South Carolina Basketball: Gamecock great is back in Columbia as a head coach

South Carolina basketball great Carlos Powell followed up his Gamecock career with 13 excellent years as a professional overseas in which he was one of the top players in multiple international pro leagues such as the NBA D-League (now known as the NBA G League), NBL (National Basketball League in Australia), Liga Profesional de Balencesto (LPB in Venezuela), and the CBL (Chinese Basketball League). When he retired, he got into coaching.

He took a job as an assistant with the Ridge View High School Blazers, winning a state title before spending the last four seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, Wilson High School in Florence, South Carolina, where he won a state championship at the end of the 2021-2022 season.

In Powell's three full seasons with Wilson (his first year was the 2020-2021 season that was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic), he led the Tigers to three years with at least 20 wins.

On Saturday, according to a report from The State's Lou Bejzak, Powell is making a move in the coaching world. Earlier in the day, he resigned from Wilson before accepting the head coaching position at Gray Collegiate Academy in West Columbia. Gray's former coach, Dion Bethea, left the school to become an assistant on the staff of the Georgia Southern Eagles.

During Powell's South Carolina basketball career, he set the Gamecock record for most games played, made an All-SEC squad, and was the NIT's Most Valuable Player as a senior. One of the best forwards ever to play for the Gamecocks, Powell was a versatile player who could score from all over the floor, rebound, and defend.

He finished his career in the top-10 in South Carolina basketball history in points scored, field goals made, and steals and top-20 all-time in rebounds and games started.