Newspaper Page Text
PANTHER FEBRUARY, 1978
CLARK COLLEGE
Physical Education Department
Intramural Basketball League
1978
Schedule
Feb. 18th
10:00 - Earih vs Company
Omega vs Alpha
11:15- Lakers vs Crabs
Science vs
Allegros
Feb.22nd
1:00 - Trouble vs Cor
poration
Sigma vs
Philharmonic
2:15- Sonics vs Earth
Falstaf vs Omega
Photo by Tyraun Patterson
Crawford
By Charles Anderson
In off season or during his
spare time, you may find him
out on the basketball court with
some of the younger guys
showing them some of the
fundamentals that has made
him one of the finest performers
in the S1AC. Torris Crawford
doesn’t mind it at all.
“I feel I owe them
something,” said the 6-6, 183
pound center. “The guys will
challenge me one-on-one and
I'll take their challenge. And
then I talk to them about college
and how important an education
is.
“Some of the kids wouldn’t
even know about college if I
didn’t tell them about it. I even
take home some magazines and
school books for them to look
through. If you have knowledge
in anything, it should be shared
with others.”
The Eatonton, Georgia
native has keyed Clark for the
four years he has played on the
varsity. But when former coach,
Leonidas Epps retired and
former Clark College basketball
star, Roman Turman took over,
an adjustment had to be made.
“We couldn’t make an
adjustment with Turman under
coach Epps’ system, because
his s'rat Egy is different. We've
worked in some new offensive
plays under Turman and we
have strategy to go along with
them. You have to have
SPORTS QUIZ
Which of the following coaches led the NBA in technical fouls
(42) during the 1976-77 season?
a. Hubie Brown (Hawks)
b. Tommy Heinsohn (Celtics)
c. Kevin Loughery (Nets)
2.j Which Clark College basketball player was named "Most
Valuable Player” in the Georgia Invitational Tournament cham
pionship?
a. Ricky “Tweet" Williams
■ b. Lloyd Jones
c. Robert Marion
3. Ma'ch 'hese NBA personalities with the real first names.
a. Butch Beard 1. Alfred
b. Junior Bridgcmore 2. Ulysses
c. Dr. J 3. Lowell
d. Cotton Fitzsimmons 4. Julius
4. Which College basketball power had the most alumni in NBA
uniforms at the start of this season.
a. Nor'h Carolina
b. Kentucky
c UCLA SPORTS QUIZ ANSWERS
9-1 rt-3
b-2 4. t
Page 7
1. c
2. a
3.
Photo b\ T> raun Patterson
Clark s Star Cager
From Playground To Prosperity
Rises High
strategy to go along with your
plays, especially in tight
si'utations.”
Winning two tournment
championships so far this year,
Clark has still been an. in
consistent team. But Crawford
has dominated the boards and
rejee'ed opponents shots in a
incomparable fashion. He uses
his slender body to out-
manuever the bigger guys
under the boards. He is second
in the SIAC in rebounds,
averaging 14 a game, blocks
four to five shots per game and
averages 10 points. Perhaps his
best game this year came
against Morehouse College the
first time the two teams met this
season. He had four crucial
blocks, scored 18 points, and
grabbed 16 rebounds for the 86-
85 win.
“I had been waiting for
'hat game for two weeks. 1 really
wanted to win that one."
As far as competing on a
pro level, Torris feels he could
do so. "I could play anywhere,
such as the International,
Eastern, or NBA leagues, but
it’s really how you get into the
league.
“Whatever 1 do, I’m going
to keep on helping out the
youth. I don’t want to pursue a
career in teaching,” said the
phsyical education major, “but
I'll always drop by reacreations
and clinics to lend a hand.
By Charles Anderson
1' all began several years
ago for Robin Johnson on the
playgrounds of Philadelphia.
This is w here she acquired most
of her basketball skills, playing
against boys in her neigh
borhood.
“They'd always block my
shot and kill my ego,"
remembered Robin, “but I’d
always come back." This at-
ti'ude exemplifies the 19-vear-
old sophomore on and off the
cour' a 1 Clark College today.
Robin has been a member of
Clark's female basketball team
he pas 1 two years and has
s'ar'ed 'o come into her own this
year as a shooter and
plavmaker. "Robin plays such a
tough role as our main scorer
and ballhandlcr." said tcam-
ma'c and co-captain, Elaine
Banks.
Although Robin has
averaged nearly 15 points a
game to lead the team, she
hasn’t been quite as effective as
she could be. Trained in her
vou'h as a one-on-one player,
Robin has been restrained from
'hat type of ball in college. She
has at times though, broken the
pattern of the offense by playing
'he style she’s used to.
“Yes, I’m guilty of
shooting too much at times,”
she admitted, “and my
'cammatcs let me know about it.
“I'd like to get out there
and do some tricks and get into
more flair, but the team is not
really ready for that yet. The
coaches do encourage me a
little in practice, but when I do
them, they say, "Hey, this is no
show.’ ”
Starting out just like any
o'her kid on her block, Robin
played kick ball, tag, softball,
and football - almost any game
imaginable. Those were the
kinds of games that sparked her
interest in athletics.
“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got
me started in basketball,” said
Robin, who began playing in
sixth grade. “Fie was a bip
name I kep' hearing from back
hen. bu' a' 'ha' 'ime all pro
a'hlc'cs were encouraging 'o
me."
When Robin and her family
moved from 'he ci'y to 'he
surhurbs. she was content
wa ching decision because she
wasn' all ha' eager to meet
new people. That's when
Jabbar. 'hen Lew Alcindor,
cauglv her eye - on 'he tube.
After picking up some basic
skills. Robin na'urally wanted to
play more. Competing with boys
on 'he playgrounds helped
develop her game.
“At first, a lot of people
warned 'o know, ‘Where did yoi
gc 1 that shot from?' And I’d
always say. 'Well, isn't that the
way they do it on T.V.?’ They'd
'hink I was kidding." she said,
cracking a smile, "but that’s
basically where I got the shot
front."
Junior high school is w here
Robin firs’ showed signs of
potential, scoring 87 points in
one in'ramura! game. She didn't
s'art playing organized ball until
high school. She madeAbington
High’s team but was only the
four'h leading scorer on the
squad.
“I'd always get the ball at
'he wrong time and when I
couldn’t do anything with it.
The competition was stiff, but
mv coach, Barney Schaeffer told
me to stick with it."
Abington won the division
and regionals, and just missed
winning the state championship
by a point her senor year.
However, Robin hasn't had that
much luck playing with Clark.
They lost their first three games
by a total of 83 points.
“This team has a lot of
potential, but we don't practice
enough to last but a half," she
said. “I'll bet, the teams that
blew us out, practiced like they
w ere supposed to. We spend too
much time discussing what
should be done in a game.
“I think the women’s
a'hle'ic program could use some
improvement also in terms of
organizing practice sessions.
Sometimes we practice,
sonic'imcs we don’’."
Robin didn’ - pursyie
baskc ball as a way of going 'o
college. She had a couple of
a hlc’ic scholarships o o her
schools, including Temple
Lnivcrsi'y in her home own.
She came o Clark on an
academic scholarship ins'ead.
"1 play baske ball as a
hobby, for rclaxa'ion and en-
joymen'.” she explained. “I
decided af er high school, 'hat
nt\ career was over and 'ha' I
vfs going 'o play it only as a
hobby.
“Bu' (lark was just
finishing 'heir new gym when I
arrived here and was in 'he
process of s'ar'ing another
women's 'cam. 1 guess I got the
i'chcs." she smiled. "1 just had
to play."
Basketball has disciplined
Robin off 'he cour 1 as well as on.
She’s involved in five different
campus activities— new spaper.
yearbook. freshman guide.
Holmes Hall representative,
and the Honors Program vice-
president. She has intentions of
traveling abroad one day to see
■hings from a different angle.
"I want to make sure ihat
'here are other countries and
places o'her than the ones here
in America. I want to see
America from some other
perspective and be able to place
it in 'erms of w orld thinking."
F’s evident that Robin
enjoys communicating with
people. "1 just like getting
someone else's point of view on
a subject and expressing mine.
"Everybody is from a
different background with
different experiences. All of this
can add to my knowledge and to
what people are really about."
A Mass Communications
major. Robin feels it is very
influential in other people's
lives. “It’s a controlling force in
this society today, but many
people are not aware of this.
The word ‘power’ best sums it
up.”
Robin Johnson does her
best communicating on the
■ basketball court. She delivers
her message through the hoop.