he believes is a talented leader instrumental to the Gamecocks

The slumping Atlanta Hawks will seek to avoid a winless Western swing Wednesday night they visit the Phoenix Suns.What began as a reasonable trip -- matchups with the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix, with the powerful Golden State Warriors interspersed -- turned into a bit of a nightmare after 27- and 15-point drubbings at the hands of the Jazz and Lakers.Hawks players held a no-coaches meeting in Los Angeles, and it apparently made a positive impact. They led at Golden State for the better part of three periods Monday night before falling just short at the end, 105-100.Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer applauded the players meeting.If they want to talk and hammer some things out, thats usually a good thing, the longtime San Antonio Spurs assistant said Monday in Oakland.Atlanta (10-8) lost six of its past seven after a 9-2 start despite strong play by veteran big man Dwight Howard.The NBAs career leader among active players in rebounds and blocked shots had a 14-point, 16-rebound performance at Golden State.Three games earlier, he led a win over the Indiana Pacers with 23 points and 20 rebounds, the 46th 20-20 game of his career.Howard figures to get some resistance Wednesday night from fellow veteran Tyson Chandler, who had a big game of his own -- 10 points, 15 rebounds -- his last time out, Sunday against the Denver Nuggets.Chandler missed eight of the Suns previous 10 games while dealing with the death of his mother earlier this month.Howard (12.8 rebounds per game) and Chandler (12.0) rank third and fifth, respectively, in the league on the boards this season.A matchup with the Suns might be just what the doctor ordered for the Hawks. Phoenix (5-13) has the second-worst record in the West and is coming off a 120-114 home loss to Denver.Point guard Eric Bledsoe poured in a career-best 35 points in the defeat, but he faces a stiffer challenge Wednesday in Hawks counterpart Dennis Schroder.Atlantas first-year starter not only contributed a team-high 24 points to the loss at Golden State, but he also helped harass Warriors star Stephen Curry into 6-of-17 shooting.While Schroder was too quick at times for Curry, he will have to deal with Suns guard Devin Booker on Wednesday.As Schroder did with Curry, Booker accepts the challenge to be as good on the defensive end as on offense.If you want to be great, thats the role youve got to take on, Booker, addressing the media at practice Tuesday, said of being a defensive stopper. Youve got to be a two-way player. All the great players in the league are two-way players.When the Hawks last saw the Suns, they couldnt handle Booker on the offensive end. Booker had 34 points, his second-best output as a rookie, when the Suns lost at Atlanta last April.Booker has four 30-point games this season, including one Sunday in the loss to Denver, giving him a total of 10 in his career. Chuck Harris Jersey . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Dan Hampton Jersey . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. http://www.cheapbearsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-ha-ha-clinton-dix-jersey .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. Ben Braunecker Jersey .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. James Daniels Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolinas quarterback situation remains unsettled after two games.Senior Perry Orth started the Gamecocks first two contests at Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. However, after trailing the Bulldogs 24-0 at the half, freshman Brandon McIlwain who took over in the second half and rallied the Gamecocks to two touchdowns in a 27-14 loss.Look for McIlwain to get even more playing time when South Carolina opens its home season against fired-up East Carolina, fresh off a victory over North Carolina State last week.Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said his offensive staff has a pretty good idea wholl start against the Pirates, but like before the Vanderbilt game, will keep things under wraps until game time.Both are repping at the position, Muschamp said Tuesday.Theres no divide on the team about the quarterbacks, tailback A.J. Turner said, although each brings a different skillset to the position.The second half we played with a faster tempo and I feel like we do better when we play faster, Turner said. I think thats what Brandon McIlwain brings to the table.McIlwain was a highly regarded high-school passer who had offers to play from Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and UCLA among others. He was also a prized baseball prospect, who was tracking to be a high-round pick in the Major League Baseball draft last June before deciding to sign with the Gamecocks.Muschamp and quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper spent all spring and summer trying to whittle down a wide-open quarterback race. Orth had the experience after starting eight games last year while McIlwain and fellow freshman Jake Bentley are clearly South Carolinas future at the position.Orths experience won out early and he rallied South Carolina from 10-0 down at Vanderbilt in Week 1 for a 13-10 victory. Orth was less effective at Mississippi State, going 9 of 17 for 83 yards and an interception inn the first two quarters as the Gamecocks fell behind 24-0.dddddddddddd.Orth got little help, however, from South Carolinas offensive line or its running backs. Orth was sacked twice and the Gamecocks finished 34 yards on the ground.Muschamp said the more playing time McIlwain receives, the quicker hell adjust to the college game.The game will continue to slow down for these guys and theyll improve, Muschamp said.Turner, also a freshman, sounded like he had a preference at quarterback. Turner said McIlwain brings a greater sense of urgency on offense, something he believes can only help improve the unit. Hes not turning against Orth, who he believes is a talented leader instrumental to the Gamecocks lone victory so far.East Carolina coach Scottie Montgomery is prepping for Orths throwing and McIlwains ability to cause chaos to defenses with his dual-threat nature.All in all, it presents a tough challenge, Montgomery said.Even for South Carolina. Muschamp has several times if he had a player separate himself from the others at quarterback, that would be his starter. So far, that hasnt happened.Part of the problem is the opening half where the Gamecocks have zero points through two games.South Carolina offensive lineman Mason Zandi does not understand the slow starts -- or why the offense heats up after that.I cant pinpoint what worked for us in the second half, Zandi said. We just went to locker room, made some adjustments and moved on.Muschamp said the slow starts are on the coaches, who havent put players in position to excel early on. Felt like it was our execution, he said.The first-year coach hopes the right quarterback will get things going a bit faster on Saturday.---AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '