South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the top-15 forwards in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 14 Greatest Forward of All-Time:
Joe Rhett
A great story of development followed by heartbreak, Joe Rhett (1988-1992) arrived on campus in Columbia as a kid and left as a man who had to make the decision to leave the game he loved. Rhett was very thin out of Eau Claire High School in Columbia but worked hard to get stronger so that he could play as a forward in big-time college basketball. The hard work paid off as Rhett made the Metro Conference’s All-Freshman team.
Rhett developed a nice mid-range shot to bolster his scoring, and the 6’9″ forward became one of the conference’s best. In the middle of his best season as a senior, Rhett had to make the difficult decision to step away from basketball. Diagnosed with atrial fibrillation two years prior, Rhett suffered a severe fainting spell in 1992.
Less than two years after the on-court death of Loyola Marymount’s Hank Gathers (who had a similar condition), Rhett retired from basketball. His NBA dream taken away from him, Rhett stayed close to basketball, and his son plays professionally overseas.