South Carolina Basketball: Ranking the best head coaches in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Basketball’s No. 7 Greatest Head Coach of All-Time:
Bill Foster
Bill Foster (1980-1986) built Duke into a respectable team before leaving the program to become the head coach at South Carolina following the legendary Frank McGuire. Foster’s Gamecocks were good in his first year but really struggled in his second season. However, he led Carolina back to a 22-win season in the 1982-1983 campaign.
With the Gamecocks seemingly back on track, Foster suffered a heart attack at the beginning of the next season. He recovered physically but was never quite the same coach. Carolina struggled until Foster’s resignation in 1986.
The most-lasting positive impact from the Foster era was the coach’s push to get the Gamecocks back into a conference. 12 seasons as an Independent program had hurt South Carolina basketball and kept them out of postseason play multiple times, including in Foster’s best season. The Gamecocks joined the Metro Conference (and later the SEC) in part due to Foster’s efforts.