South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina Gamecocks

School Name:	University of South Carolina
Location:	Columbia, South Carolina
Arena:	Colonial Life Arena
Capacity:	23,700
Conference:	SEC
Head coach:	Lamont Paris

The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference. The program attained national prominence under hall of fame coach Frank McGuire, posting a 205-65 record and three NCAA Sweet 16 appearances from 1967-1976. The Gamecocks won the 1970 ACC championship, 1971 ACC Tournament, and the 1997 SEC championship. South Carolina also won Southern Conference titles in 1927, 1933, 1934, and 1945.

Most recently, the Gamecocks won the NIT in 2005 and 2006 and claimed a share of the 2009 SEC Eastern division title. South Carolina is currently coached by Lamont Paris and plays at the 18,000-seat Colonial Life Arena.

Program History

Southern Conference Years

South Carolina achieved a measure of regional prominence during its tenure in the Southern Conference, winning regular season championships in 1927, 1933, 1934, and 1945. The program also won the conference's tournament championship in 1933. During World War II, the basketball team's success was partially attributed to being assigned outstanding athletes by the U.S. Navy as part of the V-12 program. However, the Navy leaders kept the teams focus towards the war effort, and USC declined an invitation to the Southern Conference Tournament in 1944.

Frank McGuire Era (1965-1980)

The hiring of Frank McGuire before the 1964-65 season propelled South Carolina to its most successful period to date. McGuire's 16-year tenure was highlighted by an undefeated ACC regular season in 1970, an ACC Tournament championship in 1971, and three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances from 1971 to 1973. USC also posted a 69-16 overall record from 1968 to 1971, and John Roche won consecutive ACC Player of the Year Awards (1969–1970). In November 1968, the Gamecocks began playing at the 12,401 seat Carolina Coliseum, which became known as the "House that Frank Built." The success South Carolina achieved on the court brought resentment and anger from fellow ACC schools, especially those on "Tobacco Road," as the conference members of the state of North Carolina were known. The hostility of the road crowds, the unfriendly behavior of coaches and athletic directors in the conference, and the discrepancies in eligibility standards led McGuire to support South Carolina becoming an Independent before the 1971-72 season.

As an Independent, the program gradually declined, and the University sought entrance into an athletic conference. This proved problematic because most conferences required schools to have a single athletic director, and South Carolina had multiple directors at the time. McGuire served as Athletic Director for the basketball program, and he would not relinquish his position. The University made several attempts to obtain McGuire's resignation, but ultimately honored his contract through 1980. McGuire finished with a 283-142 overall record at South Carolina and continues to be held in high regard by Gamecock fans. His six consecutive 20-win seasons from 1969 to 1974, which produced a 137-33 record, remain the benchmark for USC Basketball.

Metro Conference and SEC

In 1983, the University became affiliated with the Metro Conference. The basketball program was placed on probation by the NCAA in the spring of 1987 for two years because of recruiting violations and the sale of complimentary player tickets. From 1987 to 1991, George Felton led the Gamecocks to an 87-62 overall record, which included a 1989 NCAA Tournament appearance and a 1991 NIT berth. For three of Felton's five seasons (1987–1989), Tubby Smith served as an assistant coach before leaving to join Rick Pitino's staff at Kentucky. South Carolina joined the SEC before the 1992 season and initially struggled, posting a combined 20-35 record in 1992 and 1993.

Eddie Fogler Era (1994-2001)

Eddie Fogler was hired away from Vanderbilt before the 1994 season and within a few years returned the Gamecocks to respectability. Under Fogler, South Carolina posted an impressive 66-28 record (34-14 SEC) during the 1996-1998 stretch, which included the school's first SEC championship in 1997. The 1997 Gamecocks posted a 15-1 record in SEC play and defeated league rival Kentucky twice, but lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Fogler stepped down after the 2001 campaign, going 123-117 in eight seasons as the Gamecocks' head coach. His tenure included two NCAA Tournament appearances (1997, 1998) and two NIT appearances (1996, 2001). Fogler retired as one of the most successful head coaches in SEC Basketball history, having won regular season conference championships at both Vanderbilt and South Carolina.

Dave Odom Era (2002-2008)

Subsequent coach Dave Odom posted four 20-win seasons during his tenure at South Carolina. He led the Gamecocks to an appearance in the 2004 NCAA Tournament and consecutive NIT championships in 2005 and 2006. Odom's tenure also saw USC begin play at the 18,000 seat Colonial Life Arena during the 2003 season. Following the 2008 campaign, Odom resigned with a 128-104 overall record at USC.

Darrin Horn Era (2009-Present)

On April 1, 2008, Darrin Horn was named the new head basketball coach at USC. In his first season, Horn led the Gamecocks to a 21-10 record (10-6 SEC), two victories over Kentucky, and a share of the 2009 SEC Eastern Division title. After a 10–21 campaign in 2011–12, his third straight losing season, Horn was fired on March 13, 2012, finishing his tenure at Carolina with a 60–63 overall record and a 23–45 mark in the SEC.

Frank Martin era (2012–2022)

Martin led the Gamecocks to their first Final Four in 2017.

Frank Martin came to USC from Kansas State, where he had enjoyed five winning seasons and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight appearance with the Wildcats in 2010. After losing records in his first two seasons with the Gamecocks, he achieved a winning season in 2015, then started the 2015-16 season 15-0 before reaching the NIT in 2016. During the 2016-17 season, Martin's Gamecocks started 8-0 including two wins over ranked teams, helping the Gamecocks get the highest AP ranking of his tenure at #16 and go on to make the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the program's first appearance in the event since 2004. On March 17, 2017, USC achieved its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1973 with a 20-point win over the Marquette Golden Eagles. Two nights later, the Gamecocks upset the #2 seed Duke Blue Devils to advance to their fourth Sweet 16. South Carolina then beat #3 seed Baylor Bears to advance to their first-ever Elite 8. Two days later, they upset the Florida Gators to advance to their first ever Final Four.

Lamont Paris era (2022–present)

Former Chattanooga head coach Lamont Paris was named head coach on March 21, 2022 to replace the terminated Frank Martin.

NIT Championships

2005 Season

Round	Opponent	Result/Score
First Round	Miami	W 69–67
Second Round	UNLV	W 77–66
Quarterfinals	Georgetown	W 69–66
Semifinals	Maryland	W 75–67
Finals	St. Joseph's (PA)	W 60–57

2006 Season

Round	Opponent	Result/Score
First Round	Western Kentucky	W 74–55
Second Round	Florida State	W 69–68
Quarterfinals	Cincinnati	W 65–62
Semifinals	Louisville	W 78–63
Finals	Michigan	W 76–64

Conference championships

• 1927 SoCon (season) – South Carolina went 14-4 overall and 9-1 in Southern Conference play.

• 1933 SoCon (season & tournament) – South Carolina posted a 17-2 record (4-1 SoCon) and won the Southern Conference tournament.

• 1934 SoCon (season) – South Carolina went 18-1 overall and 6-0 in Southern Conference play.

• 1945 SoCon (season) – South Carolina went 19-3 overall and 9-0 in Southern Conference play.

• 1970 ACC (season) – South Carolina went 25-3 overall and 14-0 in ACC play.

• 1971 ACC (tournament) – South Carolina posted a 23-6 overall record and defeated North Carolina for the ACC Tournament title.

• 1997 SEC (season & division) – South Carolina posted a 24-8 record (15-1 SEC) to win the SEC championship and Eastern Division title.

• 2009 SEC East (division) – South Carolina went 21-10 overall and 10-6 in SEC play to win a share of the SEC East title.

Head Coaches/Results

Head Coaches

Name	Years	Seasons	Won	Lost	Pct.
J.H. Brown	1908–1909	1	0	3	.000
F.E. Schofield	1909–1910	1	0	1	.000
No coach	1910–1911	1	1	1	.500
James G. Driver	1911–1913	2	5	7	.417
John Blackburn	1913–1914	1	5	4	.550
L.W. Hill	1914–1915	1	2	7	.286
Charles C. Farrell	1915–1916	1	4	6	.400
Dixon Foster	1916–1920	4	26	31	.456
Sol Metzger	1920–1921	1	7	11	.389
Lana A. Sims	1921–1922	1	7	12	.368
Jack Crawford	1922–1924	2	17	22	.436
Branch Bocock	1924–1927	3	33	16	.673
A. Burnet Stoney	1927–1928	1	8	12	.400
A.W. Norman	1928–1932 1933–1935	6	57	57	.500
Billy Laval	1932–1933	1	17	2	.895
Ted Petoskey	1935–1940	5	37	67	.354
Frank Johnson	1940–1943 1946–1958	14.5	174	175	.499
Rex Enright	1943	1	11	6	.647
Lt. Henry Findley	1943–1944	1	13	2	.867
Johnny McMillan	1944–1945	1	19	3	.864
Dick Anderson	1945–1946	0.5	4	8	.333
Walt Hambrick	1958–1959	1	4	20	.167
Bob Stevens	1959–1962	3	34	45	.430
Chuck Noe	1962–1963	1.5	16	21	.417
Dwane Morrison	1964	0.5	4	8	.333
Frank McGuire	1964–1980	16	283	142	.666
Bill Foster	1980–1986	6	92	79	.538
George Felton	1986–1991	5	87	62	.584
Steve Newton	1991–1993	2	20	35	.364
Eddie Fogler	1993–2001	8	123	117	.513
Dave Odom	2001–2008	7	128	104	.552
Darrin Horn	2008–present	3	50	42	.543
All-Time		103	1287	1128	.533

 

Year-by-Year

Season	Coach	Record		Notes
		Overall	Conference
Independent
1908–1909	J.H. Brown	0-3	—
1909–1910	F.E. Schofield	0-1	—
1910–1911	No coach	1-1	—
1911–1912	James G. Driver	3-4	—
1912–1913	James G. Driver	2-3	—
1913–1914	John Blackburn	5-4-1	—
1914–1915	L.W. Hill	2-7	—
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1915–1916	Charles C. Farrell	4-6	—
1916–1917	Dixon Foster	7-8	—
1917–1918	Dixon Foster	8-5	—
1918–1919	Dixon Foster	4-7	—
1919–1920	Dixon Foster	7-11	—
1920–1921	Sol Metzger	7-11	—
1921–1922	Lana A. Sims	7-12	—
Southern Conference
1922–1923	Jack Crawford	6-13	0-3
1923–1924	Jack Crawford	11-9	2-2
1924–1925	Branch Bocock	10-7	4-2
1925–1926	Branch Bocock	9-5	4-2
1926–1927	Branch Bocock	14-4	9-1	SoCon Champions
1927–1928	Burnet Stoney	8-12	4-7
1928–1929	A.W. Norman	8-13	4-9
1929–1930	A.W. Norman	6-10	0-6
1930–1931	A.W. Norman	1-17	1-12
1931–1932	A.W. Norman	9-7	2-2
1932–1933	Billy Laval	17-2	4-0	SoCon Champions; SoCon Tournament Champions
1933–1934	A.W. Norman	18-1	6-0	SoCon Champions
1934–1935	A.W. Norman	15-9	5-7
1935–1936	Ted Petroskey	11-8	1-6
1936–1937	Ted Petroskey	13-7	8-4
1937–1938	Ted Petroskey	3-21	1-13
1938–1939	Ted Petroskey	5-18	3-8
1939–1940	Ted Petroskey	5-13	3-10
1940–1941	Frank Johnson	15-9	8-3
1941–1942	Frank Johnson	12-9	8-4
1942–1943	Frank Johnson (first 2 games) Rex Enright (last 17 games)	13-6	6-3
1943–1944	Lt. Henry Findley	13-2	1-2
1944–1945	Johnnie McMillan	19-3	9-0	SoCon Champions
1945–1946	Dick Anderson (first 12 games) Frank Johnson (last 8 games)	9-11	4-7
1946–1947	Frank Johnson	16-9	7-5
1947–1948	Frank Johnson	12-11	8-7
1948–1949	Frank Johnson	10-12	7-6
1949–1950	Frank Johnson	13-12	5-8
1950–1951	Frank Johnson	13-12	12-7
1951–1952	Frank Johnson	14-10	8-8
1952–1953	Frank Johnson	11-13	7-12
Atlantic Coast Conference
1953–1954	Frank Johnson	10-16	2-7
1954–1955	Frank Johnson	10-17	2-12
1955–1956	Frank Johnson	9-14	3-11
1956–1957	Frank Johnson	17-12	5-9
1957–1958	Frank Johnson	5-19	3-11
1958–1959	Walt Hambrick	4-20	2-12
1959–1960	Bob Stevens	10-16	6-8
1960–1961	Bob Stevens	9-17	2-12
1961–1962	Bob Stevens	15-12	7-7
1962–1963	Chuck Noe	9-15	4-10
1963–1964	Chuck Noe (first 12 games) Dwane Morrison (last 12 games)	10-14	7-7
1964–1965	Frank McGuire	6-17	2-12
1965–1966	Frank McGuire	11-13	4-10
1966–1967	Frank McGuire	16-7	8-4
1967–1968	Frank McGuire	15-7	9-5
1968–1969	Frank McGuire	21-7	11-3	NIT Second Round
1969–1970	Frank McGuire	25-3	14-0	ACC Champions
1970–1971	Frank McGuire	23-6	10-4	ACC Tournament Champions; NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Independent
1971–1972	Frank McGuire	24-5	—	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
1972–1973	Frank McGuire	22-7	—	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
1973–1974	Frank McGuire	22-5	—	NCAA First Round
1974–1975	Frank McGuire	19-9	—	NIT Second Round
1975–1976	Frank McGuire	18-9	—
1976–1977	Frank McGuire	14-12	—
1977–1978	Frank McGuire	16-12	—	NIT First Round
1978–1979	Frank McGuire	15-12	—
1979–1980	Frank McGuire	16-11	—
1980–1981	Bill Foster	17-10	—
1981–1982	Bill Foster	14-15	—
1982–1983	Bill Foster	22-9	—	NIT Third Round
Metro Conference
1983–1984	Bill Foster	12-16	5-9
1984–1985	Bill Foster	15-13	6-8
1985–1986	Bill Foster	12-16	2-10
1986–1987	George Felton	15-14	5-7
1987–1988	George Felton	19-10	6-6
1988–1989	George Felton	19-11	8-4	NCAA First Round
1989–1990	George Felton	14-14	6-8
1990–1991	George Felton	20-13	5-9	NIT Second Round
Southeastern Conference (East Division)
1991–1992	Steve Newton	11-17	3-13
1992–1993	Steve Newton	9-18	5-11
1993–1994	Eddie Fogler	9-19	4-12
1994–1995	Eddie Fogler	10-17	5-11
1995–1996	Eddie Fogler	19-12	8-8	NIT Third Round
1996–1997	Eddie Fogler	24-8	15-1	SEC Champions; NCAA First Round
1997–1998	Eddie Fogler	23-8	11-5	NCAA First Round
1998–1999	Eddie Fogler	8-21	3-13
1999–2000	Eddie Fogler	15-17	5-11
2000–2001	Eddie Fogler	15-15	6-10	NIT First Round
2001–2002	Dave Odom	22-15	6-10	NIT Runners-up
2002–2003	Dave Odom	12-16	5-11
2003–2004	Dave Odom	23-11	8-8	NCAA First Round
2004–2005	Dave Odom	20-13	7-9	NIT Champions
2005–2006	Dave Odom	23-15	6-10	NIT Champions
2006–2007	Dave Odom	14-16	4-12
2007–2008	Dave Odom	14-18	5-11
2008-2009	Darrin Horn	21-10	10-6	SEC East Co-Champions; NIT First Round
2009-2010	Darrin Horn	15-16	6-10
2010-2011	Darrin Horn	14-16	5-11

 

Notable players

Awards

National Scoring Leader

• Grady Wallace - 1957 (31.3 ppg)
• Zam Fredrick - 1981 (28.9 ppg)

ACC Player of the Year

• John Roche - 1969, 1970

All-ACC First Team

• Grady Wallace - 1957
• Art Whisnant - 1962
• Ronnie Collins - 1964
• Skip Harlicka - 1968
• John Roche - 1969, 1970, 1971
• Tom Owens - 1970, 1971

All-ACC Second Team

• Grady Wallace - 1956
• Art Whisnant - 1960, 1961
• Scott Ward - 1963
• Gary Gregor - 1967, 1968
• Jack Thompson - 1967
• Frank Standard - 1968
• Tom Owens - 1969

ACC Tournament Outstanding Player

• John Roche - 1971

Metro Conference Newcomer of the Year

• Linwood Moye - 1985

All-Metro First Team

• Jimmy Foster - 1984

All-Metro Second Team

• Linwood Moye - 1986
• Michael Foster - 1987
• Darryl Martin - 1987
• John Hudson - 1988
• John Hudson - 1989
• Jo Jo English - 1991

SEC Player of the Year

• Sindarius Thornwell – 2017

SEC Rookie of the Year

• BJ McKie - 1996

SEC Coach of the Year

• Dave Odom - 2004

SEC Defensive Player of the Year

• Sam Muldrow - 2011
• Chris Silva – 2018

SEC Sixth Man of the Year

• Brandis Raley-Ross – 2009
• Duane Notice – 2016
• Hassani Gravett – 2019

All-SEC First Team

• Larry Davis - 1997
• BJ McKie - 1997, 1998, 1999
• Tre' Kelley - 2007
• Devan Downey - 2008, 2009, 2010
• Michael Carrera – 2016
• Sindarius Thornwell – 2017
• Chris Silva – 2018

All-SEC Second Team

• Jamie Watson - 1993, 1994
• Larry Davis - 1996
• Melvin Watson - 1997, 1998
• Tarence Kinsey - 2006
• Dominique Archie - 2009
• Zam Fredrick, Jr. - 2009

All-SEC Third Team

• Emmitt Hall - 1993, 1994
• Melvin Watson - 1996
• Marijonas Petravičius - 2001
• Jamel Bradley - 2002
• Carlos Powell - 2004, 2005
• Brandon Wallace - 2007

NIT Most Valuable Player

• Carlos Powell - 2005
• Renaldo Balkman - 2006

Gamecocks in the NBA

• Renaldo Balkman — Denver Nuggets
• Alex English — Denver Nuggets, retired 1991; Toronto Raptors assistant coach
• Mike Dunleavy, Sr. — Los Angeles Clippers, head coach

Retired jerseys

Retired jerseys
No.	Player	Years
42	Grady Wallace	1955–1957
11	John Roche	1968–1971
43	Kevin Joyce	1970–1973
22	Alex English	1972–1976
3	BJ McKie	1995–1999

See also

• Garnet Army

External Links

• Official athletics site