Taking A Trip Down Memory Lane To Clinton, SC

I had a feeling of nostalgia as I entered Furman Pinson Arena last Saturday to watch Wofford take on Presbyterian College. It was the renewal of a once-great college sports rivalry. I’d seen Wofford play at PC several times before – more on one particularly memorable night in a minute – and in other small college gyms where you bought your ticket in a small lobby area (the kind woman at the desk in Clinton on Saturday didn’t even make me pay!) and then walked into the arena on the floor level.

The Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium is, of course, a much more impressive place to watch a game, so it was a reminder of how far Wofford has come and how the program has separated itself from the Terriers’ old NAIA/Division II competition in so many ways. This isn’t meant arrogantly: Fact is, our Benjamin Johnson Arena, while a great place to watch a game, was only slightly more impressive than PC’s gym, and that’s where we’d still be playing without the immense wealth and Wofford-focused generosity of Jerry Richardson. In any case, there’s something really exciting about walking in to an arena courtside. You get an immediate feel for the game –how big and athletic the players are, how intense the action is, how hard the coaches are working. I’ve been a Wofford fan for a long time, and I recall going to games in other similar venues – at Lenoir-Rhyne, Newberry, USC-Spartanburg (now USC-Upstate, of course), to name a few. Those were fun times.

The trip to PC hit me with a feeling of nostalgia more specifically, though, for bringing back memories of an especially contentious meeting between the two teams back in the early 1990s – one that involved our beloved chaplain, the late Rev. Talmage Skinner, being semi-restrained by a young Mike Young.

Talmage Skinner was well known for singing the alma mater after every men’s basketball game.

Let’s have a little background: First of all, no one loved Wofford College athletics more than the late Rev. Skinner. The longtime chaplain, who famously led the singing of the alma mater after home basketball games, was perhaps the Terriers’ greatest fan. So, of course, no one could work up a more serious loathing for the PC Blue Hose than Rev. Skinner. PC was, for many years, Wofford’s biggest rival. It’s
understandable if younger fans don’t appreciate the significance of the rivalry. Furman looms large these days – and it did then, too, except that in Wofford’s pre-Division I years, Furman would only play the Terriers in Greenville, and, really, the Paladins usually had superior talent in basketball, football, and other sports. A Wofford win was a true upset (at some point, we should revisit the story of the great Fall of 1991 comeback-and-last-second-basket-by-Mario-Harper upset in the old Greenville Memorial Auditorium – incredible!).

Wofford vs. PC was a top-notch small college rivalry. When I was in college – from 1988-1992 – games between the two schools in both basketball and football were grudge matches. Blue Hose basketball featured a guy named Bret Jones. He was an outrageous talent. The Lexington (SC) High School product might or might not have been recruited by Wofford – I never was clear on that – but at PC, he was virtually unstoppable. At 6-8, he could handle the ball, shoot 3-pointers, drive the lane and score around the basket. When I think about Division II-era guys who could have been successful in today’s Southern Conference, Jones is a player who comes to mind. He might have been a player-of-the-year candidate. He was that good.

Of course, so was Wofford Hall of Famer Greg O’Dell, a smooth 6-5 guard who could score from anywhere. Greg, a classmate of mine, was a terrific athlete (and excellent all-around student), and he could take things to another level when inspired to do so – which he pretty much was anytime he played against PC. Thinking about Greg’s talent in the context of today’s strength and conditioning program and the level of competition – both in day-to-day practice with Wofford teammates and against opponents – it’s easy to imagine his name being mentioned in the same sentence as guys like Fletcher Magee and Karl Cochran. Greg was that good.

Wofford also featured Spartanburg High School graduates Brad Painter and the late Sidney Thomas, who were tough and talented and had faced off against Jones in an intense playoff matchup as seniors in high school. In Wofford vs. PC games during those years, there was a feeling of familiarity and respect – but also legitimate animosity. To say the very least, Wofford and PC matchups were hotly contested.

Additionally, it was taken as basically obvious fact among Wofford faithful that when the games took place in Clinton, the referees put a thumb on the scale in favor of the Blue Hose. That’s the kind of conspiracy thinking, obviously, that fans tend to engage in, often without merit. But, truly, there seemed to be a pattern of mystery calls at PC. I distinctly recall then-coach Richard Johnson loudly declaring to his bench during an especially frustrating second half in PC’s gym that he wanted to get thrown out the game.

The intensity of the rivalry – along with this business about the officiating – got a little weird during a particularly unusual sequence of events one night in the early 90s.

At the end of regulation, capping off a hard-fought battle, forward Matt Allen made a short runner in the lane at the buzzer. His shot gave Wofford an apparent two-point win. The sizable Wofford contingent went wild. The team rushed onto the court in celebration.

Then one of the referees waved it off.

It was a blatantly bad call. Laughably bad. It wasn’t even close. The game report on WSPA-TV later that night showed the ball on the rim as the clock went to zero – there was probably more than a whole second left when the ball left Allen’s hands. The Wofford team was obviously outraged.

And so was Rev. Skinner, who had gotten to the bench to congratulate the team. Having then made his way onto the court, he was visibly fired up.

Was the chaplain, dressed in his clerical collar, about to assault a referee? Of course not. Was it possible that his protest could have resulted in a technical foul called against the Wofford bench? Doubtful. But Coach Young, in his second or third year as an assistant, wasn’t taking any chances. He put his arms around Rev. Skinner in case he needed to be held back. It didn’t take long for the scene to settle down. The Wofford team regrouped and took care of business in overtime. I’m pretty sure no one was happier about the win than Rev. Skinner.

*****
There were no last-second controversies recently as the Wofford team made its first appearance on the PC campus in years.

Wofford’s current players are far too young to remember the glory years of the Terrier vs. Blue Hose rivalry. And they likely wouldn’t care that much anyway. They are on a mission to play the best basketball they can and prepare for what appears likely to be a grueling upcoming Southern Conference regular season.

The team was coming off a really tough road loss at Coastal Carolina, followed by exams. They were clearly focused on playing winning basketball. Wofford seized early control of the game and pretty much kept it that way throughout. (For a nice game report, check out this well-written piece from a Clinton perspective:

While Wofford was stronger team, it should be said that this was a very solid opponent. PC, now a member of the Big South conference, had beaten VMI and The Citadel. They’d gone to overtime against College of Charleston. And PC led Clemson at halftime a few weeks ago.

Against Wofford, the Blue Hose weren’t going to go down without a fight. With tough defense and displays of impressive athleticism around the basket, they closed the lead to 8 about midway through the second half.

Then the Terriers went on perhaps their most impressive run of the young season. Guys hit shots from everywhere. Max Klesmit and Isaiah Bigelow were particularly impressive, scoring from behind the 3-point line and driving the lane for baskets as well. Meanwhile, Wofford’s defense was stifling – PC was under 40% shooting for the game and made a dismal 1-18 from 3-point range.

The Wofford athletic department does a great job with post-game reports and box scores. I encourage you to give a look.

On the whole, it was a really good warm-up game for a Wofford team that’s still developing its rotation and establishing its identity following the loss of one of its top players, Messiah Jones, out for the year with an Achilles injury.

It was a nice road win against good competition. There was a strong showing of Wofford fans at the game, and I think the team appreciated it.

Of course, driving to Clinton to see the Terriers take on the Blue Hose used to be a tradition for Wofford folks. Those on hand Saturday seemed to enjoy seeing Wofford win going away – no last-second heroics or dubiously required overtime needed. I think Rev. Skinner would have been pleased.