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6 « The Red and Black « Wednesday, March 3, 1993
SPORTS
■ FANFARE
The Georgia Men's LaCrosse team takes on the Alabama
LaCrosse team at the intramural fields, Sunday, March 7, at 2:00
p.m. The team currently sits atop the SEC standings and is look
ing to take an undefeated record into the SEC Tournament.
No tears here:
Senior guard wouldn’t
change a thing about
career with Bulldogs
BY JEFF ROBERTSON
Staff Writer
Regrets? Shaun Golden says he has none.
That might surprise many of those who have
watched the six-foot-four guard go from high-school
All-America to bench-warmer for much of his senior
season, but Golden says if he had it to do all over
again he wouldn’t change a thing.
However, when he takes the Coliseum court for his
final home game against South Carolina tonight,
Golden will be looking back on a career filled with
plenty of lows to go with the highs.
“It’s been pretty tough,” Golden said after a recent
practice. “I came here with high expectations.”
Golden was not the only one with high, perhaps
unrealistically high expectations. He was named
South Carolina’s Mr. Basketball after a senior season
in which he averaged 25.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and
9.8 assists for Riverside High, in Taylors, S.C., where
he played for his father Louie Golden. Both
McDonald’s and Parade named him to their All-
America teams.
Golden happy
When Golden signed with Georgia after an intense
recruiting battle with Syracuse, Bulldog faithful
thought Hugh Durham and his program had their
next star.
Things went pretty much according to plan during
Golden’s freshman year. Although playing behind ju
nior guard Rod Cole and sophomore Litterial Green,
he appeared in all 29 games, averaging 2.9 points,
and became a key player off the bench for Georgia’s
only SEC championship team (1989-90).
“Without his contributions I don’t know if we could
have made it,” said Georgia assistant coach Mark
Slonaker.
He was expected to fill much the same role his
sophomore season, but was plagued by inconsistency
and finished the year averaging 2.5 points per game.
With the Departure of Cole, Golden entered the
1991-92 season as the starting point guard alongside
Green. He dazzled no one while starting the first 12
games before suffering from chest pains and a racing
heartbeat against Florida. Golden missed three
games, but returned to the team after several tests
proved negative.
When he returned, he found himself playing be
hind sophomore Bernard Davis. Golden seemed to
readjust to coming off the bench though and finished
strong, averaging 8.3 points over the final six games
and making this season’s competition for the point
guard position wide-open.
But Golden suffered an ankle injury in preseason
practice and Davis won the starting job. As the sea
son progressed, Golden was beat out for the backup
with his stay at university
point guard spot by freshman Pertha Robinson and
found himself glued to the bench for several games.
Golden didn’t play at all in seven games and hit an
all-time low in the win over Texas when Durham
chose to play redshirt freshman walk-on Kris
Nordholz ahead of him, making him Georgia’s num
ber four point guard.
“That really got to me,” Golden said. “I kind of
questioned myself and my ability.”
Instead of sulking as he admitted he did at times
earlier in the season, he bounced back and played
well in Georgia’s next game, a key road win over
Alabama.
“I was being a little bit selfish,” he said. “Thinking
about myself, thinking about my own playing time
and not thinking about the team. That was wrong.”
Golden scored six points and played great defense
down the stretch against the Tide, a performance that
may have turned his season around.
“Once I got that chance against Alabama I said
‘Hey, I’m not going to let myself, my coach or my
teammates down,” Golden said.
Golden scored four points and added four assists
against LSU Saturday and looks as though he might
be ready for another strong performance in the sea
son’s stretch run. And although he’s less than thrilled
with his 2.3 scoring average and limited playing time,
Golden says he’s still happy to be a Bulldog.
“A lot of people say that I should regret coming
here,” he said. “After my freshman and sophomore
years people wanted me to transfer, but I’m happy I
stuck with it.”
Shaun Golden
Seniors honored tonight
BY JEFF ROBERTSON
Staff Writer
Bulldog seniors Arlando Bennett, Shaun
Golden, Kendall Rhine and their families will
be honored before tonight’s 7:30 game against
South Carolina at the Coliseum.
The trio now comes off the bench for
Georgia, but all three have been starters at
some point in their careers.
Golden and Rhine are the last remaining
members of Georgia’s only SEC championship
team (1989-90).
“They’ve been dealt a lot of adversity,”
Georgia head coach Hugh Durham said of the
group, who have suffered through their share
of injuries and sporadic playing time over the
years. “But they’ve handled it with class.”
Bennett, who’s averaging 7.1 points and 3.1
rebounds a game, has become Georgia’s first
player off the bench this season and served as
a team leader.
“Durham is constantly telling our kids ‘If
you want a role model look at Arlando,” said
assistant coach Mark Slonaker.
Golden spent a good deal of the season on
the bench, but has come on in the team’s last
four games. He’s averaging 2.3 points for the
year.
Rhine, who led Georgia in rebounding and
was second in scoring a year ago, had a string
of 41 straight starts snapped earlier this sea
son when he was benched in favor of Cleveland
Jackson.
Rhine was taken by the Houston Astros in
last year’s baseball draft, but chose to return
for his final basketball season.
“He could have taken the money and run,”
Slonaker said. “But he came back and sent a
message to the other players.”
Rhine, who’s averaging 6.1 points this year,
is suffering from strep throat and might not
even play in his last home game, against the
Gamecocks.
“I’d like to get in, but I’ll still have the same
feelings if I don’t,” Rhine said.
Dogs agree with
By J.J. COOPER
Staff Writer
It’s too early for a final verdict, but it appears that
Georgia’s move to winter instead of spring football prac
tice is a success.
“I feel good about it. I like the way it went,” head coach
Ray Goff said at Tuesday’s press conference. “The weath
er’s not been too good, but I’d rather fight the weather
than injuries.”
Goff decided to start practice before spring break this
year to allow more time for players to rehabilitate in
juries that happen during spring practice. Last season
Donnie Maib and Maurice Harrell missed most of the
season after injuring their knees during the G-Day game.
“I haven’t asked the players if they like it or not yet,”
Goff said. “But since we just played January 1 we’ve got
a little more carry over from last year, and with the less
er numbers — we’ve only got 63 players on scholarship
— the heat hasn’t been a factor.”
“I love it,” Bulldog comerback Charles Pledger said.
“They couldn’t have helped me out any more than this. I
can’t wait to go to spring break without having to worry
aboi v spring practice.”
Pledger is one of the players who will be helped by
moving practice. He is expected to have surgery to repair
winter practice
a finger during the spring.
With spring practice almost over, the Bulldogs still
have several unanswered questions.
“We have a lot of question marks on our football
team,” Goff said. “There are more question marks about
this team than about our team in the last two years.”
Goff said that the biggest questions remain on the of
fensive and defensive line. Three of the five offensive line
spots are up for grabs, while no starters return on the de
fensive line.
Both Danny Ledbetter and Phillip Daniels have con
verted from linebacker to Greg Jackson’s defensive tack
le spot. Daniels is expected to add several pounds to his
220 pound frame.
“We expect him to be 250 pounds by fall,” Goff said.
“We’re cramming food down him as fast as we can. He’s
going to be a fine football player.”
“(The move) really didn’t bother me that much,”
Daniels said. “Pass rushing is the same as it was from
the outside linebacker spot. The only difference is some-,
times you are double-teamed.”
Daniels said he expects to play next season at 240
pounds.
The Bulldogs will wrap-up their practice schedule
with the G-Day intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday at 1
p.m.
Study in London
and choose from over 250 courses
You are Invited to a
Study Abroad
Presentation
On Your Campus
Wednesday, March 3,1993 .
3:30 p.m.
Memorial Hall- Room 210
International Services and Programs
1 Choose from 7 academic terms (Summer and regular sessions).
1 Earn transferable college credit.
Live in central London housing.
Participate in full student activities and travel program.
Study with an international student body and faculty.
If you are unable to attend the upcoming presentation,
please send for information or call 1 -800-255-6839.
v.
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in London
Study Abroad Programs
3330 Peachtree Rd . N E.
Atlanta. GA 30326-1016
(800) 255-6839
(404) 231-9000
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