Rotary Club of Charleston

Play Hard and Play to Win – The Citadel Basketball Program

Nov. 9, 2010: Rotary member, Ed Vaughan introduced today’s speaker, the Citadel’s new head basketball coach, Charles “Chuck” Driesell with a brief personal and professional bio. Born and raised in Maryland, Chuck attended the University of Maryland where his father, Charles Grice “Lefty” Driesell, was the head basketball coach. Chuck was a four-year letter winner and Academic All-ACC. Ed noted Chuck’s coaching highlights including winning seasons at James Madison, Marymount University and Maryland.

Chuck began his presentation remarking on the 2 main differences between and Maryland and Charleston: the weather and the color blue. Charleston’s warm weather has been a confusing adjustment as cold weather always meant basketball season in Maryland. But with a closet of new blue shirts and elimination Terrapin red, there’s no question Bulldog basketball season is days away.

Chuck’s relationship with The Citadel began years ago as a high school senior weighing the options of Bulldogs versus Terrapins. Ultimately, the idea of uniforms and early mornings convinced Chuck to attend Maryland. 29 years later, he has inherited a team of uniformed, early rising basketball players. A team, he believes, has the discipline and skill to deliver a winning season.

The Citadel’s rising starts include Cameron Wells, a Citadel senior and “special player”, Zach Urbanus , the all-time leader in Citadel 3 point history and Austin Dahn, a “smart player” predicted to have a “break out year.” Chuck explained that with the combination of Wells, Urbanus, Dahn and “pick up players,” his “inside – out” system will deliver success. The “pick up players” are 5th year eligible transfer students who have the crucial size to play with their backs to the basket. Their addition to the team is invaluable as Chuck noted, “you can’t teach size.”

Chuck’s “play hard, play to win” mentality and excitement for the season and his players was evident as he encouraged the audience to attend their 13 home games and fill the Field House’s 6,000 seats. Chuck’s 16 players are only part of his team; his newly hired staff provides the discipline and role models each player needs to apply the “play hard, play to win” attitude for their lives on and off the basketball court.

During the Q&A session, Chuck answered the following questions:

Q: Best game you ever watched? A: When Jordan scored 61 points at the Boston Gardens.

Q: What will the team look like next season? A: 8 seniors lost in 2011 but 7 freshman gained in 2010

Q: Difference coaching military players? A: 1) Manage time; 2) Work around player’s schedules; and 3) Watch health and weight of players who have less sleep than the average college student

Q: Community involvement? A: The players and coaches are only “a phone call away” and are always willing to speak at schools, organizations, etc.

Q: Family relocated? A: Yes, living in Mt. Pleasant with one daughter at Wando and one at Laing.

Q: Difficult adjusting to a “football town”? A: No, you find out what you have and sell it hard, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

Reported by Teal Van Saun, Keyway Committee

THE FUTURE OF THE HUNLEY AS IT CONTINUES TO DRY OUT

November 2, 2010: Fred Tetor, Retired Mt. Pleasant Fire Chief, and a ten year Hunley restoration volunteer gave us both photos and facts about this amazing historical artifact. By great fortune a George Cook photo from the 1860’s was used to create an accurate painting of the submarine, in 1863, a painting so detailed it has provided valuable information for the restoration team.

With Charleston under almost total blockade the Hunley’s task was to stop the frigate Housatanic which was blocking the remaining channel opening. The blockade was starving the city and creating incredible inflation of the price of everything. Using a long spar torpedo, the Hunley rammed the frigate causing the magazine to blow and the ship to go down in minutes. What happened next is still a mystery. The Hunley disappeared, and was not seen again until 1995.

In the years of restoration much has been learned about the corrosion of metal that has been under the sea. Using x-rays and computer reconstruction images, along with the 1863 painting, many things that were inside the ship have been found, including dozens of buttons, a diamond brooch, a diamond ring, and the famous gold coin carried by Lt. Dixon.

The restoration is funded by Friends of the Hunley, ticket admission sales, and the support of Clemson University which has already developed research techniques about corrosion which will have world wide application. The next step is to rotate the sub into an upright position exposing a side yet unseen and un-worked. The electronic drying process is expected to take another 4 to 5 years. Eventually the sub will be visible out of its water container. Answers to questions from the audience gave the following information:

Still unknown is exactly why the Hunley sank.
There is no design information about the next generation of the Hunley class sub.
The Federal and State governments are no longer supporting the project.
Its permanent museum location is expected to be the old officer’s club at the Navy Base.

Reported by Fred Sales, Keyway Committee

THE FUTURE OF SC’S EDUCATION SOON TO BE IN NEW HANDS

October 26, 2010: The Rotary Club of Charleston had the privilege to host two candidates for Superintendant of Education, Mr. Frank Holleman and Mr. Mick Zais. In a facilitated forum, both candidates provided 5 minute introductory statements and answered questions supplied in advance by Rotary members. Following is a summary of their discussions:

Mr. Holleman, well educated in part at Harvard and the London School of Economics, articulated the support he has garnered from many recently named Teachers of the Year and several state media organizations. Mr. Zais methodically outlined his candidacy as based on his strong military career, beginning with his education at Westpoint, and his achievements as the president of Newberry College where he turned around the college onto a stronger path of success.

Q: What is your perspective of the voucher system?



Mr. Zais: “I support the voucher system. Each child has separate needs. We should consider tax credits for low income children and provide for private education options if needed.”

Mr. Holleman: “We need to provide a high quality education for all children and have systems that will give each child an equal chance at success.”

Q: In your view, how should teachers and administrators be evaluated?



Mr. Holleman: “Measurement is difficult without some form of numeric system. Teachers’ compensation and performance need to be tracked as we all know there are inequalities – there are highly compensated poor teachers and poorly compensated teachers and administrators who are exemplary.”

Mr. Zais: “Teachers should be evaluated based on the outcomes, on student scores. And while no system is perfect, we do need some form of measurement so we can advance the standards.”

Q: Public schools have suffered deep budget cuts. If elected, how would you seek to restore sufficient funding and strategies?



Mr. Zais: “The funding system does not work. Only 44% of every dollar reaches the classroom and we need to improve that cash flow. Dollars must fund the students and principals with the understanding that different environments have different needs.”

Mr. Holleman: “There are at least two main rules to follow. First, we should follow the Hippocratic Oath and be sure we do no harm. Second, we need to compete aggressively for all funds including those in the form of grants at all levels, private and public. But I need to point out that my opponent used a wrong statistic when he cited 44% of each dollar reaching the classrooms: in fact we have a state audit that demands 70% of every dollar reach the classroom.”

In closing, both candidates reiterated their strengths for consideration and our votes. Mr. Holleman asserted his interest to be the public servant of public education, which in his view is one of the most important aspects of America’s culture. Mr. Zais declared his strong foundation as a military officer and a successful college president, giving him the unique skills to lead our public education industry to new levels of success.

Rotary is grateful to both candidates for making time to share their views and perspectives with us, a block of the voting public. Good luck, gentlemen!

Submitted by Mark Danes, Keyway Committee

PROTECTING OUR BORDERS

October 19, 2010: Paul Welborn introduced Robert Fencel from the US Customs and Border Protection Agency. Mr. Fencel said that he lives in Summerville and that his primary job description is that of protecting the Port of Entry and Port of SC. He said that his first love is protecting the USA.

He stated that his agency is not a border patrol, but that the border patrol is directly under their auspices. Fencel said that they became an official agency of the US government in 2003 under the umbrella of Homeland Security and as a direct result of the 9/11 attack.

Their two goals are: security and facilitation. In terms of security, they do the following: stop terrorism; prevent illegal entry into the country; stop drug traffic and human smuggling; prevent agricultural diseases; secure national events; and assist with disaster relief.

In terms of facilitation, they do the following: collect customs revenue; process in-coming travelers; inspect imports; and stop counterfeit good from entering the country.

Protect borders …. they manage a massive number of imports at the Port. They are considered law enforcement officers. They control 327 ports of entry around the world …. the land, the sea and the air. They are involved in trade security so that nothing comes into this country that can hurt anyone. They intercept trade violations, i.e., counterfeit watches, hand bags and clothing. They protect the US from unsafe imports, i.e., pharmaceuticals, pills such as Viagra.

Mr. Fencel was in Arizona for 12 years and dealt with corruption in the area of drugs and the Mexican government. He also dealt with the illegal immigration issues involving Hispanics attempting to get into this country illegally. His organization also oversees security for any major events, i.e., the Olympics, major sports events, the inauguration. They are also engaged in readiness preparedness for disasters.

In terms of the cruise ships now coming to the Port of Charleston, as well as container ships, they are part of the official welcoming committee. He stated that they believe that they are very good at what they do. He said that they talk in terms of global terrorism and its effect on the US.

Mr. Fencel said that they engaged in the tremendous response to the Haiti earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010. They sent agents over there on Jan. 18. There were 100 military relief flights out of the Charleston airport, providing aid, medical assistance and much needed supplies to the Haitians. He also stated that they helped people fill out their customs forms, worked closely with the Red Cross, and assisted churches in responding to the needs of the displaced people. He said that the Charleston response to this disaster was just incredible. They assist in the federal response to hurricanes.

To conclude his presentation, he put an aerial view of 9/11 on the screen and said: “this is why we do what we do!”

Submitted by Bill Christian, Keyway Committee

Cremins Delights Rotary Audience

Oct. 12, 2010 – Legendary college basketball coach Bobby Cremins encouraged Rotarians to get behind the Charleston Classic Basketball Tournament, which will be held here on Nov. 18 – Nov. 21.

Eight teams are scheduled to play in the ESPN Regional TV owned and operated event: Georgetown, George Mason, N.C. State, East Carolina, Wofford, UNC-Charlotte, USC-Upstate and Coastal Carolina. The College of Charleston team, which Cremins coaches, can only appear in its own tournament every four years and won’t play this year. “This is our city’s tournament,” Cremins said. “Hopefully, it can continue.”

Cremins, a college player at USC and an award-winning coach at Georgia Tech before coming to the College of Charleston four years ago, said he was concentrating on getting big-name schools to play in Charleston to help the community. “I think it’s important we stick our necks out and play some of the big boys.”

In a well-received talk before more than 100 Rotarians, Cremins touched on several other areas:
On John Kresse: Introduced by former CofC Coach John Kresse, Cremins noted: “We’re trying to live up to his legacy and it’s not easy.”

On the Southern Conference: “The Southern Conference is a great conference. It’s a tough, dangerous conference. We’ve got to get players a little under the radar and, hopefully, they will develop.”

On returning to coaching after being away for six years: “It was a godsend for me. I lost my purpose. I had a good life, but I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing. I just wanted to coach again. It’s been a great future for me and my wife. We live downtown. I walk to work every day.”

On this year’s team: “Practice starts Oct. 15. With these four new kids [four freshmen recruits], I’m hoping they will challenge some of our veteran players.”

Favorite places to recruit: South Carolina, Charlotte and Atlanta. “It’s far enough so a young man can get away from home, but short enough so he can go home.”

On which member of the club was a “great point guard at Temple:” “Nancy McGinley.”

Submitted by: Andy Brack, Keyway Committee