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Thursday, February 15, 2001
Cowgill has CJ Cowgill has the skills, statistics and swagger befitting a team's star.
(unorthodox) style
SMALL COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
Brandon Lee
Special to the Star-BulletinCowgill also has one of the most unorthodox shooting styles you'll ever see.
The 6-foot-2 senior shooting guard begins his stroke by hoisting the ball over his right shoulder, well behind his ear and releases the ball from back there as well.
Unusual, yes, but completely functional for the native of Grand Island, Neb., who is playing his first and only year with the Silverswords. Cowgill leads Chaminade with an average of 20.5 points a game -- good for second overall in the Pacific West Conference -- and is an NCAA Division II-best 95 percent free throw shooter.
"I've always shot this way since I was about 3 (years old) trying to get the ball up to the rim," Cowgill said. "Back home, everybody knows that I shoot this way so it's not really a big thing. But if you're not willing to put in the hours in the gym, I wouldn't recommend it."
Cowgill has put in the time and professes a strong work ethic instilled by his father that made him a gym rat before he entered kindergarten.
"My life is basketball," he said.
After playing at Eastern Wyoming Junior College, Cowgill transferred to Liberty University, a Division I school. He started all 27 games of the 1998-99 season for the Flames, but wasn't happy.
Cowgill transferred to Chaminade, redshirting last season.
"My coach (at Liberty) didn't appreciate me much as a player,'' Cowgill said. "Our team wasn't very good, but I was still in the top four in the (Big South) conference in scoring. I want to play professionally and I just didn't feel he was using me in the right ways."
Under first-year head coach Aaron Griess, who also is from Nebraska, Cowgill hopes to help the Silverswords to their first winning season in 14 years before attempting a playing career overseas.
"His real importance to us is that when we're down in the last five minutes of a game, but close, we always feel we have a chance to win," said Griess. "Whether it's him shooting his jumper or driving the lane and hitting free throws, we get the ball to CJ."
Chaminade is 13-10 overall and 7-7 in the conference with four games left in the regular season. A winning record is well within reach and a postseason berth is not out of the question should the Silverswords take all four.
Up next is a tough test in a home-and-home series against defending Pacific Division champion Brigham Young-Hawaii (13-10, 7-7) tomorrow and Saturday night at McCabe Gym.
Cowgill didn't practice early in the week because he's nursing a groin injury he sustained in Chaminade's last game, but he has promised Griess that he'll play this weekend.
"Coach (Griess) has told us all year to take one game at a time, but we know we have to win all four games to get in (to the postseason)," Cowgill said. "(Finishing with a winning record) would be huge for us and for Coach turning the program around. But we still got to prepare for each game like it's the last."
More basketball
The University of Hawaii at Hilo (13-10, 8-6) is also in the postseason hunt and will play Hawaii Pacific University (10-13, 5-9) at the Blaisdell Arena for two crucial games tomorrow and Saturday night.The Vulcans are shooting for their first winning campaign in seven seasons.
Brigham Young University-Hawaii's Walter Gates was named PacWest Player of the Week on Monday. The 6-7 sophomore forward from Glendale, Ariz., scored 36 points and also had 12 rebounds and six assists in helping the Seasiders to a pair of home wins over Alaska-Fairbanks last weekend.
Hawaii Pacific
BYU-Hawaii
Chaminade
U.H. Hilo
