Kent DeMars

University of South Carolina head men’s tennis coach Kent DeMars announced today that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2009-10 season. In his 37th season as a collegiate head coach, DeMars will leave the University after 26 seasons at the helm of a Gamecock program that he has led to 18 NCAA Tournaments and six conference championships. He has coached seven Gamecocks to a total of nine All-America selections, was the 1989 NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year and earned NCAA Region II Coach of the Year honors seven times.

“It is amazing how quickly time flies as this is my 26th season at the University of South Carolina,” DeMars said. “I am excited about the possibilities of my team this year to close out my career. I would like to thank the University for giving me the opportunity to coach here. It has been a wonderful journey.”

“Kent has been an icon for the University of South Carolina men’s tennis program for many years, fielding competitive teams that have excelled both on and off the court,” Eric Hyman, South Carolina director of athletics, said. “His career-long involvement in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association has spread his influence far beyond Columbia, as he is well known and highly respected throughout tennis circles both nationally and internationally. While he wraps up a Hall of Fame coaching career this spring, he will continue to be a valued member of the Gamecock family, and we wish him all the best.”

DeMars took the reins of the South Carolina program on June 11, 1984 after 11 seasons at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, where he turned the Cougars into an NCAA Division II perennial national power that won seven consecutive national championships. He entered the South Carolina scene with a similar splash, leading the team to its first of six Metro Conference championships in his inaugural season, which the team finished 24-5 and ranked No. 14 in the nation.

The 1987 season saw the Gamecocks return to the NCAA Tournament, the first of 18 appearances for South Carolina in DeMars’ first 25 seasons. Two years later he was named NCAA Division I Coach of the Year after the Gamecocks earned a spot in the NCAA Championship semifinals and closed the season ranked No. 5in the country behind a 21-8 record.

In 1994, DeMars saw his Gamecocks return to the NCAA field after a two-year hiatus. The team’s regional semifinal appearance was the first in a string of 13 straight NCAA Tournament selections that included a regional final showing in 1997 and a berth in the Sweet 16 in 1998. The next season, South Carolina finished fourth in the SEC, its highest league finish to date.

DeMars entered the 2009-10 season with a 36-year career record of 595-349 (.630), including his 381-278 (.578) mark at South Carolina. He was inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996.

Among the coaches involved at the inception of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, DeMars has served on the ITA Men’s Operating Committee, the National/Regional Rankings Committee, the Collegiate Hall of Fame Committee and the NCAA Rules Committee. He earned the ITA Meritorious Service Award in 1986.

The Athletics Department is finalizing plans for a celebration of DeMars’ career toward the end of the Gamecocks’ 2009-10 campaign. Details of that event will be released at a later date.

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Jackie Bradley Jr.

USC sophomore outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. will be out four to eight weeks with a broken right hand.

Bradley, a consensus Freshman All-America selection in 2009, had a productive first season with the Gamecocks batting .349 (89-for-255) with 11 HR and 46 RBI and played in all 63 games on the year with 61 starts.

Bradley ended the season on a high note as well with a productive NCAA Regional in Greenville, N.C. as he hit .500 (9-for-18) for the weekend with a pair of homers and eight runs scored as well.

This is not good news for a Gamecock baseball team that will already start the season without slugging first baseman Nick Ebert, who is out indefinitely because of an academic issue.

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Horn looking for win vs Vols

USC basketball coach Darrin Horn met with the media today to break down the Gamecocks matchup at 14th ranked Tennessee Saturday. The Gamecocks have been off since last Saturday’s home win against Georgia and have won two straight entering tomorrow’s contest.

Darrin Horn discusses Tennessee

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Senior guard Brandis Raley-Ross breaks down the Vols

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The Gamecocks are trying to get into the NCAA tournament discussion and a win at Tennessee would certainly be a nice notch on the resume’. Carolina enters the game with a 13-8 record and they are 4-3 in the SEC. The Vols are 17-4 and 5-2 in the conference. They are coming off a road win last night at LSU so they will have a quick turnaround for tomorrow’s game. Tipoff is at 6:00 and the game will be televised on ESPN.

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