Beamer sounds respect for UK’s Stoops, explains purpose of locker room celebration
Whether or not Mark Stoops intended to take a shot at Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks this summer, Beamer used the Kentucky coach’s comments to fuel his own team.
Stoops talked at SEC Media Days about changing the “culture” of a program versus changing a “climate,” mentioning dancing and “stupid sunglasses” as ways a climate is changed. Many thought Stoops was taking a dig at Shane Beamer, who wore shades and danced in a viral video produced by USC.
Ahead of the Gamecocks’ road trip to Kentucky, Beamer said someone suggested he pack those same sunglasses — just in case. After the 24-14 USC win, he put those shades back on and started dancing in the visiting locker room to Soulja Boy’s “Turn My Swag On.”
Beamer said he intended no disrespect with his celebration.
“I’ve got tons of respect for Coach Stoops and his program and the way they do things,” Beamer said Wednesday in the weekly SEC coaches teleconference. “My respect level for Mark and that program couldn’t be higher.”
In the locker room video shared by USC — which is now over 1.5 million views on Twitter — Beamer told the players to “be classy” in the postgame press conference.
Beamer said he spoke with Stoops before the game about the offseason comments, saying they had a “great conversation.”
When the comments first surfaced this summer, Beamer didn’t mention them to his team. He said he didn’t bring up what Stoops said until the week of the Kentucky game.
He urged his players to put the Gamecocks’ culture on full display. The locker room celebration was a reward for that.
“As a head coach, you’re always looking for ways to find extra motivation for your guys each week,” Beamer said.
The team’s social media account, as well as Gamecock fans, have made several “culture” references in the days following the upset win at Kentucky.
Several gifs, memes and videos have circulated Twitter since Saturday, including a video made by the Gamecocks’ official account that highlights the theme of culture.
The win against the Wildcats was the biggest of Beamer’s tenure so far, marking the first time he’s beaten a ranked opponent as a head coach.
“That was a joyous locker room, and we had a lot of fun in there,” Beamer said.
This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 1:30 PM.
