Fogler refocuses
Recent postseason gaffes don't discourage Gamecocks
Posted: Monday October 19, 1998 06:22 PM
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Fogler says the first step for the Gamecocks is making the tournament Doug Pensinger/Allsport |
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) -- South Carolina coach Eddie Fogler is not so worried about the next step for his growing basketball program.
First, Fogler built a winning team, then he established success in the Southeastern Conference with a 1997 league title.
"Now, do we have to win an NCAA tournament game? Yeah, it'd be nice. That'll happen," Fogler said Monday.
It hasn't the past two years, despite the Gamecocks coming into the NCAA tournament as a highly regarded, highly seeded team.
Two years ago, after a magical 15-1 march through the SEC and the school's first league title, second-seeded South Carolina was bounced by Coppin State in the opening round.
This past March, it was upset-specialist Richmond that defeated the third-seeded Gamecocks, who won 23 games, in the first tournament game.
"I am not worried about the NCAA tournament, I am worried about getting into the NCAA tournament," Fogler said. "That is not easy to do. It's not."
South Carolina had reached the tournament only once in 23 years before Fogler's back-to-back trips. Fogler thinks he has the components for the Gamecocks' first three-peat since Frank McGuire led them to four straight berths from 1971-74.
South Carolina lost point guard Melvin Watson and forward Ryan Stack, who was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. But Fogler plans to switch All-American guard BJ McKie to Watson's spot, and will rotate experienced big men William Gallman, LeRon Williams and Bud Johnson in the frontcourt.
Fogler also believes the schedule he's pieced together -- which includes Valparaiso, Indiana, Clemson, Purdue and Syracuse -- will guarantee the Gamecocks a spot in the 64-team field if they piece together enough wins.
"I'm not interested in winning 21 [games] and worrying if my strength of schedule is good enough. If we can win 17, or whatever it takes, and get in, I'll be happy," he said.
The players haven't worried too much about their NCAA defeats either.
Williams, a senior, said there's a lot of basketball before the NCAA tournament and the Gamecocks can't be caught counting on a postseason berth.
Once there, "that will be our long-term goal," said Williams, who lives about 10 minutes from St. Petersburg, Florida, site of this season's Final Four.
"When I tell them I'm trying to go home, they pretty much get the idea of what I'm thinking about," he said. "We want to get past that first round in the NCAAs and go as long as we can go."
McKie is the team's star and probably is only half a season from supplanting Hall-of-Famer Alex English as the school's career scoring leader. With the loss of Watson and Stack and the improvement of SEC teams like Tennessee and Florida, some wonder how far McKie can carry the Gamecocks.
But he was the point guard and focal point of two state title teams at Irmo High School, and has never had a losing season in seven years of organized basketball. He would love to answer doubters and wipe off the NCAA blemish from his achievements.
"Yeah, I kind of have that in the back of my head," McKie said. "We'll use that as a motivational factor."
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