South Carolina Gamecocks – Five Things to do without Sports
By Jacob Elsey
RELIVE THE GLORY DAYS
Take a blast to the not so distant past in USC athletics.
Start off with some re-runs of the Head Ball Coach and his teams of the early 2010s. See former superstars Jadeveon Clowney, Marcus Lattimore, Alshon Jeffery, Melvin Ingram, Stephon Gilmore, and more as they carried the Gamecocks to an SEC title appearance, as well as three consecutive 11-win seasons.
Watch Stephen Garcia end Alabama’s 19-game winning streak, Marcus Lattimore run roughshod through the Florida Gators to clinch USC’s first SEC Championship appearance, a top-five matchup between the Gamecocks and the Georgia Bulldogs, and, of course, the five straight wins over arch-rival Clemson. It may be a good release after a disappointing 2019 season.
When football season ends, move on to basketball and a magical 2017 season for both the men’s and women’s teams.
The men would start an improbable run to the Final Four, as they knocked off the likes of Marquette, Duke, Baylor, and Florida on a run that ended just shy of the national championship. Sindarius Thornwell was absolutely unstoppable and Frank Martin’s Gamecocks were Incapable of Submission.
Dawn Staley also had her team on a postseason run, which ended with a national championship. Future #1 pick A’ja Wilson would dominate as the Lady Gamecocks took down the Mississippi State Bulldogs to claim the title. It was the first major championship for the school since the baseball team’s College World Series runs in 2010 and 2011.
Speaking of those CWS runs… They’re the perfect way to finish up your ‘Glory Days’ saga. The Gamecocks went on an unprecedented run, winning 21 of 22 tournament games. In 2010, Ray Tanner’s squad would defeat future MLBers Garrit Cole and Trevor Bauer to claim their first title over UCLA. They’d follow that up with two absolute thrillers against Florida in the 2011 championship series.
The Gamecocks nearly pulled it off again in 2012 before falling in the finals to the Arizona Wildcats.
From 2010-2019, Carolina would have at least one top 5 finish in each of these major sports. If you’re looking to cram all of this into one day, tune into SEC Network this Thursday for the South Carolina network takeover.