South Carolina point guard great Scotti Ward has died
Former South Carolina men’s basketball point guard Scotti Ward died Sunday night. He was 80 years old.
A three-year letterman from 1961-63, Ward ranks third in program history with an 83.6% free-throw percentage on 262 career attempts.
Ward, originally from Indiana, played for both Bob Stevens and Chuck Noe during his South Carolina career. He led the team in scoring in his final season in 1962-63, averaging 17.6 points per game.
“I was never able to spend time with him, but I know exactly who he is and all the greatness that he did here,” head coach Frank Martin said Tuesday. “When you speak with players from the ’90s, the 2000s, the ’80s, there are certain names that come up a lot. His was one of the names that was always mentioned amongst the former players.”
Ward was named to the 1963 All-ACC second team. He scored 1,044 career points for the Gamecocks.
Elmwood Funeral Home in Columbia is helping the family with arrangements. A celebration of life and golf outing are planned for the spring.
According to his obituary: “After college, he returned to Indiana where he pursued several construction jobs before returning to South Carolina to start a successful Allstate agency and agency owner, winning many awards during his 25-year career. He sold his agency at age 60 to spend more time fishing and playing golf, consistently shooting in the 70s even at 80 years old.”
This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 2:50 PM.
