In 2012, 6-foot-5 forward Brian Steele began his Gamecock career despite receiving no Division 1 offers and little interest from major schools.
After averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per game during his senior year at Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, Steele looked around and eventually settled on South Carolina and head coach Frank Martin, who was also beginning his first season as a Gamecock.
Steele walked on, but his passion and drive helped him quickly earn the respect of his peers and coaches. Three years and a few nagging knee injuries later, he is still a leader, but his role looks much different.
Steele, who had knee surgery in September 2014, worked hard to get back to playing shape. The knee, however, continued to swell and Steele ultimately made the decision to end his playing career.
It was a difficult decision for the fan favorite whose passion for basketball is unmatched.
“He has a desire in his heart for our basketball team that is phenomenal,” Martin said.
Steele was never a particularly astonishing player, averaging only 1.7 points and less than 10 minutes per game in his three-year career. His work ethic and winner’s attitude, however, earned him the respect of coaches and players alike.
“My heart goes out to him,” Martin told The State. “For someone that’s worked so hard, to earn a scholarship and to be such a contributing member of the building blocks of our program, to not be able to play, is frustrating.”
And Steele was frustrated, but the sport and entertainment management student saw the setback as opportunity.
When Steele’s decision to step down was made final, he went to inform Martin. The coach that gave Steele an opportunity three years prior would come through yet again. Martin immediately offered Steele a spot on the coaching staff as a student assistant.
“I’ve always wanted to coach,” Steele said. “I’ve never thought about anything else except coaching basketball. Now that dream is becoming a reality. Frank went over options with me on how to keep me around. He knew I wanted to be a coach, so he started talking about having me stay on as a student assistant.”
The transition has not been easy for Steele though, whose passion for the game is evident.
“It was awful at first to be honest,” Steele said. “Basketball is all I have really known … Coaching and being able to help out is helping to fill that void, but I will still miss playing.”
When South Carolina held an on-campus media day on Oct. 27, Steele walked to the interview table in his usual No. 35 jersey and fielded questions from various media members. Even then, he was visibly frustrated with the circumstances, yet determined to succeed in any way possible.
“I think the one thing I’ve always been able to communicate with the guys is effort,” Steele said. “That’s what I want to do as a coach too. There was never a day where I didn’t want to play or compete. That wasn’t an option. I gave my best every day. So now, if a guy is not doing what he needs to do effort-wise, I’m always a voice that can tell him that I never took a day off, so you can’t do that either.”
The role seems like a natural fit for Steele, but the senior is still adjusting to the transition from player to coach.
"I don't believe in raising my voice to coaches in practice," Martin said at on-campus media day. "I don't believe in that, but I actually had to raise my voice on [Steele] a couple days ago. One of the responsibilities we've given him is that he has to have prepared for practice, for every drill that we do in practice, for every 5-on-5, 4-on-4 segment ... So we went out to practice and I said, 'Brian alright, let's go, get us in our teams,' I thought he was speaking in Chinese ... But no, he's been great."
Despite his inexperience, Steele will bring plenty of on-court knowledge to the team. People root for Brian Steele because his motivation has driven him to gain a spot on Martin's team, and while his days of competitive play may be over, Steele will be respected wherever he goes.