South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the top-12 centers in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 9 Greatest Center of All-Time:
Sam Muldrow
Sam Muldrow (2007-2011) is the all-time leader in blocks at the University of South Carolina. The long-armed Florence native was a defensive stalwart for some bad Gamecock teams (sans 2008-2009). He cleaned up a lot of mess at the rim allowed by some poor perimeter defense in front of him.
Muldrow was quick enough to hold his own on switches against smaller players, but he was at his best as a help-side shot alterer. His shot-blocking prowess was on display best when he logged the program’s second-ever triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 blocks in a win against Vanderbilt.
Muldrow was not much of an offensive threat when he first arrived on campus in Columbia, but he developed into a 10.4 and 11.4 points per game scorer in his junior and senior years, respectively. Combined with his improved offensive game, Muldrow’s elite defense (two All-SEC All-Defensive teams and an SEC Defensive Player of the Year award) made him one of the most valuable forwards in the conference and propelled him to a long international pro career.