South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the top-12 point guards in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
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.