A CHARLESTON SHUFFLE

It can be a short trip from the crest of celebration to the depth
of disappointment. Georgia Tech made the journey in only six days.
After having knocked Duke from the No. 1 ranking with an 80-79
victory on Jan. 10, the eighth-ranked Yellow Jackets fell to the
College of Charleston 84-67 in Atlanta last Saturday.
If you're not familiar with the College of Charleston, it's
probably because the the Cougars leaped from the NAIA to Division I
only last season. Georgia Tech was the highest-ranked team that
Charleston, which was 8-2 after the Tech win, had ever beaten, and
the Cougars didn't just squeak by; they thoroughly whipped the Yellow
Jackets.
Georgia Tech had a decided height advantage, even though 6 ft. 10
in. center Ivano Newbill missed the game with an injured knee. But
the Yellow Jackets didn't dominate the boards (they had a 36-35
edge), and they didn't shoot well from either the field (they made
26 of 63 shots) or the free throw line (nine of 24). By contrast, the
Cougars converted 31 of 52 field goal attempts and 18 of 22 foul
shots.
''The College of Charleston will go to the Atlanta airport and
maybe just use a runway and fly back to Charleston,'' said Cougar
coach John Kresse (a former assistant at St. John's and a scout for
the ABA New York Nets) after the game. We think Kresse was trying to
say the Cougars wouldn't need a jet to get home, but, hey, let's give
the guy a break.
In fact, Kresse and his players were probably as excited as the
Georgia Tech players had been following the Duke win. After
Saturday's game, that victory must have seemed a lifetime ago to the
Jackets. ''We were outcoached and outplayed,'' said coach Bobby
Cremins. ''I take full responsibility. So I apologize to our fans,
and I'm embarrassed, but life goes on.''
True, but for the Yellow Jackets, it won't go on quite as sweetly
as it had the previous six days.