South Carolina basketball has had an up-and-down history. Some years of Gamecock basketball saw the garnet and black rank among the best teams in America, while other seasons saw significant struggles in Columbia. One constant for almost every good Gamecock team, though, was a top-of-the-line point guard.
The point guard position at Carolina has been led by a variety of different player archetypes. Some were true floor generals who orchestrated the offense and led with ease. Others scored the basketball as the primary perimeter ball-handler and playmaker. Still, other Gamecock point guards did a little bit of everything as they led their team from the 1-position.
But which Gamecock point guards were the best to ever suit up for the University of South Carolina?
Honorable Mention
Bruce Ellington: Bruce Ellington (2010-2013) arrived on campus at the University of South Carolina with a basketball scholarship but became a two-sport athlete when he joined the football team, as well. On the court, Ellington was an athletic freak at point guard, playing extremely tough defense and scoring off the dribble with a quick first step. He was a good player but had to end his career as he prepared for the NFL Draft.
Don Cox: A small guard from Greenville, South Carolina, Don Cox (1949-1952) was the first really good point guard for South Carolina basketball. Cox averaged almost five assists per game in his career and made an All-Southern Conference team despite struggling to score the basketball for most of his collegiate career.
Brent Price: Brent Price (1987-1989) was a good young player for the Gamecocks in the late 1980s. He could score and pass the basketball at a high level. However, Price elected to transfer to the University of Oklahoma the finish his career. He was good at Carolina but great at Oklahoma before moving on to the NBA as a draft pick of the Washington Bullets.
Bobby Cremins: The running mate of Gamecock legend John Roche, Bobby Cremins (1967-1970) was the less-famous of the point guards in Frank McGuire’s 2-point guard system. Never much of a scorer, Cremins used his bigger size to play tough defense and rebound when Roche was operating the offense. When it was Cremins’ turn to run the show, he often found Roche or fellow New York native Tom Owens on cuts to the basket. He was the team captain his senior season.
Gerald Peacock: Gerald Peacock (1980-1983) played three years for the Gamecocks and put up one of the best assist seasons in program history in his final season when he averaged 7 dimes per game. His junior year was a good passing one, as well, but Peacock was underwhelming as a sophomore and struggled to score the basketball for most of his career, averaging 6.5 points per game. He also struggled with turnovers at times as he had the ball in hands every possession.
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 12 Greatest Point Guard of All-Time:
PJ Dozier
Perry Dozier, Jr. (2015-2017) followed in his father’s (and uncle’s) footsteps and played his college basketball for the University of South Carolina. PJ was almost as tall as his father and uncle who played in the post for the Gamecocks, but he had guard skills and became one of the biggest matchup issues in college basketball.
The 6’7″ point guard was a bit raw when he got to Columbia, but he was explosive and fearless. Dozier seemed to almost glide with the basketball as he would take one dribble from the three-point line and soar in for a lay-up or dunk. He was also a “difficult shot maker” who could pull up from anywhere and hit shots in traffic when he was going well.
Dozier was not an elite passer at the point guard position. In reality, he was one of several combo guards who handled the ball along with Sindarius Thornwell, Duane Notice, Hassani Gravett, and Rakym Felder. However, Dozier ran the offense more than any of the other guards on Frank Martin’s roster and was at his best with the ball in his hands.
Dozier saved some of his best play for the Final Four run at the end of the 2016-2017 season. During that magical run, Dozier tallied about 17 points per game, 6 rebounds per contest, and 2.5 assists while shooting over 50% from the field.
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 11 Greatest Point Guard of All-Time:
Michael Foster
An underrated Gamecock, Michael Foster (1983-1987) developed from a reluctant-to-shoot freshman to an offensive leader by the time he graduated. Foster always had a knack for passing the basketball (a nice trait for a point guard), but he really took the next step as a player when he added more to his offensive game.
Foster’s four years on campus saw the Greensboro, North Carolina native double his scoring average (from 7.3 points per game as a freshman to 16.2 as a senior) and improve his efficiency (from 40.2% shooting as a freshman to 48.2% for the rest of his career). This made him a much more well-rounded offensive player as he also maintained his ability to move the basketball.
Unfortunately, Foster played on some underwhelming basketball teams during the Bill Foster (no relation) era. An All-Metro Conference performer as a senior, Foster parlayed his college career into a brief NBA stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 10 and 9 Greatest Point Guard(s) of All-Time:
Skip Harlicka and Jack Thompson
Skip Harlicka (1965-1968) and Jack Thompson (1965-1968) were the two cogs of a dual-point guard system under head coach Frank McGuire. The two future pros would alternate playing the point guard and the shooting guard spots, and their differing styles complemented each other well. Both players were from the northeast, a pipeline McGuire established to build his program.
Contrasting with Thompson’s methodical style of running an offense, Harlicka was more athletic and aggressive, leading to a higher scoring total (and, perhaps, more headaches for head coach Frank McGuire as he didn’t always “follow the script” and would take long jump shots when they were still worth just two points).
Both Thompson and Harlicka played with a bit of New York flair (Thompson was from Brooklyn, and Harlicka was from the suburbs in New Jersey). Harlicka would shoot the ball at any time from anywhere, while Thompson excelled at making difficult passes seem routine, something he claims to have learned from watching Bob Cousy highlights.
Harlicka played baseball during his collegiate career, as well, but basketball was clearly his better sport as the 1967-1968 All-American was drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks where he played briefly.
Thompson, an All-ACC player in his own right, was also drafted in 1968 as the Baltimore Bullets selected him in the third round before he was moved to the Indiana Pacers. Both players were elected into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 8 Greatest Point Guard of All-Time:
Tre Kelley
Smaller than his listed height of 6’0″, Tre Kelley (2003-2007) played much larger than his stature. The Washington DC native was a starter for most of his four years in Columbia and was a picture of consistency while playing for head coach Dave Odom.
Kelley had a tremendous handle and would routinely wow crowds with his dribbling. He was also known as a leader on the court and as an unselfish teammate who did whatever was needed to do to help his team succeed. When he was needed as a scorer, Kelley scored. When he was needed as a distributor, Kelley ran the offense and passed the ball to other players.
#1’s success on the court eventually saw him find his name all over the South Carolina basketball record books as one can find the name “Tre Kelley” in the top-15 in games played, games started, minutes played, points scored, field goals made, 3-pointers made, assists, steals, and assist-to-turnover ratio.
Kelley was an All-SEC point guard before beginning a fifteen-year professional career with stops in Europe, Asia, and multiple NBA G-League/D-League stints. He was enshrined as an SEC Basketball Legend during the 2022-2023 season.
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 7 Greatest Point Guard of All-Time:
Carey Rich
Carey Rich (1992-1995) transferred to South Carolina from Western Carolina and instantly became the leader of his hometown program. Rich was known as “The Captain” because he was chosen by his teammates as a team captain during his junior and senior seasons, something unheard of for a transfer player.
A ball-dominating guard at Western Carolina, Rich understood the Gamecocks needed a distributor at point guard when he arrived in Columbia. The CA Johnson High School graduate set the tone with unselfish play and high effort on the defensive end of the floor.
For his career, The Captain averaged about 10 points and 5 assists per game, and his 5.2 assists per game in the 1993-1994 season is one of the top assists seasons in school history.
The All-SEC playmaker was honored as an SEC Legend in 2018. Rich was hired in 2022 by new Gamecock head coach Lamont Paris as a special assistant to the program, utilizing his long-standing relationships around high school basketball in the state to impact the program he loves.
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 6 Greatest Point Guard of All-Time:
Mike Dunleavy
Another New York point guard who played for Frank McGuire, Mike Dunleavy (1972-1976) was the successor to Kevin Joyce in garnet and black. Dunleavy played off-ball in his one season with Joyce but took over the point guard duties after the All-American Joyce graduated and shared the role with a young Jackie Gilloon.
Dunleavy became the leader of the offense and the second scoring option behind the great Alex English. The three-man tandem of Dunleavy, Gilloon, and English was extremely formidable as the three top players on a very good Gamecocks team.
A technically-sound offensive player, Dunleavy ended his career as one of the most efficient guard scorers in school history, shooting around 50% from the field. He also is 10th all-time in assists and 7th in points scored in Gamecock basketball history.
After his college playing days, Dunleavy was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers and played in the NBA for a decade before beginning a 30-year coaching career. He is now known as Mike Dunleavy, Sr. as his son (Mike Dunleavy, Jr.) had his own successful basketball career.
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 5 Greatest Point Guard of All-Time:
Jackie Gilloon
Jackie Gilloon (1974-1978) went by both Jack and Jackie during his college career, but most Gamecock fans simply remember him as the finest passer to ever play in Columbia. Gilloon ranks second on the all-time Carolina assist leaderboard and is first in assists per game despite sharing point guard duties with Mike Dunleavy.
For most of his career, Gilloon was a tertiary and quaternary scorer behind Dunleavy, English, and big-man Nate Davis. However, as a senior, when his team needed him to put the ball in the basket, the All-South Independent guard logged career highs in scoring while also shooting the most efficient percentages of his career.
Gilloon followed in the footsteps of other point guards that headed south by way of the New York to Columbia pipeline when he was drafted by the NBA’s Denver Nuggets in the 1978 NBA Draft. Gillon joined Jack Thompson, Skip Harlicka, John Roche, Kevin Joyce, and Mike Dunleavy as drafted point guards from New York under Frank McGuire.
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 4 Greatest Point Guard of All-Time:
Melvin Watson
The only player to ever average at least 4 assists per game for four seasons as a Gamecock, Melvin Watson (1994-1998) was the perfect point guard to play alongside legendary shooting guard BJ McKie. A great scorer like McKie needed the ball in his hands a fair amount, so Watson developed into the type of point guard who could play with the ball and without the ball.
Watson was able to make quick decisions with the basketball, both as a scorer and as a passer, a trait that was invaluable for Eddie Fogler’s Gamecock teams. Watson and McKie combined for 63 points in the SEC Tournament semifinal in 1998 while assisting each other five times each.
The Charleston native was also an excellent perimeter defender. Watson ranks 4th in Gamecock history in steals and was a tough-nosed player who often guarded bigger guards so McKie could stay fresh.
The three-time All-SEC point guard became a coach after his playing career. He recently won a state championship as the head coach of the South Pointe High School basketball program in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 3 Greatest Point Guard of All-Time:
Devan Downey
Devan Downey (2007-2010) was a South Carolina native (Chester) who left the state out of high school. However, after just one season at Cincinnati, Downey left the Big East and returned home to the Gamecocks. After sitting out his transfer redshirt season, Downey proved he was special with three great seasons in Columbia.
Listed at 5’10” (he was more like 5’8″), Downey immediately became the best scorer for Dave Odom in his final year as coach, and he continued his success into the Darrin Horn era in Columbia. In his three seasons in garnet and black, Downey scored over 20 points per game, dished out 4.5 assists per contest, and swiped a remarkable 2.9 steals per game.
Despite playing for just three seasons, Downey is in the top-10 in Gamecock basketball history in points, assists, steals, free throws, and three-pointers. Arguably the quickest player to ever wear a South Carolina basketball uniform, Devan Downey was also a two-time honorable mention All-American and two-time All-SEC first-team performer and made an All-Defensive team.
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 2 Greatest Point Guard of All-Time:
Kevin Joyce
Part of the New York point guard stretch of Gamecock basketball, Kevin Joyce (1970-1973) was the most well-rounded point guard of the Frank McGuire era. Joyce was an exceptional athlete who shared point guard duties with John Roche for a season and Mike Dunleavy for a year but still is one of the best players in team history.
As a first-year player in the 1970-1971 season, Joyce scored almost 13 points per game despite three first-team All-ACC players being in the starting lineup alongside him in John Roche, Tom Owens, and Tom Riker. That year, the Gamecocks won their only ACC title and left the league after the championship.
In the ACC title game that season, the 6’3″ Joyce was involved in a jump ball with North Carolina’s 6’10” center Lee Dedmon with just a few seconds to go with the Gamecocks down by 1. Joyce outleaped the bigger Tar Heel and tipped the ball to Tom Owens for the game-winning layup as the clock expired.
Joyce was part of the 1972 Olympic team that famously was cheated out of a gold medal against the Soviet Union. After graduating following an All-American 1972-1973 season (20.4 points per game, 5.2 assists per game), Joyce was taken in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers.
South Carolina Basketball’s Greatest Point Guard of All-Time:
John Roche
John Roche (1968-1971) was a bad man in the best sense of the phrase. A tough-as-nails New Yorker, Roche was part of Frank McGuire’s New York to Columbia pipeline and was the best of the bunch. An elite scorer who averaged over 21 points per game each of his three years in Columbia, #11 also was known as a good passer, though his official assist numbers are unknown.
Competing during an era in which freshmen were not allowed to play, Roche spent three years in garnet and black and dominated every second of it. He was selected as an All-American by at least one publication all three seasons in Columbia and was a two-time ACC Player of the Year.
The baby-faced assassin would pull up from anywhere on the court, and his all-out offensive style of play was often compared to his contemporary from LSU Pete Maravich.
The best player on some of the best teams in South Carolina basketball history, John Roche is revered by Gamecock fans, and rightfully so. Roche’s Gamecocks went 69-16 during his three seasons and won the only ACC title in program history.
Roche’s 56-point explosion against Furman is a school record, and he sits 2nd all-time in free throws. Roche owns the 5th, 6th, and 7th most prolific scoring seasons in Carolina history, and he accomplished this in an era without a 3-point line and one in which the “four corners defense” was utilized by some teams in the ACC, keeping scoring much lower than other time periods.
It was no shock when Roche was taken in the first round of the 1971 NBA Draft. He went on to a 13-year professional career and became the first-ever player to make 7 3-pointers in one quarter.