South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the top-12 centers in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 2 Greatest Center of All-Time:
Tom Riker
Arriving on campus a year after Tom Owens, Tom Riker (1969-1972) proved to be too good to keep off the floor. Frank McGuire employed an unconventional lineup that included two points guards (John Roche and Kevin Joyce) and two centers (Tom Riker and Tom Owens), but the Gamecocks became one of the top teams in all of college basketball.
Despite playing in an era of low scoring and playing alongside some of the best players in school history, Riker still managed to score over 15 points per game for his career (including over 19 points per contest as a senior) and pulled down over 9 rebounds each night. The Gamecocks’ twin towers of Riker and Owens averaged almost 30 points per game and over 20 rebounds per game while playing together, and both big men made All-ACC and All-American teams.
Riker was even better after Owens graduated. As a senior, #51 averaged a 19-point double-double on 56% shooting from the field and added a block per game. That season, he put up more points, grabbed more rebounds, and scored more efficiently than any other year of his career. The NBA’s New York Knicks took notice and picked Riker in the first round of the 1971 NBA Draft. He played with New York for three years.