The Daily Gamecock

Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: Sports

Last summer, USC basketball coach Dave Odom called a press conference announcing the kickoff to the school's centennial celebration of men's basketball. During the course of introducing the former players that had gathered, Odom proceeded to call John Roche the 'most revered player in Carolina history.'

Apparently that message didn't make it to Colorado.

Roche's secretary gets a laugh every time someone calls to speak with her boss about his days as a Gamecock. To her 'he's just another guy.'

"I'm not surprised my secretary thinks of me as a lawyer and not a basketball player," Roche said. "I am of course now 58 years old so I played basketball at South Carolina close to 40 years ago. It's been a long time ago and frankly of little significance to anyone in the state of Colorado."

A Celebration Done Right

Roche's hardwood accolades might not carry much weight in Denver, but Odom knew that to make the celebration the best it can be, you have get the best there ever was.

"Having John come back last summer was a real Godsend, a real breakthrough for us," Odom said. "I think he had such a great time last year that I think it would have taken a whole lot more than a Colorado snowstorm to keep him away [this time]."

But how do you get a three-time All-American and two-time ACC Player of the Year back into a state he hasn't set foot in for over a decade?

You could fly to New York for his induction into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. Or you could at least try to.

"[He made] an effort to come to an event in New York City where I was honored. I was admitted to the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and coach Odom reserved a table and planned to come but you had a snowstorm in Columbia and he was grounded," Roche said with a laugh. "But I very much appreciated that he would make that effort and at the time I did not personally know him at all."

Though he never made it to the Big Apple, the message was received with an open mind by Roche.

"I think coach Odom did a very fine job in connecting many former players to the University," Roche said. "Since I left the University, no coach until coach Odom made any effort in that score, and he made significant efforts."

That effort has helped bring back everyone from B.J. McKie to Kevin Joyce to Ronnie Collins. Every decade, every group has been welcomed back to the Colonial Center. It's a relationship-building exercise Odom is pleased to be a part of.

"I think every yearwe continue this new tradition, I think it will reach further into the Gamecock family and bring really good feelings back," Odom said. "I think people will come into the weekend feeling good about. I think they'll go home feeling even better."

The Legacy of Greatness

What Frank McGuire did for basketball in South Carolina, John Roche did for the number 11.

While basketball fever inspired the resurrection of countless basketball goals in backyards across the state, kids bickered among themselves during games about who would get to be No. 11.

"I truly do think that I received at times more credit than I deserved for the success of our teams," Roche said. "I played with some terrific players and by the nature of the way we played much of the focus came to me and a lot of the scoring came to me."

So much so that Roche still sits in the top three in scoring all-time at USC with 1,910 points. His 22.5 points per game average is the second-best career total at Carolina, but the numbers aren't what Roche is most proud of.

"We were regarded among the most dominant teams in the country during that period of time. And although I'm proud of certain victories and disappointed in certain losses, that overall record and most particularly our record in the ACC in competing against the formidable North Carolina schools during a time period when the ACC Tournament was played in the state of North Carolina so essentially you were playing road games," the former point guard said of his crowning achievements while in Columbia. "South Carolina competing against other programs that had a richer history of basketball success and being able to compete favorably against those programs is probably what I'm most proud of."

Under Roche's leadership, USC went 59-16, winning the 1971 ACC Tournament title, of which Roche was named MVP. During that span, the New York native found his way onto the cover of the first Sports Illustrated issue of 1971.

All those accolades, victories and statistics led to the retirement of Roche's jersey No. 11 during the Gamecocks final home game in 1971.

It's all those things that make Odom believe this weekend will be special simply because the icon of Carolina basketball is returning.

"Nobody can bring in an alumni crowd or a fan crowd like John Roche can," Odom said. "I'm actually happy that he's coming February 16 as opposed to the appointed reunion weekend because we're going to have a big crowd for that. But I think having John here on the weekend of Alabama when there's nothing other than two or three Gamecock Greats I think guarantees we're going to have a big crowd that night as well."

A Change in the Culture

When LaSalle Academy coach Dan Buckley recommended that Roche and teammate Tom Owens should play college basketball for McGuire at South Carolina, Roche had little ideas about where it would lead.

All he knew was he and Owens wanted to play in the ACC.

"Dan Buckley played for Frank McGuire at St. John's. And Tommy and I went to Coach Buckley and told him the schools we were considering attending. We wanted to play in the Atlantic Coach Conference and Dan Buckley recommended that we play for Frank McGuire. That was very influential in our attending the university," Roche said. "In addition, Tommy Owens grew up for part of his childhood with Bobby Cremins in the Bronx and Bobby was extremely active in recruiting us to the University."

Cremins set the stage for Roche. Roche set the stage for Mike Dunleavy Sr. And combined with names like Owens, Ribbock, English and Joyce, it all helped set the stage for a stretch through the late 60s and 70s that has been unmatched in Carolina basketball history.

While Roche adapted from his New York mindset to a South Carolina climate and now to a Mile High state of mind, the atmosphere back around the basketball program in Columbia has also shifted a bit. And even though he's been dozens of states away for so long, Roche knows the task ahead isn't easy.

"It would be extremely difficult, very frankly, for any future coach at South Carolina to be able to do what coach McGuire did at South Carolina and that is have a basketball program that was among the best teams in the country for a long, relatively long, period of time," Roche said.

"The recruiting battles are now very difficult. At that time in the 60s and 70s, coach McGuire had a very powerful reputation in New York and had real in-roads into recruiting players from a certain area of the country in New York City. Today its very difficult to gain an in-road like that for any coach because there are so many coaches who have those kinds of connections and you're competing with so many others schools for the same talent."

That's why he refuses to let this weekend be solely about the return of John Roche to Columbia.

While he knows fans will clamor once again for his signature and a photo, Roche wants to share the spotlight with the man who worked so hard help sew together the divide among the former basketball players at Carolina. For the man tabbed as 'the most revered player in Carolina history,' it's just the humility that's been there all along.

"I am very grateful for the honor. I am also however coming back to basically show my appreciation or respect for coach Odom's accomplishments in the coaching profession in light of the fact that this is his last year at the university," Roche said. "I'm happy to be able to come back and share in the celebration of his last year at South Carolina."



Stat Box

Amassed 1,910 points in three season for No. 3 all-time leading scorer at USC

22.5 ppg average is the second-highest in school history



56-point performance vs. Furman in 1971 is the highest single-game total at USC



Led Carolina to 1971 ACC Tournament title and first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history



His jersey No. 11 was retired in the final home game of the 1970-71 season



Accolades

All-ACC: 1969, 1970, 1971



All-ACC Tournament Team: 1969, 1970 (Second Team), 1971



ACC Player of the Year: 1969 and 1970



Everett Case Award (ACC Tournament MVP): 1971 (tied with UNC's Lee Dedmon)



All-American: 1969 (2 first teams), 1970 (2 first teams, 2 second teams), 1971 (6 first teams, 2 second teams)



First-Round draft pick of the Phoenix Suns (14th overall) in 1971



8-year career in the ABA and NBA with 5,345 points and 1,880 assists

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