Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 7, 1991 TAG: 9104240591
SECTION: THE METRO TOURNAMENT PAGE: 14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk / Sportswriter
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
When English was a junior, 7-foot Stanley Roberts was a senior teammate at Lower Richland High, just outside Columbia, S.C. Roberts' recruitment by LSU coach Dale Brown was a circus of much fanfare and speculation.
A slasher, driver and dunker from his guard position, the 6-foot-4 English thought he could play more than a bit part once Roberts left. The problem was, not many college recruiters did.
South Carolina coach George Felton was fortunate. He liked English, and the gamecocks needed to follow up on Columbia native Barry Manning and continue to keep state and local talent from going elsewhere. By the time other major programs started paying attention to English, he had decided there could be no place like home for his basketball future.
English, a junior guard, has been the gamecocks' leading scorer in each of the last two seasons. As struggling Carolina (19-11) enters the Metro Conference tournament at the Roanoke Civic Center looking for leadership and offense, English might have to be the provider.
"It's hard to pinpoint what's going wrong," English said last week after the Gamecocks' loss at Virginia Tech. "We don't score high enough, and while I think our defense is good, it isn't at the level it was earlier in the season. We're not playing with the same enthusiasm, and that makes it tough to beat anyone."
Felton said that although English plays with emotion, he isn't likely to take charge with more than his game. "Jo Jo's quiet, and it's hard to make somebody more vocal," said Felton, whose team, once ranked 12th nationally, has lost six of its last seven games. "I'd like for our whole team to be more vocal.
"But Jo Jo has been the kind of player we thought he could be. He can score, and he's improved defensively. He plays as well defensively for us now as our other guards. He's more of a two-guard than a point man. He's a player who has worked hard and if he keeps it up, he might be able to take his game to the next level."
English averaged 14 points as a Lower Richland senior, but Felton had fallen for English the summer before that season at the Nike camp. The Gamecocks' only challengers for English early that season were North Carolina-Ashville and Austin Peay. By the time Seton Hall, Wake Forest and other more prominent programs came around, English had made a decision.
"Based on just what I knew I could do, I thought I could improve my skills enough to play at this level," English said. "I was one of those guys some people called `a sleeper,' but I didn't think I'd be that if I got to play. I didn't think I had that long a roan to travel,"
English got his opportunity last season. Brent Price transfered to Oklahoma, and other Carolina guards, most notably English's classmate and defensive whiz Manning, were injured. English averaged 15.3 points. He's scoring similarly this season, and is among the Metro's top 10 scorers, and also is the league's second-ranked 3-point marksman, at 43 percent.
"My shooting is so much better than it was when I came out of high school," said English, who has spent hours working with Carolina assistant coach Joe Dooley on the jumper. "I wasn't a 3-point shooter at all, and when you're my height at this level, you aren't going to be driving and dunking much."
English also worked to strengthen his ball-handling ability and his ability to release his jumper more quickly, so he can get off a shot at any time.
But on a team that ranks among the top dozen in the nation in field-goal percentage defense, the other end of the floor is where Felton is most demanding. English is second to Manning in steal among the Gamecocks. He also ranks second on the team in blocked shots with an average of almost one per game - good for a 6-4 guard.
What English would like most, however, is for the Gamecocks to right themselves in their last Metro tournament before heading to the Southeastern Conference, and get only their second NCAA berth in 17 seasons.
In mid-January, Felton's team was 13-3, including a win over North Carolina. They've won once since Feb. 6. After 3-1 Metro start the Gamecocks lost eight of their last 10 league games. Next season was supposed to be the Gamecocks' year, as small forward Michael Glover is their lone senior this winter. However, after the big start, Carolina would feel little consolidation in being among the NIT's field of 32.
"The idea now is don't give up; don't throw away the season," English said. "Hopefully, we've learned a lesson. People said we could be in the NCAA tournament. We've been playing passive. You can't do that." FOR TEAM ROSTER
AND OTHER TEAM INFORMATION, SEE MICROFILM
by CNB