South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the top-12 point guards in Gamecock history

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.