COLOMBIA – It has always been difficult to say what he was most proud of: his status as a basketball legend in South Carolina or his grandson, the current No. 1 golfer in the world, Dustin Johnson.
“One guy wrote a book that placed me as one of the 80 best players in the history of basketball ACC. I always thought it was cool, ”said Art Whisnant in a 2016 interview.“ I’m excited for Dustin, I can’t be more proud. He will also be in the South Carolina Hall of Fame one day. “
Whisnant, who was elected to the state’s Hall of Fame in 2016 after his induction into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001, died on March 17. He was 81 years old.
A three-time pick from the 1959-62 All-ACC, Whisnant has averaged 19 points for his career and is still in 11th placeº on the USC career scoring list (he was second behind Jim Slaughter when he graduated). He is still in first place with 880 free-throw attempts during his career.
A 6-4 center, Whisnant was so powerful that when Dan Collins released “The ACC Basketball Book of Fame” in 2013, mapping the 78 best players in the league’s history based on the author’s matrix, Whisnant made the cut. He was one of three Gamecocks who did this, alongside John Roche and Tom Owens.
A professional basketball career never worked, although Whisnant was chosen by the LA Lakers. He stayed in Irmo, where he guided his grandson’s career.
“I’ve taken him to all the tournaments since he was 10,” said Whisnant. “We went everywhere playing. Dustin is so good that he just needs to focus. He has the talent to be the best in the world. “
Johnson’s talent was fully realized shortly after the 2016 interview, when he won the United States Open. He has since added another specialization (2020 Masters) to the 24 wins of his career on the PGA Tour.
Whisnant trained Johnson in high school basketball and thought he could be great, but golf has become his passion. The athletic genes were also passed on to the rest of the family: Johnson’s brother Austin played basketball in Charleston Southern before starting his professional life as Dustin’s caddy. A granddaughter played beach volleyball in the state of Florida and a great-grandson raised his eyebrows when he swam in Lake Marion at age 7.
Follow David Cloninger on Twitter @DCPandC.