Birmingham Post-Herald from Birmingham, Alabama • 13

Srt Sn i'i ty -VtyH ls 'g -Y 1 fl S-wwr'yHr6 VC'" By Rabin Grant but still trailed 59-53 Birmingham trailed i after three quarters But in the fourth quarter Hose a -I veteran of six CBA seasons took ova The Thunder isolated him one on-one against Skeeter Henry and Rom either got the basket or got to I the free-throw line 1 80-75 1 Rom scored 10 consecutive and 14-of-16 Thunder points at point in the quarter as Quad (Sty' pulled away He finished with 18 points in the quarter was on the tarn (Wichita Falls) that bat Quad City in the nals last year and they traded for 1 McHone said kept mov- tog around and finding somebody to bat We put Skeeter on him and 6 4T put oo nun ana on fensive player i hard to is our best defensive Rom isolated Skeeter but with sank 14-of-23 shots from the field and 14-of-14 free-throw at- tempts Henry led the Bandits with points and Farmer had 27 After it was over the Bandits went into their locker room then turned to court to thank the fans for their support and radio announcer Herb Winches for his the Ban-- radiothon think everybody took what Herb did Fanner said the onto one from Alabama a this team but all the players love this city and love living here here need to realize this is good basketball and support it to' keep it here They say this is a I Kicker PMip Doyle scored on of iHomefown respect (Familiarity helps Doyle kick with best of Somebody forgot to tell Rob Rose and the Quad City Thunder about the the Bandits" campaign Rose scared 41 points as Quad City sent the Birmingham Bandits packing maybe for good with a 116-109 victory last night at State Fair Arena before a crowd id 2274 The Thunder wins the best-of-five Continental Basketball Association playoff series 2-1 and advances to the American Conference championship series Quad City which finished the regular season with the bat record (42-14) will play La Crosse or Grand Rapids La Grasse leads that sates 2-1 with the fourth game scheduled for tonight at Grand Rapids The Bandits completing their first season in Birmingham amid speculation that the team could be moving elsewhere next year scored the first basket last night It was their last lad Quad City went on a 14-2 run with Rom scaring six points to open a 14-4 lad with nearly five minutes elapsed know if we were flat but they Bandits Coach lb McHone aid had three turnovers on our first four possessions either driving to the basket or dribbling off our leg It could have been ante difference give them credit I ay this with no remorse Quad City is better than we The Thunder led 38-30 at the end of the first quarter jumped out on Bandits guard Jim Farmer aid City sadly The voice of the announcer to Myriad Convention Center echoed loud and clear and gentlemen the starting (liifeups: Thomas of the Los Angeles Lakers Eric Johnson of the Utah Jazz Michael Cutright with the Denver Nuggets From the Dallas Mavericks Jim Farmer The last name has to be a dead givaway to local basketball fans These NBA players playing an exhibition or an NBA all-star game Jim Farmer is a forma basketball favorite at the University of Alabama He now is a favorite with the Birmingham Bandits The announcer for the Oklahoma City Calvary adds there little identifying extras when introducing visiting teams He was introducing the Bandits Oklahoma City is similar to many ways to Birmingham squeezed between major college hotbeds Oklahoma to Norman and Oklahoma State to Stillwater obstacles that were overcome Birmingham is divided between Alabama and Auburn These obstacles easily overcome Oklahoma City is the Continential Basketball Association's finest franchise Its average crowd is approximately 5000 pa game Here is where the similarities end Birmingham should be the Bandits SCORE: Thunder 116 Birmingham Bandts 109 ATTENDANCE: 2274 STAR: Thunder guard Rob Rom scored 42 points He sank 14-of-23 fiekgoal i attempts and 14-of-14 free-throw attempts KEY STAT: Quad City sank 38-of-41 free-throw attempts the Bandtts sank 20-of-24 NOTE: Quad City won the best-of-five playoff series 3-1 and advances to the American Conference championship seria against La Ctosm or Grand Rapids QUCTtl say this with no remorse Quad City is better than we Bandits Coach Mo McHone said NEXT: Sometime somewhere next year Rubin Grant came out and executed their offenu and hit their Rookie forward Bobby Martin out of Pittsburgh University scored 14 of his 21 points to the first quarter to the first quarter was totally the McHone said couldn't miss" The Thunder missed few shots to the first quarter and finished the half stoking 534 percent of their field-gal attempts (23-of-43) amazing thing is we outshot McHone aid The Bandits sank 583 percent of their field-gal attempts (21-of-36) pro 606 season tickets pledged in radiothon Story page B4 CBA's finest franchiM but and probably be It has had to play for maths to count 5000 spectators For this important omission Birmingham is abut to give itself another black eye The Bandits might have played their farewell game last night If they are forced to lave the city has no excuse The cauM of death will be lack of support The Bandits want to lave Herb Winches the team's radio announcer and host to a all-in talk show on WJOX (690-AM) took to the air yesterday in a The Bandits" radiothon His gal was to sell 1500 season tickets he does that certainly will go a long way toward a staying to Birmingham and playing our games to the Fair Park Bandits General Manager Tom Maloney said Keeping the Bandits is critical to Birmingham's image as a sports town Or the cold hard fact might be that Birmingham is a lousy basketball town as some people ay Attendance at Bandits games presents strong evidence of that being true The same an be aid of UAB Sellouts at Blazer games are rare The Bandits play the bat basketball to the state of Alabama Their product is the closest to being a major professional commodity that the city has had of the Division This is the Gamecocks' third trip to the Elite Eight in the past four El But their focus this yea has to do more than simply make it to the tournament This time they are determined to win it all really not surprised to be 28-1 and playing tor (the national Burkette uid knew the talent was there In fact our gal was to come in and go unde-fated We hate that we tost that one Indeed the Gamecocks have played so well this season that Jones who wu named the GSC coach of the yea said he actually has not had to do much caching primary responsibility throughout the couree of the season has been to make sure they get to the bus on Jones said with a smile than that this team hu pretty much taka care of it- The Gamecocks have won 19 consecutive games and their only loss By Richard Scott Foit-Henld Reporter Philip Doyle was a freshman at Alabama when he learned what it -takes for a kjcker to earn respect went up to Penn State my freshman year and missed the ex-tra point breaking Van SOfar-something extra points in a Doyle says come off the 1 field and they were all over me I just a freshman and on the sidelines saying in the These people are all over me got to go out there next time and kick The next time he took the field he kicked a 45-yard field goal went back on the sidelines -and nothing" Doyle says hear a word That stuck in my mind It still sticks with me to-day When you go out and kick they really say Neither could the fans in Sacra- men to last Saturday night In the 1 Birmingham season opener Doyle tied a World League record with a 50-yard field goal He also kicked a 46-yarder scoring all of the points in a 20-6 loss Despite the loss and a strong 54-iyard attempt that was blocked be cause of poor protection Doyle knew he had a good game Si "When you come off the field and done your job you hfear any Doyle says i real quiet at -I On Sunday when Doyle steps on Legion Field for the hone Stephen GataPoit-Herald Sacramento on Saturday New York Giants training camp where Doyle was running a close second to Super Bowl hero Matt Bahr When the Giants cut Doyle Gailey was ready to bring him home picking him id the fifth 1 round of the World League draft After overcoming a preseason groin injury Doyle has made Galley look good by coming on strong in the past two weeks He will be the first to admit that kicking in his hometown stadium and- living with his parents has helped Birmingham and Doyle are a good fit He doesn't like change and living here sleeping in the bed' he grew up with and eating his cooking fits his personality the same with kicking a creature of Doyle says you get doing things over and over the same roads the same house you start doing things routinely done this so many times here that not a new environment really easy far me to adapt It really helps me to be For some kickers returning home might be a distraction Not for Doyle Kicking at Legion Field as a pro might be something he can look back on someday as a special memory but for now it will help him concentrate on the task at hand be any different than playing my high school ball Doyle says the same objective: You go out there and put it through the goal posts every time" Loss last By Cary Estes Before last season was even complete a seed had been planted that would lad- to the success of this jar's Jacksonville State basketball a 14-2 record the Game-i strutted into North Alabama a Sago ready to take control of the South Conference race They limped away with a stunning 105-73 toss never been bat that bad JSU forward Chartes Bur-kette uid was the worst whipping ever taken We remembered that game" For the short term the ton devastating to the team The imecocks were an average 6-4 down the stretch and did not make the Division II tournament But to the tons run the defat was exactly what JSU needed for this season With all but one playa returning from last yea's team the memory of that bating was sure to remain fresh to the minds this season team went into the season prftty much with a Jack- the Fire's points In 20-6 loss to Another backup back needed? Fire notea page B5 opener against San Antonio he have to earn the respect of the hometown fans who saw him at Huffman High and Alabama think I have a lot of respect Doyle says told my parents one of the good things about kicking in this state or around the South: I have to prove to anybody else expect myself that I can make it I miss one field goal I have to worry about what they think of me because proven myself and they're all behind me 100 percent That gives me a lot of confidence When I go out there all I have to do is worry about making the kick" With former Auburn kicker Win Lyle missing five-of-10 attempts last season the Fire had to worry every time it lined up to kick With Doyle Fire Coach Chan Gai-ley no longer is worried "When you reach that 35-yard line he makes you feel like going to get Gailey says year you exactly sure if you were or Also you feel like if you can stay close got a chance at the end of the After Lyle's performance in 1991 finding a dependable kicker was high on off-season priority list Gailey found his man at the March Madness continues Stories page B4 Of that Kentucky guard Sean Woods has no doubt knew they were a good Woods Hid they were tired or whateva but a new game Thursday can be very dangerous This is the NCAA Anything can happen in the Kentucky is making its first NCAA postseason appearance since 1988 and that holds some meaning for the team's seniors think the Sweet 16 is some thing special to senior forward Deron Feldhaus said adds on to what we've done We the SEC tournament This i more than anything to basketball Yet the Bandits area their deathbed unless champion such as Winches can save it a struggle -How good is the product? You could take the best players -off Alabama Auburn and every otha college tam to the state and let Wimp Sanderson and Gene -Bartow co-cuch it and not have a lineup that could compete with the Bandits even better than that one step below the NBA and the NBA is the leader" Bandits Gach Mo McHone aid are 324 players to the NBA Sixty of thore positions are filled by players who have been to this league" A prime example of the caliba of CBA players is Marcus Kennedy of the Grand Rapids Hoops played at the University of Pittsburgh and was dri i drafted in the second round by Portland last yar and was guaranteed a McHone said went to Italy to play and like it playing In the CBA and Portland is delighted" Another player who can be found on the CBA highlight film is Barry' Mitchell of the Quad City He never has played in the NBA either -X think he will be the league's most valuable McHone aid Then the Skeeter Henry who played at Oklahoma 1990 and with the Bandits last season in Pensacola Fla He leads the Bandits in sewing with more than 20 points per game believe Skeeter will be man -NBA team and be on there for a long McHone aid So will some others wu 92-91 at North Alabama one basket away from tog Jones uid about good as you an hope JSU hu topped the 100-point I mark 16 tuna and it neva hu scored leu than 71 points Four players are avaaging to double figures led by Burkette with I 189 points pa game But senior guard David Edmond is clou behind with 186 points and guard Willie Fisher is averaging 167 points Such high point production mainly is a result of the run- and-gun offeoe But their up-tempo style of play will be put to the test today against the Roadrunners who prefer a halfcourt game is about tba ume size we are but they play to) completely different Jones uid we an play the want to play if we can tempo up through pressing detenu then I feel well have pretty gpod chance to i 1 A season lit a fire in Gamecocks Last time Minutemen (wore out after minutes Awociatcd Pros PHILADELPHIA trip to the Sweet 16 much shorter than the one it took last time the Minutemen played Kentucky This time they hope to stick around a little tonga The No 17 Minutemen (30-4) meet No I Kentucky (28-6) at 6:41 pm CST today at the Spectrum in Philadelphia to the East Regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament The last time the teams relayed Kentucky bat UMass 90-69 Dec 4 after the Minutemen raveled 19 hours from the Great Llaska Shootout to Lexington Ky Now the Minutemen only have come from Worcester Mass rhere they bat SyracuM 77-71 In overtime Sunday to the second Kind want to show the nation nre an play with Massachusetts center Harper Williams said iVv if i i Bill IngraiAFost-Herald Coach BM Jones' team meets Cal State-Bakersfield today sonville State Coach Bill Jones uid Mission nearly is accomplished JSU (28-1) meets Cal State-Bakersfield (25-6) at 2 pm CST today in Springfield Mass in the first round.