Choose Charleston

Charlotte joins the Charleston Classic 2010 field with several questions. The biggest news for Charlotte is that Coach Allen Major will be taking over the program after Charlotte fired former Coach Bobby Lutz.  Lutz is the all-time leaders in wins at Charlotte and has left plenty for Major to work with.  Lutz had his Charlotte team on a roll until a late season cold streak left them sitting at home with no NCAA or NIT bid.  The A.D. decided Lutz winning record was not enough and decided to roll the dice on Major, who has no head coach experience.

Charlotte does not have a proven point guard, which usually is a huge disadvantage at the college level.   This is especially true when going through a coaching change.  I expect the Charlotte 49ers still trying to find who they are when they are playing here at the Charleston Classic 2010. On the wing, they will lean on Derrio Green to handle the outside scoring load. Inside,the Charlotte 49ers have two very solid players.  Former Boston College player, Shamari Spears and Chris Braswell provide two wide bodies who can both rebound and play at a physical level.  These guys will be key in potential match up against N.C. State as they have one of the best post scorers in the nation with Tracy Smith.

In Summary: Charlotte has some talented guys, I just think the inexperience at point guard and players adjusting to a new coach will be too much for this team to make a strong run at the Charleston Classic.  I feel they can out talent a team like East Carolina, but a team that can apply constant pressure on the ball could present problems for Charlotte. The question is, will Charlotte take that step forward this year and make a run in the Charleston Classic to help build an appealing NCAA resume or will they falter early on and test a rookies coach ability to rally the troops together for a March bid?

Interesting Fact: Shamari Spears formerly played at Boston College.  Spears could meet some familiar faces against N.C. State.  Spears transferred to Charlotte to be closer to home and will be finishing his career as a Charlotte 49er.

When you think of a “Cinderella” team come March Madness time, you may think of George Mason.  The Charleston Classic 2010 is welcoming George Mason to the tournament because they have a true winning program. The Patriots head coach, Jim Larranaga, signed a contract through the 2015-2016 season and if recent history is any indication, he will have his club ready to win when they make the the trip to Charleston.

George Mason’s Final Four berth in the 2006 NCAA tournament may have been wrote off as a miracle run but ask any rival fan in the CAA and they will tell you, George Mason has been winning for much longer than that.  George Mason has had 12 consecutive winning seasons and will be looking for no different this year.  Larranaga will lean on Cam Long to carry the scoring load for the Patriots but George Mason has a solid supportive cast to surround the talented Long with.

In Summary: George Mason always brings a solid basketball team, night in and night out.  Will that be enough to beat the likes of NC State or Georgetown to win the Charleston Classic 2010 title? I doubt so unless Cam Long can be a consistent star and some of the other guys around him decide to step up and seize the moment.

Interesting Fact:  George Mason’s Point Guard, Andres Cornelius, played high school basketball in Charlotte NC and picked George Mason over two other Charleston Classic participates.  East Carolina and UNCC both offered but Cornelius decided to play with for the Patriots.  He also had offers from Tennessee, Mississippi State, and C of C’s in-state rival South Carolina Gamecocks.

As we see the oil continue to spill all over the beaches of our gulf area, I wonder to myself, would people like the idea of drilling off of Charleston S.C. if it was viable?

I was reading the article online here  and I see the comments and stand that Ted Turner presented.  If we had a oil spill close to Charleston and God forbid the oil made it to our shores, our tourism would take a HUGE hit.  Heck, even Florida has taking a beating with tourism and they have not even got the tip of the iceberg yet!

Would you be all for saving a few dimes on a gallon of gas if offshore drilling was used closed to Charleston.  Closed enough if they were a spill, the wildlife here in Charleston could be ruined?

What do you think guys?  Yay or nay?

A great event is taking place in Charleston starting tonight.  The second annual Charleston Classic which will be hosted in at the new Carolina First Arena at the College of Charleston.

You can purchase tickets here.

The field is loaded with talent with some common local teams such as C of C conference rival Davidson.  The South Carolina Gamecocks are also joining the field with coach Darrin Horn looking to make a national splash.  UNC-Wilmington joins, along with the ACC’s Miami Hurricanes.

The other teams making up the Charleston Classic for 2009 is  Tulane, USF, NIT champ Penn State, and La Salle.

I don’t know if they are really clear cut best team in the field but I expect several games to go down to the wire!

I will have some game updates as the Charleston Classic is played out this weekend.

The games will be played Nov. 19-22

Halloween in Charleston, is anyone ready yet?  Just wanted to open up a place where you local guys can share some of your more fun things about having Halloween in Charleston.  I will share some safety tips here in a few days in another post so keep coming back for that but in the meanwhile, shall we discuss the “FUN STUFF”?

What neighborhoods are the best for the kids to be safe in and get loads of candy?

What are you or your kids dressing up as?

Do you know of any clubs having a good Halloween party?

Share your experiences, tips, and stories here.

P.S.- Check out the comments section because I am sure we will get ton of laughs!

As the summer heat comes down upon us, I begin to wonder.  What is it my readers love most about being in Charleston for the summer? Do you have a special place you like to kick back and relax? 

Do you like to dine at a certain place?

Maybe you go golfing with your dad on a paticular weekend each summer?

 No matter what it is, I want to know.

 Have you guys been creating any new memories in Charleston this summer?

 Or has the economy driven you into depression and you are stuck in your room doing nothing? I hope not!

 Look forward to hearing about all of your favorite Charleston summer events.

Looking to get out of the summer heat and enjoy some relaxing entertainment?

 The Charleston Stage is creating some magic this summer and wants all residents and tourist to come check them out!

 Need a break from the tough economy?

Get away from all of your worries and let your mind wonder back in time as the Charleston Stage has many shows that highlight the rich tradition that only Charleston has to offer.

I am not getting paid to promote the site at all, just thought I would suggest this for residents (season ticket discounts!) and tourist.

 What are you waiting for?

Clean, affordable fun is found at the Charleston Stage!

I know I have many dedicated readers who have wrote me comments in regards to some articles I put out.  Some give me tips and suggestions of things on Charleston to write about.  I also enjoy getting to know Charleston business owner’s and work with them any way possible. 

 I am asking all of my readers, is anyone interested in contributing to the blog? 

 You can be in high school and gain experience with journalism.  College students who enjoy writing, be more than welcome to contact me.

Anyone who enjoys to write, contact me.

 You can even write on any Charleston related topic that you desire as long as it is rather clean.

 Just contact me through e-mail and I will be glad to see what we can work out.

 Look forward to hearing from someone!

choosecharleston@gmail.com , write me with the subject line “Blogging in Charleston”

Luke

Charleston came up with a major upset tonight against the #1 seed and SoCon powerhouse Davidson Wildcats.  If you recall, Charleston had beat them earlier in the year.  Charleston was down at the half, but rallied in the second half to steal the victory from the Wildcats.

Here is a link to the AP story covering the big win.

The Cougars will face Chattanooga Monday for a chance to play in the NCAA tournament.

 It will be a battle for sure, I will have more coverage soon in regards to the run   C of C is currently on!

Oh btw, I told you the guys were heading in the right direction….NIT bid is looking good even if the Cougars fall Monday.

It has been another up and down season for Bobby Cremins and the College of Charleston basketball team.  Earlier in the Southern Conference season, it appeared they were in for a rough finish.  After pulling off a huge upset of Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats, C of C has put together a solid past few games highlighted by a current three game winning streak!

 College of Charleston is 21-7 (13-5) but still is third place in the Southern Conference South Division.  They are behind Davidson and The Citadel.  Yes, you read it right.  The Citadel!  To be honest, they were terrible a few years ago!  It appeared as if the staff went out the lowcountry YMCA’s and found the kids who looked like they could play.  The Citadel beat Davidson (Without Stephen Curry) and are a half game ahead of C of C (Also with the tiebreaker advantage). 

 College of Charleston led by Head Coach Bobby Cremins must continue to win and they have two huge home games left against Wofford and Furman, located in the Carolina First Arena.

Charleston vs Wofford, Feb 26th (Thursday) 7:00 pm

Charleston vs Furman, Feb 28th (Saturday) 4:00pm.

 Come out and help keep the College of Charleston club going!

 Southern Coference Tournament coming up as well, more to come later on that!

Maybe I should add watching basketball to the Things to do- Charleston article?