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The Catawba College basketball notebook ...
It has been some week for Catawba College men’s basketball coach Jim Baker.
First, two starters went down, Terrence Hamilton to a fractured leg and Alex Luyk to a popped-out kneecap.
And just as he was getting Hamilton out of the hospital, he received a call that former star Marvin Moore had barely escaped death when a team van wrecked.
“You wonder what else can happen,” Baker sighed Saturday afternoon after his Indians defeated Newberry 84-58.
Talk about resiliency. Even with all of the turmoil, the Indians (4-1, 13-2) remain tied for first place in the South Atlantic Conference?
Several substitutes stepped up for Catawba Saturday and they’ll have to do the same tonight when the Indians travel to Presbyterian (4-1, 11-5) in another first-place battle.
The 6-10 Lyuk had a very light workout Monday and may play against the Blue Hose but his time will definitely be limited.
“We need him in there,” said Baker Saturday. “He’s a good player.”
Presbyterian handed Wingate its only loss of the season and when Wingate beat Catawba, it threw the SACrace into a three-team affair.
“Presbyterian is very deliberate so I can see how their style and Wingate’s would collide,” Baker said. “We’ve been able to play a deliberate pace if we have to but we’d rather go up and down the floor.”
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BIGFORWOMEN, TOO: The first-place Catawba women (5-0, 13-3) face preseason favorite Presbyterian (4-1, 13-5) in the first game of the doubleheader.
Catawba coach John Duncan must have a little Phil Jackson in him when he talks about preparation for the showdown.
“We’ve talked about concentration and the ability to clear your mind from distractions to work hard,” he said. “If we can get that done on Monday and Tuesday, we can go to Presbyterian and be competitive with them.
“They’re tough to beat in that gym. But we have a different team this year to take down there. We’re the only team without a conference loss and it would be nice to think we could keep rolling along.”
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COMINGHOME: Saturday, Catawba visits Carson-Newman and both Baker and Duncan can breathe a sigh of relief. The hard part will be behind them.
As the second half of the season begins, Wingate, Lenoir-Rhyne, Presbyterian and Carson-Newman must come to Salisbury, where Catawba is very, very good in Goodman Gym.
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1,000 FORNED:Senior Ned Gusic has watched Art Wade, Moore and Davor Krusevljanin reach the 1,000-point plateau. Saturday against Newberry, he joined the club.
“I didn’t know I was that close,” said Gusic. “I’m glad I got it. It’s a big achievement.”
Gusic smiles when remembering the start of his career.
“My first five games, I scored 22 points,” he said.“I was a little bit scared as a freshman. But looking back on it, I had decent sophomore and junior years.”
This season, he has completely changed his game, according to Baker. Known as an outside threat for three years, he is taking the ball to the basket.
“Last year, he worried about how many shots he’d get,” Baker said. “He was playing for Ned. But look at his statistics now. He’s rebounding. He’s playing defense — he’s playing to win.”
With a smile, Baker added, “It’s funny but now that he’s playing to win, I don’t mind when he takes a bad shot.”
Gusic is leading the Indians in scoring with a 16-point average. And many of those points come on drives resulting in dunks.
“I’m driving more because people know I can shoot from the outside and their overcrowding me, even if I’m 30 feet out. But I’ve always had the ability to drive.”
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REG-GIE! REG-GIE! When Hamilton went down for the year, Baker had a decision to make. Should he continue to let freshman Reggie Proctor redshirt?
“If we were 6-6 and 1-3 in the league, I wouldn’t even think about it,” Baker said. “But we’re in the hunt for a championship and if he can give us 6-8 minutes, it will really help.”
Proctor did more than expected against Newberry. In his first college game, he played 19 minutes, scoring11 points, including one ferocious slam.
“I was thinking about grabbing the ball but I was already up there so I dunked it,” the Hampton, Va. native grinned. “It felt pretty good.
“I could’ve still redshirted,” said the 6-8 Proctor. “But I know we’ve got some big games ahead of us. So I wanted to step up.”
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CARTERCOUNTRY: With Hamilton out and Luyk hurting, the paint has become Carter Country.
As in 6-6 leaper Brian Carter.
“It gives an opportunity for other post players to step up,” he said of the injuries.
Baker would love to continue bringing Carter off the bench along with point guard Duke Phipps because, he points out, both bring such energy on the floor with them.
“I’ll probably still come off the bench,” Carter said. “It doesn’t matter (if I start), as long as I play.”
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NOTES: Tevon Raikes missed Saturday’s game due to his grandfather’s funeral but is expected back tonight. ... Proctor is wearing Hamilton’s No. 33. ... Catawba’s next men’s home game is Monday against Newport News.
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Ronnie Gallagher is sports editor of the Post.
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