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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 66 - Saturday March 26, 2005 |
Otis George in Final Four of NCAA Basketball Tournament
Otis George of Dominica has been spectacular in his play for the University of the Louisville in its relentless match to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four basketball championship.
In the semi final match against West Virginia on Saturday, March 26, George hit 4 of 4 from the field to help the Cardinals in a 93- 85 win over their opponents, and proceed to the Final Four of the storied competition.
The 225 pounds, six foot eight inch center forward (No. 52) from Roseau, Dominica is a key player for Rick Patino�s Louisville Cardinal basketball team.
Famed Cardinals Coach Rick Patino was quoted in the New York Times as saying of George "we're not in the Final Four without him,.....He's won a lot of big games for us".
George, Louisville's most valuable reserve, does not even practice every day and wears a boot most of the time because of a stress fracture. But George, a senior, has come a long way since arriving in Rick Pitino's first recruiting class at Louisville, having played basketball for only two years before college.
George averaged fewer than 10 points a game in his senior season at the Berkshire School, the Florida high school he attended. He originally signed with Florida A&M before its coach left, allowing him to reopen his search. Four years later, he has become invaluable.
According to Patino, "Otis is very special to our team," . He has improved by leaps thanks to the individual workouts Pitino stresses so much. Despite rarely practicing this season, George has averaged 5.6 points and 4.9 rebounds. Pitino said.
Early in the season, he was named CBS Player of the Game in the Cards' victory at then No.1 Kentucky when he led Louisville with 13 points and eight rebounds, hitting five-of-six shots off the bench. More recently, he has been starting and is averaging 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in those games.
The energetic reserve forward has scored a total of 131 points with an average of 5.6 points and 4.8 rebounds, ranking as the Cards' No. 3 rebounder. In January he grabbed 10 rebounds vs. Southern Miss, adding six points, two blocks and two steals.
George was born in Roseau on May 7 , 1982 and is the son of Marcella green and Peter George.
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