Fang

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!The first stop this week on the party circuit was the Boumi Temple on North Charles Street, where members of the Advertising Club of Baltimore paid tribute to the Coppin State College basketball team.The Ad Club, which has been applauding and accentuating the positive about Baltimore since 1909, thanked "Fang and the Gang" for making Marylanders so proud as the team slam-dunked its way to national prominence in the 1997 NCAA tournament.Hundreds of people, led by Ad Club President Brent Gunts, were at the Boumi Temple to meet and honor Coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell and his players.

Last Thursday, ceremonies at the State House in Annapolis honored Coppin State coach Fang Mitchell and his players.Saturday, there will be more honors at Camden Yards for the Eagles. Mitchell will throw out the first pitch before the Orioles meet the Texas Rangers at 1: 35 p.m., and the team will be honored before the game.Coppin State upset South Carolina in the NCAA basketball tournament before falling to Texas in the second round, 82-81. The Eagles are the first team from Baltimore to win a men's Division I NCAA tournament game.

Bill asked Boris to name any price for not going to war over NATO enlargement and Boris helpfully responded.George Tenet has the indispensable qualification to head the CIA. He can be confirmed by the Senate Intelligence Committee, which considers him one of its own.Bismarck said 119 years ago there is no such thing as an Albanian and may soon be right.Fang for Governor!Pub Date: 3/21/97

THE REASON the NCAA basketball tournament is one of the most endearing spectacles in sport is because over the course of a few weekends in March, there are dozens of chances for David to topple Goliath.Baltimore's Coppin State played the role of David yesterday.The Eagles' men's basketball team, coached by Fang Mitchell, upset the University of South Carolina, ranked fifth in the nation. It was only the third time in the 59-year history of the tournament that a No. 15 first-round seed has defeated a No. 2 first-round seed.

A week ago at Delaware State, Coppin State needed an overtime period before putting away the Hornets, 90-83.But last night at the Coppin Center, it took the Eagles less than 10 minutes to take command in coasting to their 10th straight victory, 88-66, before 1,003.It boosted Coppin's record to 14-7 and an 11-2 mark in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, setting the stage for TC first-place showdown here next Thursday with South Carolina State.Art Perry, making his head coaching debut at Delaware State after 24 years as an assistant, including the last six at Maryland, said he would stress strong man-to-man defense in trying to revive a struggling basketball program.

In one month, Fred Warrick has gone from being a student at Philadelphia Community College to a starting forward on Coppin State's basketball team.Warrick joined the Eagles the last week of December after completing graduation requirements at Philadelphia CC. He had been the 1995 NJCAA Region 19 Most Valuable Player after averaging 27.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists, and shooting 45.6 percent from three-point range at Essex County College in Newark,...

Coppin State coach Fang Mitchell has reinstated forward Reggie Welch, who was suspended a week ago and missed the Eagles' season opener at Oklahoma for violating team academic rules.A 6-foot-6 senior and first-team All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference selection last season, Welch will make this weekend's trip to the Ameritas Classic at Nebraska."Our first concern is that he has his academic situation straight, and he has taken it upon himself to do so and improve his performance in that area," Mitchell said.

Winthrop (2-9) at Loyola (3-7)Site: Reitz ArenaTime: 1 p.m.Outlook: The game, originally scheduled for yesterday, has been rescheduled for today due to the snow. The Greyhounds have won two straight, including Thursday night's 80-78 double-overtime win against St. Joseph's. Senior G Teron Owens (Catonsville) has averaged nearly 20 points since moving into the starting lineup three games ago. Junior F Anthony Smith, a transfer from Duquesne, has scored 45 points in three games since becoming eligible.

The list of prospects for the soon-to-be-vacant basketball coaching job at Florida International has been narrowed to three, and Coppin State's Fang Mitchell is a finalist.A source at Florida International, which is preparing for Friday's first-round NCAA game against No. 1 West Regional seed UCLA in Boise, Idaho, said that Mitchell returned to the school's Miami campus for several hours Sunday afternoon.The source said Florida International will choose among Mitchell, Boston College assistant Rick Boyages and Shakey Rodriguez, who has led Miami High to five Florida state titles.

Sidney Goodman led Coppin State with 23 points last night, and kept scoring right through his post-game interview. The senior point guard was so predictable, so boring, coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell probably will hug him before Coppin plays for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship today.This is what Fang wants, a team that is programmed both on and off the court. The Eagles got carried away with themselves last season, and suffered the most embarrassing defeat of Mitchell's nine-year tenure.