George Glymph, legendary SC high basketball coach, has died
Legendary South Carolina basketball coach George Glymph has died, The State learned Wednesday.
Glymph was 78 years old. The news was confirmed by former Gamecock basketball player Carey Rich and other sources close to Glymph.
A 32-year coach and Columbia native, Glymph helped lead Eau Claire High to five state titles between 1974 and 1996, posting a 471-135 record during that span. But his impact on basketball in the area goes well beyond wins and losses.
“This one hurts,” Rich said. “I never heard so many grown men cry. He was to Columbia what John Thompson was to Georgetown. He was the barometer and the voice. He was the engine that made Columbia go. Whether you played for him or not, he was your coach. What we now have in Columbia is because of him. He was a big part of building Columbia basketball to what it is. Everyone had so much respect for that guy.”
Inducted into both the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame and S.C. Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame, Glymph famously coached NBA all-star Jermaine O’Neal with the Shamrocks. The Portland Trailblazers selected O’Neal with the 17th pick of the 1996 NBA Draft, making him the first Eau Claire player to make an NBA roster.
Glymph would later follow O’Neal to the NBA, becoming the director of player development for the Trailblazers, then the Indiana Pacers, where O’Neal was a six-time all-star. Glymph also served the same role for the New York Knicks, spending a decade in the NBA before retiring.
“The world was better because of George Glymph,” USC head coach Frank Martin tweeted Wednesday. “Basketball is better because of George Glymph. Man I’m going to miss him.”
Fellow South Carolina hall of fame high school coach Bailey Harris, the long-time head coach at Lexington, also paid tribute to Glymph on Wednesday.
“So sad to hear this,” Harris tweeted. “Coach was so welcoming to me as a young coach in the Midlands back in the 80s. Words cannot express my gratitude and admiration towards Coach George Glymph. He made us all better.”
Glymph and his wife of more than 40 years, Betty, had two children. Funeral arrangements were not known as of Wednesday afternoon.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 10:47 AM.
