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.

The Charleston Classic will be returning for the third year and will be hosted at Carolina First Arena in Charleston, S.C.  The tournament is held through Nov. 19-22 and will also be covered by ESPN.  So far, six of the eight teams have been named for the 2010 Charleston Classic basketball tournament.

The headliners are N.C. State and Georgetown University with some other Carolina teams such as East Carolina, UNC-Charlotte and Wofford rounding out the field.  The Charleston Classic offers a great opportunity for Charleston residents to catch some exciting and affordable basketball before March!

This tournament is promised to feature some future NBA talents!  Also, imagine getting the chance to see star coaches such as John Thompson III, Sidney Lowe, and Jim Larranaga. The Charleston Classic in 2010 is sure to be exciting so what are you waiting for!?

The ticket packages can be found here.

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

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!

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?

Looking for things to do in Charleston?

Let me go over a view that my readers, both residents and tourist have said would be great for people in looking for things to do in Charleston.

If you have ever spent a day in downtown Charleston, you will realize that a Charleston Carriage Tour is one of the most popular ways to learn the history of Charleston. The carriage tours are affordable and a unique experience for kids who have never been around a horse.

 If you are part of the younger crowd, you may want to look into what the Charleston nightlife scene is. The downtown area of Charleston has both clubs and plenty of bars to hang out in the early morning.

 Is sport your thing?  You are in luck!  Charleston offers a wide range of Golf courses, for beginner up to pro level.  Want to take in some pro baseball?  Then check out our hometown Charleston Riverdogs.  Charleston also offers pro soccer!

See, they are plenty of things to do in Charleston, SC!

 If you would like any other suggestions of things to do in Charleston, browse ChooseCharleston or e-mail me.

The Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament will be in Charleston this weekend.   March 7th will be the first day of games and two local colleges, College of Charleston and The Citadel will battle that evening.  I think the game should be roughly around 7:30 but it depends on the games ahead of them. (Overtimes!?)  Either way, the Southern Conference Tournament offers a great opportunity to watch some high quality hoops!  Davidson has won the tournament the past two years, beating out our own College of Charleston Cougars  in the finals last year by the score of 72-65.  If you would like more details, visit SoConSports.com.  What are you waiting on sports fan?  March Madness is coming to Charleston.

Far, far away, beyond Goose Creek and near the shore of Lake Moultrie, there is a quiet place of canals and woods…

If you want the inside scoop on the country charm of Moncks Corner, you could hardly go wrong with Moncks Corner Moments, a personal blog written by the ever adroit and charming Heather Solos. She also manages the local blog round-up, Lowcountry Blogs, for Charleston’s Post & Courier and, together with BigBadIvy, she pens the sassy and savvy Home Ec 101.

In the remaining hours of the day, or so I’ve heard, she also squeezes in a bit of eating, sleeping, and the raising of ch’urns.

The drive to charming Moncks Corner from gentle Charleston can take the better part of an hour so it is best to have your itinerary well planned. There is natural beauty in abundance: Cypress Gardens, Old Santee Canal Park, and the gardens of Mepkin Abbey, as well as opportunities for boating, fishing, or just wandering down a good old-fashioned Main Street.

Now, some folks will claim that Moncks Corner is named for the Trappists who live simple lives of labor and contemplation at Mepkin Abbey. This is actually not true. Moncks Corner is named for George Monck, Duke of Albemarle, who was one of the Lords Proprietors.

The Lords Proprietors, of course, were a group of English gentlemen who helped Charles II regain his throne from the scurrilous Oliver Cromwell. Charles II was very, very happy about having his throne back (wouldn’t you be?) and rewarded the men with land grants in the Carolinas.

Now, all this talk of history makes one hungry.

Luckily, when it comes time to feast, be it midday or ’round about suppertime, there are ample diner-style eateries available in the center of town.

Of course, fair is fair, last time I was Moncks Corner, I was pressed for time so I took the Sonic Drive-In option: BLT and a Tropical Mango Iced Tea, yum yum.

The young lady at the window provided the friendliest service I’ve seen in a good long while.