Towson State
Tiger Tracks
Published exclusively for Tiger Club members
by the News and Publications Services
Tuesday, January 6, 1976
Towson State's basketball squad truly got into the spirit of giving over the recent
Christmas holidays. Three times, in fact, they gave their opponents more than they could
handle! In the process the Tigers captured the Lebanon Valley College Basketball Tou/narnent
and stretched their victory streak to five.
On December 29, the Tigers traveled to Annville, Pennsylvania for the Lebanon Valley
tourney. In the opening contest Towson ripped Bridgewater, 74-63, and then came back the
following night to trounce York College, 77-65, for the tournament championship. Pat McKinley
paced the Tiger attack with 32 points, 27 rebounds, and 10 blocked shots in the two ballgames.
For that effort, the lanky, 6-7 junior was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Brian Matthews, a 6-5 sophomore out of City College, averaged 13 points over the two
games and was selected to the All-Tournament team along with McKinley. Senior guard
Mike Jeffers aided the Tiger cause by handing out a career high 11 assists against York
College. Jeffers, from John Carroll High, is far and away the team leader in the assist
department.
Sophomore center Bobby Washington teamed up with McKinley to give the Tigers complete
domination of the boards. Washington averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds for the tourney as
Towson outrebounded the opposition, 117-66. Freshman Savia "Sky" Sharp, a 6-3 forward
from Cambridge, Md., enjoyed his finest game of the season, coming off the bench in the
title game to score 18 points, high for that contest.
"We were fortunate to get Savia," noted head coach Vince Angotti. "He's a quality
player who was heavily recruited by a lot of other schools." Sharp has moved into the
starting lineup ahead of senior Francis Clay, although both still share equal time.
The Tigers returned home last Saturday night to face Wilmington College, a club in
the midst of another disappointing season. Last season the Wildcats were forced to suspend
their season after only 10 games when the entire club was sidelined and declared academically
ineligible to complete the schedule. This year Wilmington jumped off to another poor start,
dropping six of their first seven games. At that point the Wildcats replaced head coach
Dave Rahn with Jim Huggard, and Huggard's first game came (you guessed it) against our
Tigers last Saturday. Unfortunately for Huggard, his Wildcats ran straight into a red-hot
Tiger club that is forgetting what it is like to lose. Towson outplayed Wilmington in
every phase of the game, swamping the visitors, 79-49. The Tigers improved their season
record to an impressive 7-2 with the win over Wilmington, compared to the 4-5 mark our
Tigers had through nine games a year ago.
Towson got balanced scoring in Saturday night's contest, with four players finishing
in double figures. Francis Clay and Brian Matthews each had 14 points, while Bobby
Washington added 12 and Pat McKinley chipped in with 11. "Sky" Sharp helped the cause
with eight points, while Paul Brooks and Ray Tannahill each had seven. Mike Jeffers was
held to only six points, but he added to his ever-growing assist total with three more against
the Wildcats. Rod Norris, transfer from Catonsville C.C., made his first appearance of the
campaign and was held scoreless, although he did contribute four assists. Norris is listed
at 5-8, but his lightning-like quickness in the backcourt should give the Tigers additional
strength at guard with Jeffers and Matthews.
In addition to his 11 points, McKinley also hauled down a game high 10 rebounds. Matthews
had nine caroms and Clay eight as the Tigers once again dominated the boards, out rebounding
Wilmington, 43-29. Towson also shot 54% from the floor, compared to the Wildcats' rather
dismal 35%. Both Clay and Matthews were 7 for 8 in the field goal department, while Sharp
was 4 for 5 and Tannahill 2 for 2 and 3 for 5 from the free throw line. The coaching change
did not seem to make any appreciable difference in the play of the Wildcats as they committed
14 turnovers in addition to their cold shooting and gave Towson its easiest victory of the current
season.
Our Tigers will not have much time to gloat over their 30-point romp, however, as they
move into action tonight against a tough Wheeling College squad. A year ago the Cardinals
were 23-11 on the season and 10-1 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
This year Wheeling is off to a 9-2 start and they average close to 80 points per game. The game
tonight (Tuesday) at 8 p.m. marks a homecoming for Cardinal coach Paul Baker and some of
his players. Baker coached at the University of Baltimore from 1965 through 1971 before
moving to Wheeling, so he is no stranger to the type of basketball played in this area. Also
returning are guard Dicky Kelly and sophomore center Leroy Wilson. Kelly is a graduate of
Dunbar High School here in Baltimore who led the nation's junior college scorers when he
played at Bay College. He was a first team All-Conference and All-Tourney selection last
year with a 21.6 scoring average. Wilson, meanwhile, played under Joe Binder at nearby
Calvert Hall and is being counted on heavily in Wheeling's plans for a successful program.
Other top names to look for in the Cardinal lineup include junior guard Rod Gaddy (Wheeling's
M.V.P. a year ago), Mike Barnes (6-6, 200 pound center), and 6-7 forward Craig Swanson.
The Cardinals and Tigers have met only once4(1974), with Towson a winner, 101-89.
--over—
