In the aftermath of the College of Charleston's 72-63 win over
Florida International in the Trans America Athletic Conference
tournament final in Charleston last Saturday, it was hard to
pick out the game's heroes. One knew that Cougars coach John
Kresse was in the house because his distinctive New
York-accented voice, a mixture of Rick Pitino's and Jimmy
Durante's, could be heard on a courtside microphone, thanking
the fans for their support. But most of his players had been
swallowed up by the crowd of average-sized citizens.
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President went airborne to score 15 points as
Charleston won the TAAC title and a return trip to the NCAAs.
(Jim Gund)
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The Cougars' diminutive stature—the starting lineup includes
two 5'11" guards and a 6'6" center—is only one reason that
Kresse was among the many who had doubted that Charleston (24-5)
would return to the NCAAs this season. There was also the
unsettling fact that the Cougars had lost four starters
(including their first NBA draftee, Kings point guard Anthony
Johnson) from the squad that upset Maryland in the first round
of the 1997 tournament. "When you lose the kind of size and
experience we had last year, you think maybe you have to
rebuild," says Kresse, "but that didn't turn out to be the case.
Now I'm convinced this is a darn good basketball team."
The Cougars may be small, but they are quick and stingy. They
were second only to Princeton in fewest points allowed per game
in the latest NCAA rankings, but unlike the Tigers they don't
have any particular use for the shot clock. And it's not just
guards Shane McCravy and Jermel President who push the pace.
Sedric Webber, Charleston's 200-pound junior center who was
named the TAAC's co-player of the year, leads the Cougars in
scoring (15.2 a game) and rebounding (8.1), and was co-leader in
the conference in steals (2.3). During the TAAC tournament he
bettered his average with 19.0 points a game despite having the
flu, which he wouldn't fight with medication because his
Pentecostal faith doesn't allow it. However, Sedric adheres to
the strictures of his religious beliefs less fervently than his
parents, James and Marion, who have never seen him play at
Charleston despite living only a couple of hours away in
Columbia, S.C., because their faith doesn't approve of
competition. "They may not be here, but they still support me,"
says Sedric. "We're very close."
Webber, who grew up in the Bronx before moving to Columbia as a
teenager, has played not only out of his parents' sight but also
out of position for most of his career. "I always wanted to be
like Scottie Pippen," says Webber, who like the Bulls forward
does everything well—shoots, rebounds, passes and plays
defense. "In fact, I thought about not coming here because his
number, 33, wasn't available."
Short of ripping the number 33 jersey off Marc Himes, who's now
a senior, Kresse did everything he could to lure Webber, who
settled for number 23. He scheduled Webber's recruiting visit to
Charleston during a time when the New York Knicks were in town
for training camp. "I think every New York connection helped,"
says Kresse, who's a New Yorker too. "Sed and I speak the same
language. We walk and talk a little faster than most."
A frantic tempo could be exactly what the undersized Cougars
need to rise above their first-round opponent in the national
tournament. Can they pull an upset again? Kresse has no doubt.
"In the NCAAs," he says, "anything can happen."
Issue date: March 9, 1998
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