Dec. 1, 2004

Each week, broadcaster Andy Demetra gives an all-access look at Gamecock Women’s Basketball in his new column “Beyond The Mic.” Join him Wednesdays throughout the season, as he serves up his insights on the team, its travels, and its triumphs.

Pete Carril, the legendary Princeton head coach, once joked about a player, “He has the shooting range. He just doesn’t have the making range.”

After two games in which her team shot 36 percent, head coach Susan Walvius could empathize. Which is why last week, she prescribed 300 extra jump shots a day for her players.

The results were immediate. The Gamecocks shot 59 percent in the first half against Jacksonville, en route to their first win of the season.

Confidence is a fragile thing, especially for young teams. Yet Walvius sees it blossoming in spite of the losses.

“Rebounding is fixable. Doing a better job taking care of the basketball in critical game situations is correctable. And we’re going to continue to move in a positive direction,” Walvius said.

In particular, Walvius has seen the confidence grow from a pair of redshirt freshmen, forwards Lakesha Tolliver and Melanie Johnson.

On instinct and raw ability, Johnson has posted impressive numbers: 8 points, 7 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2 blocks per game. The Barnwell native has pulled in twice as many offensive rebounds as defensive rebounds. In a post-game interview, Walvius compared her to Spiderman for her knack for getting loose balls (nickname, anyone?).

But Johnson admits she still has a lot of learning to do. After practice, she’ll spend 15 minutes with assistant coach Linda Hill-MacDonald, learning the nuances of post defense. Male practice players will take an entry pass from a variety of angles, and try to pound away at her.

“I want to learn defense for myself, so I can be effective for the whole team,” Johnson said.

Her counterpart, Tolliver, fell a free throw shy of a double-double against Jacksonville. Her 13 blocks rank first on the team.

But Tolliver’s play has caught her coach’s ear, as much as her eye.

“Her leadership – bringing that kind of leadership reminds me a lot of what Jocelyn Penn was doing in her junior year,” Walvius said. “And I think as Kesha gets more comfortable on the floor, and more comfortable in our system, she is going to be a bright star for us.”

That’s funny. Pete Carril also said, “Repetition is the mother of learning.”

The Tip Drill

Driver’s Ed
The next time you crow about your commute to work, talk with Gamecocks assistant Ed Baldwin. Baldwin, who was the head coach at Charlotte from 1988-01, still lives in the Charlotte area with his family. That means a 103-mile commute from his house. Twice a day. Six days a week. In case you’re wondering, Baldwin says he packed about 47,000 miles on his Nissan Pathfinder in the last year.

Class In, Seacrest Out
Carolina’s last opponent, Charlotte, will soon offer a course on the TV show American Idol. Beginning in January, students can earn three credit hours for the class “Examining ‘American Idol’ Through Musical Critique.”

Nothing but ‘Net
Lea Fabbri says her parents stayed up until 4 a.m. in Croatia, listening to the webcast of USC-Jacksonville. Let that be a reminder: all games, home and away, can be heard live on the Internet. Click on the “Schedules/Results” link on the Women’s Basketball page, and follow the link to the audio broadcast.

Andy Demetra is in his second season as the voice of Gamecock Women’s Basketball on 1320 AM WISW.