Nov. 11, 2005
THE BASICS
South Carolina takes to the court for the first time when it hosts Everyone’s Internet in an exhibition game set to tip off at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14.
TICKET INFORMATION
Admission to Monday’s exhibition is free for all fans.
ACCESSING THE WEB BROADCAST
To access the internet broadcast, go to www.uscsports.com, then click the “Audio/Video” link at the top of the screen. Follow the prompts from there to select the game you want to listen to.
ABOUT EVERYONE’S INTERNET
Everyone’s Internet should not be taken lightly, as the team has rolled to wins at Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Houston, Rice, Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas State during its exhibition season. Everyone’s Internet claimed a 71-53 win over the Gamecocks at the Colonial Center last year. Five current professional basketball players dot the Everyone’s Internet roster, with guards Jae Cross (Phoenix Mercury) and Felicia Ragland (Houston Comets) and forward Latonya Johnson (San Antonio Silver Stars) all boasting WNBA experience. Everyone’s Internet head coach Kevin Cook is an assistant coach on the Houston Comets’ staff.
PALMETTO STATE NATIVES DOT ROSTER
A total of seven native South Carolinians are included on the 2005-06 roster, including four players from the Gamecocks’ backyard of Columbia. Lauren Simms (Spring Valley HS), Angela Hunter (Columbia HS), Lakesha Tolliver (Dreher HS) and Brionna Dickerson (Heathwood Hall) all hail from Columbia, with Melanie Johnson (Barnwell HS), Ebony Jones (Aiken HS) and Demetress Adams (Lee Central HS) also staying in-state for college.
TURNING THE CORNER
After two years of fielding a roster comprised almost exclusively of freshmen and sophomores, Susan Walvius now has a roster loaded with game-tested players. Though forward Olga Gritsaeva is the only senior on the team, a total of eight juniors and one redshirt sophomore will take the court for Carolina in 2005-06. Experience is no longer an obstacle for the Gamecocks, rather, it is a strength.
CHARTING CAROLINA’S GAME EXPERIENCE
Player Games Played at USC Games Started at USCOlga Gritsaeva 77 38Iva Sliskovic 57 50Lauren Simms 54 53Larissa Kulcsar 54 7Lea Fabbri 48 18Stacy Booker 48 12Shannel Harris 45 11Angela Hunter 29 8Melanie Johnson 28 9Ilona Burgrova 29 19Lakesha Tolliver 25 3Ebony Jones 1 0Total 495 228
ABOVE THE REST
When taking a look at the Carolina roster, it is not difficult to see that the Gamecocks have an extraordinary amount of tall players. A total of eight players are 6-0 or taller, with Carolina’s average height a robust 71.9 inches (just a shade under six feet). To put that height into a competitive perspective, the Gamecocks are the 15th-tallest team in the nation and the fifth-tallest team in the SEC behind national leader Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia and Alabama.
THE SWAT TEAM
Carolina’s height was a contributing factor to the Gamecocks shattering the single-season school record for blocked shots in 2004-05. Carolina swatted 176 shots on the season (6.1 per game), shattering the previous record of 115 blocks set in 2001-02.
JOHNSON LEADS THE SWAT TEAM
With 54 blocked shots last season, forward Melanie Johnson took sole possession of second place on the South Carolina single-season blocks list. She came just four blocks shy of Teresa Geter’s school record of 58, set in 2000-01.
CAROLINA PLAYER SINGLE-SEASON BLOCKS RECORDS
1) 58 Teresa Geter, 2000-012) 54 Melanie Johnson, 2004-053) 53 Michelle Murray, 1990-914) 49 Michelle Murray, 1991-925) 48 Petra Ujhelyi, 2002-036) 45 Petra Ujhelyi, 2001-02
GETING IT DONE IN THE CLASSROOM
The past two academic years have been marked with excellence for the South Carolina women’s basketball team in the classroom, evidenced by the fact that the Gamecocks set a team record with a combined 3.347 grade point average during the spring, 2005 semester. Juniors Larissa Kulcsar and Lauren Simms both earned spots on the University’s President’s List for posting perfect 4.0 grade-point averages. In addition, senior Olga Gritsaeva and juniors Lea Fabbri and Shannel Harris were recognized with spots on the Dean’s List for GPAs above 3.5. Another two players, Ilona Burgrova and Lakesha Tolliver, also had GPAs above 3.0. Larissa Kulcsar was one of 50 USC Business Majors selected for the International Undergraduate Business Program. She participated in a Study Abroad Program in Germany this past summer. Olga Gritsaeva did her sport and entertainment practicum overseas this past summer and worked with teams from several countries. Her responsibilities took her to Europe, Asia and Northern Africa. A total of seven players earned spots on the SEC Winter Sports Academic Honor Roll in 2004-05, with Lea Fabbri, Olga Gritsaeva, Shannel Harris, Larissa Kulcsar, Lauren Simms, Iva Sliskovic and Lakesha Tolliver all receiving conference recognition.
FRESHMEN ARE STARS IN THE CLASSROOM AS WELL
A pair of the top high school players in the state of South Carolina join the Gamecock women’s basketball program in 2005-06, as former Lee Central star Demetress Adams and former Heathwood Hall phenom Brionna Dickerson will suit up this season. Though their talents on the court have been well-documented (the duo was rated as the 13th-best recruiting class in the nation by Blue Star Index, Adams was selected as the No. 31 senior and No. 10 post player in the nation by All-Star Girls Report and Dickerson averaged an eye-popping 40 points per game in high school and scored more than 3,400 points in a career that was cut short due to an injury early in her senior year), these two student-athletes are more than just gifted basketball players. They are gifted students. With her choice of schools, Dickerson chose to stay home and enroll in the Honors College at South Carolina. “The Honors College at South Carolina is right on the level of the Ivy League schools,” Dickerson said. “That is really one of the main reasons why I am coming to USC. It gives me an Ivy League experience with the opportunity to stay at home. The business school within the Honors College is number one among all public universities and only about 50 people per year get admitted, so I am excited for the opportunity.” As for Adams, the first-team all-state performer plans on earning her degree from South Carolina, then enrolling in law school with aspirations of opening up her own law firm and eventually becoming a judge. “I am very excited to come down to USC because it is a great school in a great location and a great city,” Adams said. “Academically, South Carolina does a great job of keeping its players focused on grades and keeping them on the right track in the classroom.”
COMMON THREADS IN ALL OF CAROLINA’S 2004-05 WINS
All eight of South Carolina’s wins last year had the following in common: All were played at the Colonial Center. The Gamecocks did not trail at halftime Carolina had a higher shooting percentage from the field than the opponent. Carolina outrebounded the opponent. No Gamecock player fouled out. Carolina scored more points in the paint than the opponent. The opponent did not score more points off turnovers than USC. The Gamecocks scored more second-chance points than the opponent. The Gamecocks scored 60 or more points.
SLISKOVIC A KEY DIFFERENCE-MAKER
Since arriving on campus, Iva Sliskovic has been a very important player for South Carolina, as the team’s winning percentage jumps drastically when she scores in double figures. Sliskovic has reached double-figures in 22 games during her career. In those 22 games, South Carolina has compiled a 12-10 record. When Sliskovic scores less than 10 points, the Gamecocks have compiled a 6-29 mark.
3FGM STREAK REMAINS INTACT AT 118
The Gamecocks have knocked down at least one three-pointer in 118 consecutive games during a streak that dates back to November of 2001 and is the longest such streak in school history.
NEW FACES ON COACHING STAFF
Tammy Holder and Ken Griffin are the two newest additions to the Carolina coaching staff, as both were appointed to assistant coach spots this off-season. Holder came to Carolina from Cal State Northridge, where she was recognized as the Big West Coach of the Year in 2005 after leading the Matadors to an 18-win season as the head coach. Griffin is in his first year as a collegiate coach, but is a well-known figure on the AAU circuit as the director of scouting for Southeast Roundball Journal from September of 2004 until the time he joined the Carolina staff.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Gamecocks officially open the 2005-06 season when they host High Point at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18 at the Colonial Center. Ticket prices are seven dollars for adults, four dollars for children 18 and under and two dollars for each person attending as part of a group of 20 or more. Fans can purchase tickets by contacting the South Carolina ticket office at 1-800-4SC-FANS.
