South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the top-12 shooting guards in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 4 Greatest Shooting Guard of All-Time:
Brian Winters
Brian Winters (1971-1974) has the smoothest shooting stroke in Gamecock history. The 6’4″ guard from New York (yep, another one) played alongside ball-dominant guard (and former high school teammate) Kevin Joyce when Winters was in his first two seasons. The arrangement hurt Winters’ numbers but made him a better player in the long run as he learned to shoot the basketball with a quick release and to make quick decisions as a driver.
Winters became the lead guard for the Gamecocks in the 1973-1974 season and was selected as an All-American for his high level of play. Sharing the scoring load with star forward Alex English, Winters still managed to average 20 points per game during an era of lower-scoring basketball. Winters went on to a decade-long NBA career in which he made two All-Star games.
While growing up in North Carolina, basketball’s GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) Michael Jordan got to watch Winters when he played at South Carolina and watched him even more closely in the NBA while Jordan attended North Carolina. After his playing career, His Airness called Winters the “best pure shooter” that basketball had ever seen. Winters spent 30 years coaching after retiring.