The academic status of former UMBC basketball player Sonique Nixon was reported incorrectly in last Thursday's Sun. After the fall 1993 semester, Mr. Nixon's grade-point average fell below the school's newer, more stringent standards, and he was ruled ineligible and placed on academic probation for the spring 1994 semester. He remained a student at the school and is currently in good standing academically at UMBC.
The Sun regrets the error.
It seems to be a team that always walks around with a cloud over its head.
The preseason whammy already has struck: The top returning scorer, Kevin Bellinger, is academically ineligible for the first semester, and Pascal Fleury, 7 feet 2, is nursing strained ligaments in his shooting hand.
There is no apparent go-to guy unless junior transfer Tony Thompson instantly becomes an offensive force.
But UMBC is counting on athleticism and teamwork to cover for its other problems when its basketball season opens Dec. 1.
The Retrievers have some size (Fleury set a school record for blocked shots), some speed and some talent. Putting it together is the key for a school that hasn't had a winning season since 1988-89, coach Earl Hawkins' first year.
"We have a competitive schedule again, so for this team to be successful, there has to be a total team effort," said Hawkins, who's in the final year of his contract. "We have to play with the intensity of the New York Knicks, 120 percent every game."
UMBC was feeling pretty good after its second game last year, an 89-80 loss to Maryland at College Park, then the dam burst.
Point guard Spencer Ferguson hurt both his ankles and managed to start only six times all season. Center Sonique Nixon flunked out between semesters. And top scorer Skip Saunders missed four games altogether and four other starts because of injury and wound up with the lowest team-leading scoring average (12.4) in school history.
UMBC limped off to a 1-9 start and limped home to a 6-21 finish after a midseason stretch in which it won four of six games.
The Retrievers played soft defense at times, yielding 80 points or more in 14 games, and won five of 13 at home. Still, they managed to play solidly in the Big South Conference tournament, barely losing to favored Radford.
"Obviously, it was very disappointing," said senior guard Eric Wyatt. "Most of us had never been in a situation where the record was below .500. At the beginning, we had such high hopes, but they didn't pan out."
Already, the loss of Bellinger, the slowing of Fleury and an eye injury to freshman Matt Skalsky have struck before UMBC has played an official game.
"Deja vu. Our life story seems to be that bad things happen," said Hawkins. "We hope this ends early and gets out of our system."
The Retrievers are picked to finish somewhere in the middle of the Big South because Fleury can be a major defensive force when healthy, and Hawkins' recruiting has yielded several players who can help, particularly Thompson, who has a strong all-around game, and Skalsky, a marksman.
Hawkins has a nice situation at the point, where Wyatt is battling Eric Hayes, who took over when Ferguson was slowed by ailing ankles and never relinquished his job.
"Starting doesn't matter that much," said Wyatt, who also can play shooting guard. "We'll both get time. What is important is how much and when I play."
Thompson is the probable starter at shooting guard, Chris Thompson (Woodlawn) at big forward, Marc Lay or Artie Walker at small forward and Fleury at center.
Hawkins said he is reasonably satisfied about the team's exhibition performances, especially in light of the injuries.
"But we need more work on playing together," he said. "The team effort and unity has been good as has the attitude.
"We've just got to win. We have to find a way to do it over 27 games and overcome any adversity we have."
The goals are simple -- capture the Big South regular-season and tournament titles and perform better at the UMBC Fieldhouse.
At least one thing has improved. In the preseason last year, UMBC practiced frequently at 6 a.m. -- it was the only time Hawkins could be assured the entire team would be there because of class scheduling.
"We still go at that time once in a while," said Wyatt. "But that was very hard that early in the morning."
Now, the Retrievers just have to be awake about playing team basketball.
"We each have to play very hard. We never know who might have an off-night," Wyatt said. "We just don't have one person who can always take over."
UMBC AT A GLANCE
Coach: Earl Hawkins (64-105), seventh season.
Affiliation: Big South Conference.
1993-94 record: 6-21, 6-12 in the Big South.
Radio: WLG (1360 AM), 10 games.
Starters lost: G Skip Saunders, G Spencer Ferguson, C Sonique Nixon.
Outlook: Something always seems to go wrong to ruin the Retrievers' preseason promise. Without the toughness of Kevin Bellinger early, they could be headed for another start like last year (1-9). But Hawkins has some athletic players led by Allegany Community College transfer Tony Thompson and dueling point guards Eric Wyatt and Eric Hayes. The preseason schedule is a tad softer, and if Bellinger returns and Pascal Fleury gets over a hand injury quickly, UMBC could be ready to make some waves in the Big South again.
Returning players