coach, admitted that he didn’t own a suit before taking his job with the Gamecocks. Griffin stocked up on five suits before the season opener.

You Should See Him At “Classic Concentration”: In a telephone interview, Winthrop head coach Bud Childers recalled in photographic detail his first-ever meeting with South Carolina head coach Susan Walvius. The two crossed paths while on the recruiting trail, circa 1989, when Walvius was an assistant at Rhode Island and Childers was head coach at Louisville.

Childers could not only recall the place of their first meeting (a gym in New Haven, Conn.), but the name of the recruit they were both watching (Mary Martin), the start time of the game (3 o’clock in the afternoon), and the – ahem – surroundings.

“There were armed guards in the halls and iron bars on the windows,” Childers said.

Looks Familiar: Further proving how close-knit the coaching circle is… my broadcast partner, Robin Muller, the former head coach at Winthrop, learned and later used the press break taught by Georgia Southern head coach Rusty Cram.

Bad Memories: A pair of Georgia Southern players may have had bad flashbacks when they stepped on the floor against the Gamecocks. Guard Concella Henry, a former Manning High School (Manning, S.C.) standout, closed her career with a loss to Lakesha Tolliver’s Dreher High School (Columbia, S.C.) team in the Class AAA playoffs. GSU forward Christa Waterman’s North Gwinnett (Jefferson, Ga.) teams lost to a Collins Hill (Lawrenceville, Ga.) squad led by current Gamecocks Stacy Booker and Shannel Harris.

Andy Demetra is in his third season as the voice of South Carolina women’s basketball on 1320 AM WISW. This summer, he won the South Carolina Broadcasters’ Association’s 2005 South Carolina Radio Sportscaster of the Year award.

“Beyond The Mic” will appear throughout the season.