South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the top-12 centers in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
![South Carolina baskteball great Tom Riker. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports South Carolina baskteball great Tom Riker. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/1fd49d6229d3335968d0a1fda484f30e06c0d79502851272b3a19cd9552253cb.jpg)
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 10 Greatest Center of All-Time:
Darryl Martin
Part of a huge frontcourt for the mid-late 1980s Gamecocks, Darryl Martin (1985-1988) was actually the shortest member of the group. His toughness and rebounding acumen allowed him to play as the man in the middle next to players like Linwood Moye, Terry and Perry Dozier, and John Hudson despite being just 6’7″. Because of the nature of college basketball, Martin was often listed as a forward, but #44 was actually a very good 5-man.
A junior college transfer, Martin made an All-Metro Conference team as a junior in his second year in the program, but his production took a step back as a senior when the entire Gamecock team struggled in the first year of Steve Newton. Even with the drop off in his final year, Martin still managed to average over 12 points and almost 9 rebounds per game in his Gamecock career before heading overseas to continue playing.
Despite being a very solid player, Martin might be most famous for being involved in a brawl that resulted in enough free throws to allow Louisville to erase a 14-point deficit in the game’s final minute and a half. The Gamecocks would lose the game in overtime.