Sportswoman of the Week Ending 4/5/2026

The NCAA tournament on the men's AND women's side have been amazing theater.  The big teams are winning when it counts, and UCLA has fit the bill on the women's side.  At 31-1 entering the tournament, the Bruins seemed to be about the fourth choice by betting favorites behind fellow number one seeds Connecticut, South Carolina, and Texas.  They made no match for two of three.  The Bruins played absolute clamp down defense and scored consistently to win by an average of 17 points, culminating in a 28 point beatdown of South Carolina in the Finals .  Led by our Sportswoman of the Week Lauren Betts.  In relative low scoring games, The 6'7" senior Betts scored 30 points in the Final Four, on efficient 13-20 from the field, perfect 4-4 from the line, 22 rebounds, 5 blocks, 5 assists, all of what it takes to win.  It was their first NCAA Championship for a program of proud sports tradition.  Betts and her team finished the season 37-1, and a worthy Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 12/1/2024

Rivalry weekend in college football did not disappoint in terms of actions, upsets, road wins, and elite performances by outstanding players.  The latter of which (actually accomplished all four) was South Carolina upsetting Clemson at Clemson.  Trailing 14-7 with under 7:00 to play, Gamecock quarterback LaNorris Sellers shined.  He became an unstoppable force, notching two runs of 27 yards, and a TD run of 20 yards in two scoring drives to put South Carolina ahead for good to win 17-14.  Overall Sellers three for 164 yards, but ran nearly unabated for 166 yards and both Carolina touchdowns.  The freshman Sellers appears to be ready to torment SEC teams for years to come, and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 11/20/2022

It was a topsy-turvy weekend of college football in which many of the top playoff contending teams struggled and one seemingly favorite went down.  Hard.  Tennessee rolled into Columbia, South Carolina, as 22-point favorites and their chanced of making the college football playoffs seemed more dependent on Big 10 and Big 12 losses ahead of them.  South Carolina Gamecocks QB Spencer Rattler took that personally.  South Carolina struck pay dirt early and often in an absolute bludgeoning of the SEC East runners up.  After USC of the East jumped to a 21-7 lead in the first quarter, the track meet began, and Tennessee battled back to cut the Cocks lead to 35-31 late in the 3rd quarter.  But South Carolina scored four straight TDs, two on Rattler passes.  Overall Rattler threw 6 TD passes on 30-37, no picks, and 438 yards.  Tennessee will be left licking their wounds in a Bowl game in Florida on New Year's Day, instead of in the playoffs on New Year's Eve.  Thanks to Rattler, the Longhorndave, Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 4/3/2022

The NCAA Women's Final Four ended up with a familiar matchup as two perennial heavyweights squared off to notch another National Title in their dynastic era.  This time, the South Carolina Gamecocks emerged with their second championship in six years (five tournaments).  Led by our Sportswoman of the Week Aliyah Boston, who filled up the stat sheet in both wins in the Final Four.  In a 72-59 victory over the Louisville Cardinals in the National Semifinals, Boston netted 23 points (66% shooting) and 18 rebounds with a block and 4 assists.  In the National Finals domination, she netted another 11 points, 16 boards, 2 blocks, and 3 assists to beat the Connecticut Huskies going away 64-49.  The 2022 John Wooden award winner for National Player of the year stepped up and led her team to a National Championship.  She's a worthy Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 4/4/2021

Sports fans across the United States were deprived of March Madness in 2020.  The reward in 2021 is that much sweeter.  After recognizing as a Sportsman of the Week a player on the men's side last week, it was the Women's Final Four that was the story of the weekend.  Enter an all Pac 12 final, and enter our Sportswoman of the Week from the National Champion Stanford Cardinal.  Haley Jones of the Cardinal led a 4 guard attack that couldn't be slowed down in two, single point Final Four victories.  Jones chipped in 24 points in the semifinal against South Carolina Gamecocks, then another 17 against fellow Pac 12 rival Arizona to end the Final Four averaging over 20 points a game.  The Stanford Cardinal were champions for the first time in 29 years and Jones is the deserving Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 4/2/2017

March Madness winds down, with an impressive new champion against the odds.  The South Carolina Lady Gamecocks marched right through the brackets for their first title in school history.  Despite Connecticut being the prohibitive favorite to win their fifth straight title (and seventh in ten years), it was South Carolina who took home the hardware.  Led by star big woman A'ja Wilson, whose play on the offensive end and on the boards was the Final Four's most outstanding player.  In the National semifinal, Wilson was held to 13 points, but tallied an astounding 19 rebounds (including 8 offensive) and 3 blocks in a win against a red hot Stanford team.  In the National final, she led the Lady Cocks with 23 points, hauling in 10 boards with 4 blocks.  The 6'5" junior will lead the Cocks in attempted repeat next year, and is our Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/19/2017

March Madness (c'mon NCAA, sue me) was in full effect this week.  For a tournament that features 67 games, 52 are already in the books.  And while there weren't any impossible upsets, a lot of favored teams went home.  Like the Duke Blue Devils.  Duke was a vogue pick for the Final Four until they ran into a buzz saw in South Carolina.  Led by Sindarius Thornwell, the Gamecocks took advantage of a partisan home crown (and maybe just a few North Carolina Tarheels fans joining the bandwagon) in Greenville, SC, to oust the favored Devils 88-81.  It was never competitive the final 10 minutes.  Thornwell 24 points, 6 boards, and 5 assists in the stunner.  Combine this with a 29 point, 11 rebound game in a 93-73 demolishing of Marquette in the first round (in what was a pick'em game).  Did we mention that the senior Thornwell was the SEC player of the Year (in a league that features pretty good Kentucky players).  Playing a full four years and leading your school to their first tournament victory since 1973, that's big.  Worthy of our Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/31/2014

It's football season, at least college started and there were a number of new, instant superstars abound.  None set the nation on fire more than Texas A&M's QB Kenny Hill.  Playing in literally the first game of the year (Thursday at 6 EDT), the freshman Hill torched a Top 10 South Carolina Gamecocks defense for 511 yards (!) and 3 TD, breaking the single game yardage school record by his predecessor, Heisman Trophy winner John Manziel.  He found 12 different receivers, going 44-60 (might as well have been throwing against air).  The Aggies racked up 31 points in the first half, and another 21 in the second easing to victory.  On the road.  In the SEC.  He is a new star in college football, and our Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 1/6/2013

With the first round of NFL playoffs and a feast of college bowls this week, a lot of great athletes to choose from.  Jadeveon Clowney stood head and shoulders above the rest during his play in the Outback Bowl.  While only registering 5 tackles total, his hit on Michigan running back Vincent Smith with the Gamecocks trailing halfway through the 4th Quarter.  Clowney moved so quickly to the backfield to rock Smith the minute he touched the ball, his helmet flew one direction 10 yards, and the ball dribbled by his side, which was promptly palmed by Clowney for the recovery.  All this after a momentum changing first down spot (and curious call) that kept South Carolina in the game, and eventually led to a South Carolina victory in the last 11 seconds.  Crazy that Clowney isn't even draft eligible until 2014, cue the "Suck for Clowney" signs around the NFL next year.