B
Brian Shoemaker
Guest
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Gamecock Nation Today
- Thursday, May 23, 2019 -
☀ Good morning from Gamecock Central.
It's time to get serious, folks! We're 100 days away from the Gamecocks playing North Carolina.
The track & field NCAA East Regional begins today. The men's golf NCAA Championship begins Friday.
Luke Doty/Credit: Chris Gillespie
1. Doty an Elite 11 finalist
South Carolina quarterback commit Luke Doty is an Elite 11 Finalist.
The four-star prospect from Myrtle Beach High School was officially invited to the event on Wednesday afternoon
He'll have the opportunity to compete against the nation's best at The Opening Finals from June 30 to July 3 in Frisco, Texas.
Doty is the third straight South Carolina commitment to land an invite to the prestigious event, joining the class of 2019's Ryan Hilinski and 2018's Dakereon Joyner.
As a junior, Doty completed 260 of 363 passes (72 percent) for 3,037 yards with 36 touchdowns and just six interceptions. The athletic prospect also rushed for 701 yards and seven scores.
Rivals.com ranks Doty as the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback and No. 191 overall prospect in the 2020 class.
• RELATED: Doty taking recruiting role seriously - Quarterback commit Luke Doty takes on an ambassador role for South Carolina. (subscription)
– Wes Mitchell
2. Five questions with Pearson Fowler
Pearson Fowler is the host of “Lunch” on 107.5 The Game weekdays from 12-1. You can listen to him there or follow him on Twitter @PearsonFowler.
1. What’s the sport/topic you enjoy talking about the most on your show?
Honestly, it’s football. I know I say I wish I could talk NBA all day every day, and I kind of do, but part of the enjoyment of doing the show is people’s engagement, and football is obviously what gets people most fired up. (Secret confession: I’m more excited for this Carolina basketball season than this Carolina football season.)
2. Is there a anything you wish you could talk about more on your show that doesn’t have a lot of interest around Columbia?
NBA, for sure. I would also like to talk more soccer, but I don’t really think there are any markets here (in the U.S.) where you can just lead a show talking about the Premier League weekend. So I guess if I were to do it like a wish list of what I wish people wanted to hear more of and therefore what I could talk more of, it would be 1) NBA, 2) soccer, 3) random pop culture stuff like Thrones (which I do but in spite of my better judgement and never for more than a couple minutes).
3. Day-to-day, how do you go about choosing what to talk about? Is it difficult to talk about the major stories while keeping it different from other shows?
So my rule is usually big local story leads. If there was a game the day before, I’ll start with that. Exceptions for things like the Super Bowl, obviously. Then I just try to think about what people around Columbia are most interested in, which is easy for for me since I’m people around Columbia. I know some people probably think I’m a terrorist for mentioning things like soccer, but I do know that the younger demo (my peers that listen) really enjoy soccer, the NBA, etc. It’s hard to find the balance in satisfying each part of our demo, so above all I just try to be authentic. It’s easier to talk about something I’m excited about, so that’s sometimes the tiebreaker. I worried about appeasing the older demo more early on, but I figure everyone else on the station is old as dirt, so the old dudes that can’t stand my liberal, communist propaganda have nine other hours of old local dudes to satisfy them. I don’t think too much about overlapping with the other shows. I know most people aren’t listening all day, so I don’t want to assume people heard Tim (Hill) and Bill (Gunter) or will listen to Heath (Cline) later. Sometimes, I’ll even carry over parts of a discussion that I liked from the morning show, especially on days when I have Tim or Bill with me. I like synergy.
4. Which sporting event would you want to cover the most?
Probably in this order:
5. What’s been the biggest moment of your broadcasting career?
LOL. None. I mean, I’ve not been doing this long enough or well enough to have any big moments of note. The first time I heard my name in the show open was cool (same with the first time I cut my own show open after I started hosting). The coolest moments related to my job are always talking to people that listen to the show. It’s kind of weird, and I’m always flattered. Also, people are always nice, which is great, but I know not everyone that I meet likes my show (if the message boards are any indication), so I’m kind of excited to talk to the first person that’s gonna say, “Oh, hey, your show sucks.”
– Jackson Fields
3. Opposing defensive backs
It’s been well documented that South Carolina’s 2019 football slate is extremely difficult – arguably the hardest schedule in the country. Throughout the course of the challenging season, the Gamecocks will face some of the best players in the country.
This series looks at the five best players USC will face in 2019, position-by-position. We continue with defensive backs, which we will list in alphabetical order.
Demarkus Acy, Missouri – Acy has a ton of experience heading into his senior season. He was a second-team all-SEC selection by the league’s coaches last season, with plenty of quality candidates to choose from in the secondary. He had two picks in a game against Tennessee and also broke up three passes against the Gamecocks. Has excellent size at 6-foot-2.
Shyheim Carter, Alabama – A senior, Carter had two pick-sixes last season and was a veteran presence for a Crimson Tide secondary that featured some youth. The Louisiana product has played in a total of 37 games during his career.
CJ Henderson, Florida – Another second-team all-SEC selection by the league’s coaches, Henderson turned in a great sophomore season with 38 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, three sacks, two interceptions, team-high seven pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He had a game-sealing interception against the Gamecocks last season and brings a lot of speed and coverage ability to the position.
JR Reed, Georgia – A transfer from Tulsa, Reed is heading into his third full season with Georgia and is one of the team’s most dependable players on defense. The starting safety was second on the team last season with 66 tackles and was selected as a captain multiple times. He’s a high football IQ player who’s around the ball often.
AJ Terrell, Clemson – This former five-star has the size (6-foot-2) and skill set that makes him a tough defensive back to get open on; he had a pick-six against Alabama to open scoring in the national title game. Terrell was just a third-team all-ACC selection last season, but should take another step as a junior.
– Chris Clark
4. This, that, and the other
• Football Recruiting: Five-star Grimes sets USC official visit for next month - Gamecocks to get big five-star on campus. (subscription)
• Football: The matchup, Charleston Southern - We look at in-state Charleston Southern, which the Gamecocks will face in their home opener in Week 2. (subscription)
• Football: Jaylen Nichols impressing Wolford early - When coaches are recruiting players, the standard line is they’re recruiting the parents also. That could also be said when a coach is deciding whether or not to pursue a player in high school or not. So when offensive line coach Eric Wolford met Jaylen Nichols’s parents, he was sold and sold quickly. (link)
• Baseball: What LSU's Paul Mainieri said about South Carolina - One of the SEC's best coaches has faith in Mark Kingston and South Carolina. (subscription)
• Beach Volleyball: Duo headed to Vietnam for unique experience - A pair of South Carolina beach volleyball student-athletes may be taking time off from competing, but they won't exactly be relaxing with their toes in the sand as they immerse themselves into another culture. (link)
• Track and Field: Gamecocks ready for NCAA East Regional - The race for national titles begins this week for the track & field program as the Gamecocks head to Jacksonville, Fla., for the NCAA East Regional Preliminary Round. (link)
• Men's Tennis: Jubb storms into NCAA Quarterfinals - Junior Paul Jubb needed less than 90 minutes to power his way into the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship quarterfinals, dismantling No. 39 Benjamin Sigouin 6-1, 6-4 Wednesday afternoon. (link)
• Women's Tennis: Horvit and Martins in quarterfinals of NCAA Doubles Championship - The doubles tandem of senior Ingrid Martins and junior Mia Horvit advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship after a straight-set win on Wednesday. (link)
Women's Tennis: South Carolina finishes at No. 5 - The women's tennis team ended the season as the No. 5-ranked team in the nation as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. (link)
– Jackson Fields
5. This Date in Gamecock History
May 23, 1977 – Randy Martz scattered 10 hits and struck out 12 as USC beat Wake Forest, 6-1, to clinch the NCAA Atlantic Regional and advance to the College World Series.
6. Birthdays!
Brantley Southers - Other than A'ja Wilson, possibly USC's most decorated women's basketball player, Southers was a three-time All-American. A Columbia native, Southers averaged 10.7 points per game as a freshman for the 1981-82 season and was named a freshman All-American. An injury in the first minute of the first game of the 1982-83 season wiped out that year, but she bounced back in 1983-84 and averaged 18.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Southers was named all-Metro and All-America at the end of that season. As a junior, she poured in 17.2 points per game and grabbed 6.9 rebounds while repeating as an All-American and adding South Carolina Player of the Year from the state association of sportswriters to her trophy cabinet. Southers averaged 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a game as a senior and in addition to All-America honors was named South Carolina Female Amateur Athlete of the Year. She ranks fourth in USC history in career points scored.
Chris Bank (football/offensive guard, 1967-70)
KC Crosby (football/tight end, 2014-18)
Garrison Gist (football/fullback, 2013-15)
Brantley Southers (women's basketball, 1981-86)
Rachad Wilson (football/defensive tackle, 1996-98)
– John Parker, gamecockarchives.com
7. ⌚ Key Events (Countdown)
• June 3 – MLB Draft, Day 1 (11 days)
• June 4 – MLB Draft, Day 2 (12)
• June 5 – MLB Draft, Day 3 (13)
• June 6 – Football: One-day camp (14)
• June 7 – Football: One-day camp (15)
• June 8 – Football: One-day camp (16)
• June 13 – Football: OL/DL camps (21)
• June 13 – Football: 7-on-7 passing tourney (21)
• June 14 – Football: OL/DL camps (22)
• June 14 – Football: 7-on-7 passing tourney (22)
• June 15 – Football: One-day camp (23)
• June 19 – Football: One-day camp (27)
• June 20 – Football: One-day camp (28)
• June 21 – Football: One-day camp (29)
• June 22 – Football: One-day camp (30)
• June 22 – Football: Specialists camp (30)
• July 15 – SEC Media Days, Day 1 (53)
• July 16 – SEC Media Days, Day 2 (54)
• July 17 – SEC Media Days, Day 3 (55)
• July 18 – SEC Media Days, Day 4 (56)
• July 20 – Ladies Football Clinic (58)
• Aug. 31 – Football: Gamecocks vs UNC (100)
DID YOU KNOW? You can receive this report (Gamecock Nation Today) early each morning in your email inbox. Sign up here.
------------------------
Gamecock Nation Today
- Thursday, May 23, 2019 -
☀ Good morning from Gamecock Central.
It's time to get serious, folks! We're 100 days away from the Gamecocks playing North Carolina.
The track & field NCAA East Regional begins today. The men's golf NCAA Championship begins Friday.
Luke Doty/Credit: Chris Gillespie
1. Doty an Elite 11 finalist
South Carolina quarterback commit Luke Doty is an Elite 11 Finalist.
The four-star prospect from Myrtle Beach High School was officially invited to the event on Wednesday afternoon
He'll have the opportunity to compete against the nation's best at The Opening Finals from June 30 to July 3 in Frisco, Texas.
Doty is the third straight South Carolina commitment to land an invite to the prestigious event, joining the class of 2019's Ryan Hilinski and 2018's Dakereon Joyner.
As a junior, Doty completed 260 of 363 passes (72 percent) for 3,037 yards with 36 touchdowns and just six interceptions. The athletic prospect also rushed for 701 yards and seven scores.
Rivals.com ranks Doty as the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback and No. 191 overall prospect in the 2020 class.
• RELATED: Doty taking recruiting role seriously - Quarterback commit Luke Doty takes on an ambassador role for South Carolina. (subscription)
– Wes Mitchell
2. Five questions with Pearson Fowler
Pearson Fowler is the host of “Lunch” on 107.5 The Game weekdays from 12-1. You can listen to him there or follow him on Twitter @PearsonFowler.
1. What’s the sport/topic you enjoy talking about the most on your show?
Honestly, it’s football. I know I say I wish I could talk NBA all day every day, and I kind of do, but part of the enjoyment of doing the show is people’s engagement, and football is obviously what gets people most fired up. (Secret confession: I’m more excited for this Carolina basketball season than this Carolina football season.)
2. Is there a anything you wish you could talk about more on your show that doesn’t have a lot of interest around Columbia?
NBA, for sure. I would also like to talk more soccer, but I don’t really think there are any markets here (in the U.S.) where you can just lead a show talking about the Premier League weekend. So I guess if I were to do it like a wish list of what I wish people wanted to hear more of and therefore what I could talk more of, it would be 1) NBA, 2) soccer, 3) random pop culture stuff like Thrones (which I do but in spite of my better judgement and never for more than a couple minutes).
3. Day-to-day, how do you go about choosing what to talk about? Is it difficult to talk about the major stories while keeping it different from other shows?
So my rule is usually big local story leads. If there was a game the day before, I’ll start with that. Exceptions for things like the Super Bowl, obviously. Then I just try to think about what people around Columbia are most interested in, which is easy for for me since I’m people around Columbia. I know some people probably think I’m a terrorist for mentioning things like soccer, but I do know that the younger demo (my peers that listen) really enjoy soccer, the NBA, etc. It’s hard to find the balance in satisfying each part of our demo, so above all I just try to be authentic. It’s easier to talk about something I’m excited about, so that’s sometimes the tiebreaker. I worried about appeasing the older demo more early on, but I figure everyone else on the station is old as dirt, so the old dudes that can’t stand my liberal, communist propaganda have nine other hours of old local dudes to satisfy them. I don’t think too much about overlapping with the other shows. I know most people aren’t listening all day, so I don’t want to assume people heard Tim (Hill) and Bill (Gunter) or will listen to Heath (Cline) later. Sometimes, I’ll even carry over parts of a discussion that I liked from the morning show, especially on days when I have Tim or Bill with me. I like synergy.
4. Which sporting event would you want to cover the most?
Probably in this order:
- World Cup - Combination of my favorite sport and international travel.
- Wimbledon - Just seems awesome. Also get to go to England.
- NBA Finals - Love the NBA.
- The Kentucky Derby? - I don't know about this one. Attend, yes. Maybe cover like Hunter S. Thompson covered it.
- The Masters - See above. Also, now I’m just thinking about events I’d like to see live. Sorry, I’m not doing a great job with this question.
5. What’s been the biggest moment of your broadcasting career?
LOL. None. I mean, I’ve not been doing this long enough or well enough to have any big moments of note. The first time I heard my name in the show open was cool (same with the first time I cut my own show open after I started hosting). The coolest moments related to my job are always talking to people that listen to the show. It’s kind of weird, and I’m always flattered. Also, people are always nice, which is great, but I know not everyone that I meet likes my show (if the message boards are any indication), so I’m kind of excited to talk to the first person that’s gonna say, “Oh, hey, your show sucks.”
– Jackson Fields
3. Opposing defensive backs
It’s been well documented that South Carolina’s 2019 football slate is extremely difficult – arguably the hardest schedule in the country. Throughout the course of the challenging season, the Gamecocks will face some of the best players in the country.
This series looks at the five best players USC will face in 2019, position-by-position. We continue with defensive backs, which we will list in alphabetical order.
Demarkus Acy, Missouri – Acy has a ton of experience heading into his senior season. He was a second-team all-SEC selection by the league’s coaches last season, with plenty of quality candidates to choose from in the secondary. He had two picks in a game against Tennessee and also broke up three passes against the Gamecocks. Has excellent size at 6-foot-2.
Shyheim Carter, Alabama – A senior, Carter had two pick-sixes last season and was a veteran presence for a Crimson Tide secondary that featured some youth. The Louisiana product has played in a total of 37 games during his career.
CJ Henderson, Florida – Another second-team all-SEC selection by the league’s coaches, Henderson turned in a great sophomore season with 38 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, three sacks, two interceptions, team-high seven pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He had a game-sealing interception against the Gamecocks last season and brings a lot of speed and coverage ability to the position.
JR Reed, Georgia – A transfer from Tulsa, Reed is heading into his third full season with Georgia and is one of the team’s most dependable players on defense. The starting safety was second on the team last season with 66 tackles and was selected as a captain multiple times. He’s a high football IQ player who’s around the ball often.
AJ Terrell, Clemson – This former five-star has the size (6-foot-2) and skill set that makes him a tough defensive back to get open on; he had a pick-six against Alabama to open scoring in the national title game. Terrell was just a third-team all-ACC selection last season, but should take another step as a junior.
– Chris Clark
4. This, that, and the other
• Football Recruiting: Five-star Grimes sets USC official visit for next month - Gamecocks to get big five-star on campus. (subscription)
• Football: The matchup, Charleston Southern - We look at in-state Charleston Southern, which the Gamecocks will face in their home opener in Week 2. (subscription)
• Football: Jaylen Nichols impressing Wolford early - When coaches are recruiting players, the standard line is they’re recruiting the parents also. That could also be said when a coach is deciding whether or not to pursue a player in high school or not. So when offensive line coach Eric Wolford met Jaylen Nichols’s parents, he was sold and sold quickly. (link)
• Baseball: What LSU's Paul Mainieri said about South Carolina - One of the SEC's best coaches has faith in Mark Kingston and South Carolina. (subscription)
• Beach Volleyball: Duo headed to Vietnam for unique experience - A pair of South Carolina beach volleyball student-athletes may be taking time off from competing, but they won't exactly be relaxing with their toes in the sand as they immerse themselves into another culture. (link)
• Track and Field: Gamecocks ready for NCAA East Regional - The race for national titles begins this week for the track & field program as the Gamecocks head to Jacksonville, Fla., for the NCAA East Regional Preliminary Round. (link)
• Men's Tennis: Jubb storms into NCAA Quarterfinals - Junior Paul Jubb needed less than 90 minutes to power his way into the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship quarterfinals, dismantling No. 39 Benjamin Sigouin 6-1, 6-4 Wednesday afternoon. (link)
• Women's Tennis: Horvit and Martins in quarterfinals of NCAA Doubles Championship - The doubles tandem of senior Ingrid Martins and junior Mia Horvit advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship after a straight-set win on Wednesday. (link)
Women's Tennis: South Carolina finishes at No. 5 - The women's tennis team ended the season as the No. 5-ranked team in the nation as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. (link)
– Jackson Fields
5. This Date in Gamecock History
May 23, 1977 – Randy Martz scattered 10 hits and struck out 12 as USC beat Wake Forest, 6-1, to clinch the NCAA Atlantic Regional and advance to the College World Series.
- Carolina right fielder Don Repsher opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning and then scored on a home run by Johnny Hinkel to make it 3-1 and give Martz all the cushion he needed to make it 12 wins in 12 decisions on the year.
- Mark Van Bever and Mookie Wilson closed out the scoring with home runs of their own.
6. Birthdays!
Brantley Southers - Other than A'ja Wilson, possibly USC's most decorated women's basketball player, Southers was a three-time All-American. A Columbia native, Southers averaged 10.7 points per game as a freshman for the 1981-82 season and was named a freshman All-American. An injury in the first minute of the first game of the 1982-83 season wiped out that year, but she bounced back in 1983-84 and averaged 18.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Southers was named all-Metro and All-America at the end of that season. As a junior, she poured in 17.2 points per game and grabbed 6.9 rebounds while repeating as an All-American and adding South Carolina Player of the Year from the state association of sportswriters to her trophy cabinet. Southers averaged 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a game as a senior and in addition to All-America honors was named South Carolina Female Amateur Athlete of the Year. She ranks fourth in USC history in career points scored.
Chris Bank (football/offensive guard, 1967-70)
KC Crosby (football/tight end, 2014-18)
Garrison Gist (football/fullback, 2013-15)
Brantley Southers (women's basketball, 1981-86)
Rachad Wilson (football/defensive tackle, 1996-98)
– John Parker, gamecockarchives.com
7. ⌚ Key Events (Countdown)
• June 3 – MLB Draft, Day 1 (11 days)
• June 4 – MLB Draft, Day 2 (12)
• June 5 – MLB Draft, Day 3 (13)
• June 6 – Football: One-day camp (14)
• June 7 – Football: One-day camp (15)
• June 8 – Football: One-day camp (16)
• June 13 – Football: OL/DL camps (21)
• June 13 – Football: 7-on-7 passing tourney (21)
• June 14 – Football: OL/DL camps (22)
• June 14 – Football: 7-on-7 passing tourney (22)
• June 15 – Football: One-day camp (23)
• June 19 – Football: One-day camp (27)
• June 20 – Football: One-day camp (28)
• June 21 – Football: One-day camp (29)
• June 22 – Football: One-day camp (30)
• June 22 – Football: Specialists camp (30)
• July 15 – SEC Media Days, Day 1 (53)
• July 16 – SEC Media Days, Day 2 (54)
• July 17 – SEC Media Days, Day 3 (55)
• July 18 – SEC Media Days, Day 4 (56)
• July 20 – Ladies Football Clinic (58)
• Aug. 31 – Football: Gamecocks vs UNC (100)
