South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the top-15 forwards in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 11 Greatest Forward of All-Time:
Nate Davis
Nate Davis (1973-1977) played next to Alex English and Tom Boswell in the first completely African-American frontcourt in South Carolina basketball history. It was also one of the best units to come through the Gamecock program. One of the forwards for those Gamecocks along with English, Davis was just 6’5″ but played much larger than that. The trio of Davis, English, and Boswell all averaged over 6 rebounds and 12 points for their careers.
Davis and English were excellent players who also sparked a revolution on the campus at Carolina. A school that only allowed scholarships to be given to black students just four years prior to their arrival, South Carolina became a place where they “never felt any racism” by the time they graduated, according to Davis.
Much of the social progress made in Columbia during that time was due to basketball. Davis, along with Boswell and English, were good players but better people who were loved all across the community. A high-flying dunker, Davis was drafted by the Chicago Bulls after he graduated from South Carolina before eventually playing for twelve years in Spain.