Gamecocks hoop great Carlos Powell gets first head coaching opportunity
It didn’t take long for Carlos Powell to get his first head coaching job.
The former South Carolina standout was named the boys basketball coach at Wilson High School in Florence, his alma mater.
Powell spent last season as an head JV and assistant varsity coach for Ridge View, which won its third consecutive Class 4A title He said during the season he was enjoying being a coach and definitely wanted to be a head coach one day. Now, it is his time.
“I am ready for the challenge and always have been,” Powell said. “The people know me and they know I am going to work my hardest.”
With Ridge View, Powell played a key part in helping USC signee Ja’Von Benson’s development. Benson was the Class 4A Player of the Year this season. The two shared an emotional embrace on the Colonial Life Arena floor after the Blazers’ 69-49 win over Myrtle Beach.
“They got the perfect fit and it is a great hire for Wilson,” Ridge View coach Yerrick Stoneman said. “He played there and they want to follow in his footsteps. He has done what kids want to do. He has played in college and played professionally. Those kids got to be ready to work. He will push you. If you don’t play defense, you won’t play for him.”
Powell said he was like a ‘sponge’ this season learned a lot under Stoneman and helped accelerate his rise in coaching.
Powell replaces Ken Spencer, who stepped down after one season. Wilson went 7-19 last year after going to back-to-back Class 4A title games under Derrick McQueen, who is the school’s athletic director.
Powell was Region 6-3A Player of the Year at Wilson and was elected to the Florence Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
“When you say the word Wilson, everyone knows about us. Wilson used to put fear into people’s hearts. We had that swagger about ourselves,” Powell said. “That’s tradition I want to get back to.”
At USC, Powell was known for his energetic play on the floor and was all-SEC selection and the 2005 MVP for the NIT tournament. He finished his career with 1,541 points, 641 rebounds in 132 games and is the eighth leading scorer in school history.
After college, Powell had stints on NBA training camp rosters with Phoenix and Golden State.
Powell played overseas for more than a decade with stops in Israel, Iran, New Zealand, South Korea and Venezuela. He also played in the NBA D-League and Continental Basketball Association.
It is the second straight year Ridge View has lost an assistant coach to a Florence high school. Christian Savage left to take the South Florence job following the 2019 season.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 7:15 PM.
