Scoring Average

CHICAGO -- From a man who provided numerous memorable moments in his 13 years in the NBA, there isn't one that defines Michael Jordan's greatness as a player.Not his last NBA shot in Game 6 of last years Finals, when he deftly used his left hand to shove Utah's Bryon Russell aside before hitting an 18-foot, game-winning jumper for Chicago's sixth title of the 1990s.Not his Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, when Jordan -- obviously ill -- got out of his sick bed to score 38 in a pivotal game against the Jazz.

Never mind that junior Thomas Hawkins' scoring average is down five points and he's not the Annapolis Panthers' leading scorer.Hawkins is a better player than he was last season, and Annapolis is a better team despite his lower points.What?In 1997-98 Hawkins, a 6-foot-3 swingman, led the Panthers to the Class 4A state semifinals and became the first sophomore named The Sun's Anne Arundel County boys basketball Player of the Year. The Panthers finished 21-7 behind his 20.2 scoring average.

Glen Rice is the sharpshooting forward for the Charlotte Hornets. Though the first half of this season, Glen was seventh in the NBA in scoring average (22.2 points per game). He is awesome at hitting 3-pointers.Last season, Glen was the Most Valuable Player at the NBA All-Star Game. He was an All-Star again this year.Glen loves to relax by playing basketball video games. "I love to score points," he says. "I'm averaging 90 points a games.Pub Date: 4/01/98

They don't have the swagger one would expect of the metro area's top-ranked girls basketball team. Neither do they possess any highly touted All-Metro players who are being recruited by major Division I colleges.In fact, the Seton Keough Gators don't even have one player whose scoring average is in double figures.But make no mistake.The Gators are the area's No. 1 team, even if they are unlike any of The Sun's top-ranked teams in recent memory.Their demeanor reflects a quiet confidence rather than a swagger.

Less than two weeks ago, Calbert Cheaney found his space invaded by dozens of microphones and television cameras after a Washington Bullets loss. It wasn't necessarily Cheaney's fault that the Bullets lost to the Charlotte Hornets that night, but the starting shooting guards' point totals stood out: Glen Rice, 38; Cheaney, zero."

All-Metro Field Hockey Player of the Year Emily Ward has decided to attend the University of Maryland.Although the Centennial senior was recruited, she will not receive any scholarship money. Still, Ward opted for Maryland over several other local schools."At first, I thought [the campus] would be too big," said Ward, "but I went to visit and I liked the team and the people I met. It just seemed like a place I would fit in."Last year, Ward made her mark as a breakaway artist, scoring or assisting on all but six of Centennial's goals.

College Park -- He has been extraordinary on more than one occasion, most recently in last season's NCAA tournament victories over Saint Louis and Massachusetts. His second-half performance against the Billikens drove their athletic director to scurry for her program."I kept asking everyone, 'Who is Exree Hipp?' " said Debbie Yow, who is now in the same job at Maryland.He also has been, more than a few times during his first two years as a Terrapin, a little bit exasperating, a case of unfulfilled potential.

When the San Antonio Spurs traded for Dennis Rodman in the off-season, center David Robinson welcomed the addition of a player who would help share the team's rebounding chores. Rodman did more than share in the rebounding in two games last week -- he dominated.The 6-foot-8 forward had 24 against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday and 25 against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.But is Rodman, with his league-leading 20.0 rebounds per game, really helping the Spurs?As impressive as those 49 rebounds were, San Antonio lost both games.

Western Maryland junior guard Sue Head knew going into the season that the Green Terrors would be relying on her heavily to have any kind of success.After all, the Westminster High grad was the leading returning scorer and was one of only two juniors on a team with no seniors.Head has shown throughout her career she can do much more than score, and she isn't disappointing anyone this season.Through seven games, she's leading the team in scoring average (12.7), assists (23) and steals (15)

Derek BarrettMeade, senior, guardA flashy 5-foot-10 guard, Barrett averaged 18.9 points and 4.0 assists this season. His disciplined play helped the Mustangs reach the state Class 4A championship game. He'll probably will attend a prep school next season.Sharif ButlerTowson Catholic, senior, forwardA slashing 6-foot-3 swingman, Butler led the Owls in scoring (17.3 points a game) and averaged 5.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Because the Owls lacked a true point guard, Butler filled in in that role.

One of the great things about a sports blog is that it gives the everyday fan an opportunity to react immediately to a game or a news event and publish that reaction for everyone who might want to see it. Of course, that's also one of the bad things about the Internet, because the instant reaction isn't always the most informed reaction. Take, for instance, a couple of posts Tuesday calling out Orioles hitting coach Terry Crowley because the club got only one hit in Monday night's 5-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

The two top-ranked players in the world arrive at Baltusrol for this week's PGA Championship appearing to be near peak form. No. 1 Tiger Woods claimed the British Open last month, and if not for a balky putter that led to his second-place finish at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in June, he would be aiming to close out a Grand Slam sweep. No. 2 Singh won the Buick Open at Grand Blanc, Mich., in his previous outing last week. He stared down Woods head-to-head in the final pairing Saturday, refusing to blink posting a 63 to Woods' 70 and cruising to victory despite a bold late Sunday run by Woods.

POINT GUARD Illinois is headed toward an NCAA team record for assist-to- turnover ratio. That smart, unselfish play begins with junior Deron Williams, the stocky (6-3, 210) leader whose personal ratio is 2.38. It's not as good as the 2.41 that Chris Paul has running Wake Forest. The better shooter, Paul doesn't put it up as much as you think. Come June, they could be the first two guards taken in the NBA draft. SMALL FORWARD In an effort to balance the floor and both sides' rotation, let's match two seniors: N.C. State's Julius Hodge and Syracuse's Hakim Warrick.

One player punched a gym door in anger; another went 10 rounds with tuberculosis; a third was kicked off the squad for a few games after breaking team rules; and a fourth tore her knee up. Meet the Coppin State Lady Eagles, who -- despite a history of setbacks and snit fits -- are favored to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball tournament. Top-seeded Coppin (20-7), which drew a first-round bye, will play South Carolina State (10-18), the 10th seed, today at noon in the quarterfinals at the Richmond (Va.)

When J.D. Byers heads home to Westminster in a few days from Lebanon Valley College, the high-scoring guard could be forgiven for taking a break during the holidays from his relentless basketball training schedule. The do-it-all senior has been a dominating force in the Dutchmen's 7-1 start. "You can never be satisfied with where you are," Byers said. "When you're satisfied, that's when everything goes downhill. I want to go back to work a little and try to make sure I'm ready for the second half of the year.

The teams Georgia Tech (27-9) The Yellow Jackets, the No. 3 seed in the St. Louis Regional, have won eight of their past nine games, and are in their first Final Four since 1990. They got here by beating fourth-seeded Kansas in overtime, 79-71. Oklahoma State (31-3) The Cowboys, the No. 2 seed in the East Rutherford Regional, have won 10 consecutive games and are in their first Final Four since 1995. They got here by beating top-seeded Saint Joseph's, 64-62. Backcourts Georgia Tech Sophomore point guard Jarrett Jack had the game of his life, scoring a career-high 29 points, including eight in overtime, to lead the Yellow Jackets over Kansas.

Sure, it wasn't a Big East matchup Friday night when Villanova junior point guard Derrick Snowden scored 15 points and handed out five assists to lead the Wildcats (7-4) to a 68-53 victory over Binghamton. But Snowden (Archbishop Spalding) played the kind of basketball that coach Jay Wright wants, turning in 29 quality minutes, including committing only two turnovers and contributing a steal. The key statistic of the evening was the 29 minutes, as opposed to the 33.3 Snowden averaged last season when he was the only point guard on the depth chart.

Point guard Tom Coverdale or Donald Perry, Indiana: Coverdale aggravated a sprained left ankle in the South Regional final and when he went out, Kent State nearly came back. Perry, a freshman, was shaky against the press and hit just four of 10 free throws. Coverdale will attempt to play tonight, but he probably won't last long. Perry has a tough job against Oklahoma's grinding defense. If he struggles again, Jared Jeffries will bring the ball upcourt. Quannas White, Oklahoma: A smart, unselfish player, White is averaging 6.3 assists per game for the tournament and 4.8 for the season.

Coppin State junior guard Joe Brown, the second-leading scorer in the league with an 18.0-point average, has been named to the All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's first team. Brown is joined on the squad by Player of the Year and the league's top scorer, Tarvis Williams of Hampton, Vincent Whitt of South Carolina State, Bruce Jenkins of North Carolina A&T and Dexter Hall of South Carolina State. Morgan State is represented on the second team by junior forward Curtis King, who carries a 15.5 scoring average.

Never mind that junior Thomas Hawkins' scoring average is down five points and he's not the Annapolis Panthers' leading scorer.Hawkins is a better player than he was last season, and Annapolis is a better team despite his lower points.What?In 1997-98 Hawkins, a 6-foot-3 swingman, led the Panthers to the Class 4A state semifinals and became the first sophomore named The Sun's Anne Arundel County boys basketball Player of the Year. The Panthers finished 21-7 behind his 20.2 scoring average.