South Carolina's McKie to have his jersey retired

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) BJ McKie&#39;s mother tried to get him thinking about his latest big moment in basketball.<br> <br> ``You&#39;ve got a legacy,&#39;&#39; Beverly McKie told her son, ``something nobody else has.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> ``I don&#39;t know,&#39;&#39; BJ said Tuesday, the day before South Carolina&#39;s all-time scoring leader has his No. 3 jersey permanently retired. ``I guess I was just one of the fortunate ones.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> He wasn&#39;t the only one. Just as fortunate was every fan who watched McKie mature from Palmetto State prep star to Southeastern Conference champion to Gamecock points leader during his years at South Carolina from 1996-99.<br> <br> McKie&#39;s college coach, Eddie Fogler, and several of his teammates like fellow guards Larry Davis and Melvin Watson are expected to attend the pre-game ceremonies at the Colonial Center before the latest group of Gamecocks (7-3) takes on undefeated Pittsburgh (9-0).<br> <br> McKie was told by Fogler after his senior season in 1999 that this day would eventually come. Fogler says he had served on a school committee about retiring jerseys several years ago where he recalled the criteria that an athlete would have to wait at least five years before such an honor.<br> <br> Few in the past decade of Gamecock sports have deserved it more, Fogler said.<br> <br> McKie scored 2,119 points in 123 games and was an honorable mention Associated Press All-American in 1998 as the Gamecocks made their second straight NCAA appearance.<br> <br> Perhaps his greatest moments came as a sophomore on the 1996-97 club that opened 5-5 including losses to North Carolina Asheville and Charleston Southern and ended with a sweep of mighty Kentucky and an SEC championship.<br> <br> ``That&#39;s what I remember most,&#39;&#39; McKie said. ``It was a rollercoaster ride.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> For McKie and his teammates, the season ended with an incredible thud the No. 2 seeded Gamecocks dropped their first-round NCAA tournament game to 15th-seeded Coppin State.<br> <br> ``I still can&#39;t imagine how that happened,&#39;&#39; McKie said.<br> <br> Fogler says McKie&#39;s choice to stay near his Irmo home at South Carolina and turn down programs like Tennessee, Florida and Virginia was a major step toward building a championship team because it told other top prospects the Gamecocks could succeed. ``BJ was a big positive for the program,&#39;&#39; Fogler said.<br> <br> Fogler says current South Carolina coach Dave Odom and athletic director Eric Hyman were instrumental in arranging for McKie&#39;s honor.<br> <br> Odom says McKie has worked at his summer basketball camps and come by just because to talk with Gamecock players. ``When you see that, we&#39;re extremely proud to count him as one of our own,&#39;&#39; Odom said.<br> <br> McKie didn&#39;t have the sweetest shot or fastest speed. But his knack driving the lane for a critical bucket or getting to the foul line helped him surpass NBA great Alex English as the school&#39;s scoring leader.<br> <br> ``Oh, I&#39;m a scorer, no doubt,&#39;&#39; McKie says.<br> <br> McKie characterized his college game as someone who often had a ``quiet 20 points&#39;&#39; helped by 12 or 14 foul shots.<br> <br> Fogler watched a tenacious leader who absolutely hated to lose. Fogler once asked McKie&#39;s father, Bernard, how he taught his son that dogged determinism. ``I told BJ if winning and losing isn&#39;t important,&#39;&#39; said Fogler, recalling the elder McKie&#39;s answer, ``then why do they keep score?&#39;&#39;<br> <br> McKie, 28, has carried that resolve into his pro career. He spent seasons in some United States pro leagues before finding playing time in Europe. He&#39;s currently playing in Italy on Andrea Costa Imola, a team located outside of Bologna.<br> <br> McKie figures he&#39;s got about four or five good seasons of playing left. He would like to move into coaching when his days on the court are done.<br> <br> McKie joins Grady Wallace (No. 42), John Roche (No. 11), Kevin Joyce (No. 43) and English (No. 22) as Gamecocks with their jerseys retired.<br> <br> ``There have been so many emotional moments&#39;&#39; at South Carolina, McKie said. ``This will be another special one.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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