Title dreams ring true for Kinsey

At USC, Tarence Kinsey was a part of championship teams when the Gamecocks beat Saint Joseph’s and Michigan to win NIT titles in 2005 and 2006.

Now, he wants to win an NBA championship as a reserve guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"That would be pretty big to do it in Cleveland, being on a team that brings the city a ring," Kinsey said.

The Cavaliers took a 3-0 lead against the Atlanta Hawks into Monday night’s game in the NBA’s Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Cavs, led by league MVP LeBron James, had the NBA's best regular-season record (66-16) and are favored to advance to the finals in June.

Signed to a one-year contract, Kinsey has been a contributor. When Delonte West was recuperating from a wrist injury, Kinsey filled in as a starter, playing almost 30 minutes a game during a stretch in February.

He scored 11 points three times, one of those against his old team, the Memphis Grizzlies.

Kinsey said he would like to develop his point guard skills because a point guard at his size (6-foot-6) presents matchup problems.

Getting to play with James has been an "amazing" experience, Kinsey said. "LeBron sees everything on the floor, even things the coaches don't see, and then points them out. He's like having a coach out there. LeBron has a very high basketball IQ."

Kinsey will long be remembered by USC fans for his 3-pointer in Madison Square Garden in 2005 that made the Gamecocks the NIT champions.

"That was probably number one, my most memorable moment as a South Carolina Gamecock,” Kinsey said. “I was thinking that I didn't want it to go into overtime. It was a big-time game and stage. We won the game as a very focused team.”

Kinsey follows South Carolina basketball and football. He also speaks with current USC players such as Devan Downey. Kinsey received a bachelor of science degree in Criminology-Criminal Justice from Carolina.

Should the Cavaliers win the NBA title, Kinsey would be the second former Gamecock on an NBA championship team.

Tom Riker, a 6-foot-10 forward-center for the Gamecocks, was a reserve player on the 1972-73 New York Knicks title team featuring Willis Reed, Jerry Lucas and Walt Frazier.

Riker, an All-American, played on Frank McGuire's 1969-70 Gamecock team that finished 25-3, including 14-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Renaldo Balkman, named the 2006 NIT MVP while playing at USC, is a reserve forward with the Denver Nuggets, another strong team with a shot at the NBA title.