Gamecock legend named head basketball coach at Brookland-Cayce High School

Former South Carolina basketball star Larry Davis is returning to Columbia as the new head coach at Brookland-Cayce High School.
Larry Davis
Larry Davis | Craig Jones/GettyImages

South Carolina basketball legend Larry Davis is coming home to Columbia. Per The State's Lou Bezjak, Davis is set to take over as the new head coach of the Brookland-Cayce Bearcats. The former Gamecock standout is set to return to Columbia area after leading the Mars Hill University program in North Carolina. At Brookland-Cayce, he will replace Robert Wells, who recently accepted the head coaching job at Lexington High School.

Davis is no stranger to the Palmetto State sidelines, as he spent nearly a decade coaching high school basketball in South Carolina, making successful stops at Lewisville, Northwestern, and York Prep. He led Lewisville to a state championship and established a reputation as one of the state's top high school coaches.

Prior to coaching, Davis made a name for himself in South Carolina. As a star player at Denmark-Olar in the late 80's and early 90's, he broke the single-season state record before signing with North Carolina. After his playing time was limited, Davis transferred to South Carolina, where he quickly became a Gamecock standout.

In two seasons as a Gamecock, Davis was named All-SEC twice and formed one of the best backcourts in program history alongside Melvin Watson and BJ McKie. Davis was a key player in a nine-win turnaround in his first season and another five-game improvement in the second. Those two years were the beginning of something great at South Carolina, as the Gamecocks won 66 games and made two NCAA Tournaments.

As a senior in the late 90s, Davis also helped South Carolina to its first and only SEC regular season title. The Gamecocks went 24-8, finished 15-1 in conference play, and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Over his career as a Gamecock, Davis averaged 17 points, 4.4 rebounds, two assists, and 1.8 steals per game. He was inducted into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.