Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009
Archie's quiet demeanor an asset
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closeThe forward always seems to have that ho-hum air about him. The slow gait, the sleepy eyes, the gum chomping, the stare that is part blank, part annoyed.
This is Dominique Archie, who is beginning his fifth season as a college basketball player. Seemingly every step at USC has been met with a similar "whatever" attitude:
Redshirt his freshman year, a rarity in college basketball? Sure, why not.
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Who | Georgia Southern at South Carolina
When | 7 p.m., Monday
Where | Colonial Life Arena, Columbia
TV | FoxSN
Radio | 94.9-FM, 1450-AM
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No.
Name
Pos.
Hgt.
Wgt.
Cl
21
Dominique Archie
F
6-7
216
SR
31
Evaldas Baniulis
F
6-7
215
SR
15
Malik Cooke
F
6-6
210
JR
2
Devan Downey
G
5-9
170
SR
12
Ramon Galloway
G
6-1
170
FR
24
Mike Holmes
F/C
6-7
230
JR
30
Lakeem Jackson
SF
6-5
225
FR
32
Johndre Jefferson
F
6-9
210
JR
44
Sam Muldrow
F
6-9
220
JR
5
Brandis Raley-Ross
G
6-2
194
SR
1
Stephen Spinella
G
6-4
190
FR
25
Austin Steed
F
6-8
235
JR
14
Robert Wilder
G
6-1
188
SR
Coaches
Darrin Horn - Head Coach
Neill Berry - Assistant Coach
Mike Boynton Jr. - Assistant Coach
Cypheus Bunton - Assistant Coach
L.J. Hepp - Director of Basketball Operations
Jordan Mincy - Graduate Assistant
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Five other underappreciated SEC players:
Wayne Chism, Tennessee
The 6-foot-9 senior forward was Tennessee's leading rebounder last year, and can score in the paint and from outside the 3-point line.
Michael Washington, Arkansas
The senior led the league in rebounding last year, had 12 double-doubles and led the Razorbacks in scoring.
DeWayne Reed, Auburn
The senior point guard, who ranked third in the league in steals last season, had a stretch of seven games last season when he had just nine turnovers.
Jermaine Beal, Vanderbilt
The senior point guard led the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio the past two seasons.
JaMychal Green, Alabama
NBA scouts know about the sophomore power forward, but fans are probably unaware of the Crimson Tide's leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer.
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Date
Opponent
Time/Result
Nov. 5
x-Kentucky Wesleyan
W 78-55
Nov. 13
Alabama A&M
W 88-50
Nov. 16
vs. Georgia Southern
7 p.m.
Nov. 19
vs. La Salle*
9:30 p.m.
Nov. 20
TBD*
TBA
Nov. 22
TBD*
TBA
Nov. 27
vs. Jacksonville
7 p.m.
Dec. 2
vs. Western Kentucky
7 p.m.
Dec. 6
at Clemson
1 p.m.
Dec. 16
vs. Richmond
7 p.m.
Dec. 19
at Wofford
7 p.m.
Dec. 21
vs. Furman
7 p.m.
Dec. 30
at Boston College
9 p.m.
Jan. 2
vs. Baylor
1 p.m.
Jan. 5
vs. Longwood
7 p.m.
Jan. 9
at Auburn
1:30 p.m.
Jan. 13
vs. LSU
8 p.m.
Jan. 16
vs. Vanderbilt
6 p.m.
Jan. 20
at Mississippi
9 p.m.
Jan. 23
at Florida
6 p.m.
Jan. 26
vs. Kentucky
9 p.m.
Jan. 30
vs. Georgia
7 p.m.
Feb. 6
at Tennessee
6 p.m.
Feb. 10
vs. Florida
8 p.m.
Feb. 13
at Georgia
4 p.m.
Feb. 17
at Arkansas
9 p.m.
Feb. 20
vs. Tennessee
1:30 p.m.
Feb. 25
at Kentucky
9 p.m.
Feb. 27
vs. Mississippi State
6 p.m.
March 3
vs. Alabama
7 p.m.
March 6
at Vanderbilt
2 p.m.
March 11-14
SEC Tournament
TBD
*Charleston Classic; x-exhibition
Get thrown in the starting lineup the next year? Well, if that's what coach wants.
Declare for the NBA draft after his junior year, when many snicker at his pro prospects? Hey, what's the harm.
Decide to come back, even though he's a 22-year-old fifth-year senior? Yeah, well I waited this long, another year won't kill me.
Sometimes, even USC coach Darrin Horn wonders whether Archie is driven enough. He implores the senior to show more emotion because he thinks it will make him a better player.
Archie just shrugs. This approach has gotten him this far. Why change?
But those who know him say the passion is there. Sure, they get frustrated sometimes. Then they remember how he is.
"Looks can be deceiving. He is a determined young man. He wants to win," said De Pierce, who coached Archie's AAU team and remains close to him. "The facial expression, don't let it fool you."
Archie's friends and former coaches point out he may be a product of his circumstances. If you have dealt with redshirting, two losing seasons, a coaching change and playing out of position, wouldn't you be tired?
Every so often, Archie will show that passion on the court. In the final minute of an exhibition game last week - his team leading by 20 against Division II Kentucky Wesleyan - there was Archie, pressuring a defender, then chasing the loose ball out of bounds, nearly crashing into the press table.
Before the season started, Archie was asked if this was when he would become the outstanding player many think he can be.
The answer was quintessential Archie.
"It's the only year I've got left so I really don't have a choice," Archie said, laughing. "I guess you could say that, but I'm not gonna really try to do anything outside of my role or that might hurt the team or anything like that."
Devan Downey is this team's star. But with the graduation of Zam Fredrick Jr., Archie's all-around game may gain bigger notice.
Florida coach Billy Donovan has called Archie the most underrated frontcourt player in the SEC. Tennessee star Tyler Smith agrees.
"Archie is a great talent. He does a lot for his team," Smith said. "Obviously Devan gets a lot of credit, he's the floor general and I respect that. But Archie is a different type of player. He's long, he's athletic, he can shoot, but he's also got a post game. I respect that."
Archie was on the SEC all-defensive team last season after finishing in the league's top 10 in blocks and steals. Gamecocks coach Darrin Horn said Archie is up with Downey in value to the team and "ability to impact."
But Horn hopes for more from an emotional standpoint.
"It's about how he plays, and doing that with a fearless belief that he thinks he's as good as I think he is," Horn said. "And when he does that, I think he's going to be a player that is the flashes that we've seen all the time."
Archie averaged 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year. Twice he tied for the team high in points, but normally his stat line is filled without an eye-popping number in a particular column.
"I take offense when I hear people question his focus or his toughness or how hard he plays. Because Dominique is as tough a kid as I've ever been around. He brings it every day in practice," Horn said. "But there's a difference between that and knowing that you're a dominant player and playing like it. And I think that's where we'd like to see him grow, as much as anything. ...
"I think as he continues to grow with that we're going to see that level of consistency that's going to make him a special player. Because I think he's special."
Archie was asked what he thought of Horn's plea.
"I think everybody's capable of it. But I tend to focus my energy more on the game by itself, defense, blocked shots and stuff like that," Archie said. "There's emotion that comes with that."
The passion can be evident sometimes. After USC's elimination from the SEC tournament in March, Archie "was hot," according to Pierce.
Fellow senior Brandis Raley-Ross called his teammate a "sneaky quiet," always mumbling something in people's ears, occasionally calling out teammates and even coaches.
When his career ends, his jersey number may not hang in the Colonial Life Arena. And if his team does not make the NCAA tournament, Archie probably will not consider his career a complete success.
But from an individual standpoint, he seems satisfied.
"I think I'm a pretty
successful player," Archie said. "I think I've worked hard all my time here, and I've made good use of my time I've spent here. I think I'm a hard worker, and I think I'm a well-respected
player."
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