Former South Carolina male basketball player Brian Steele will return to the program, hired by the head coach Frank Martin as the team’s video coordinator. Steele had spent the past two seasons as a technical assistant at Queens University in Charlotte. Steele replaces Jay Gibbons, who has been the director of men’s basketball video services since the 2016-17 season.
South Carolina Athletic Communications and Public Relations
“Having Brian Steele back in our program will be a great opportunity for our players to be close to someone who has lived through the building of this program and it was a strong personality who created the basis for this program,” said Martin. “We will miss Jay Gibbons and everything he has brought to our team and wish him well, as he accepted the opportunity to be a coach in Atlanta. When he made the decision to leave, we could not have found a more committed person. than Brian. And when you add how much he’s grown in the past three years, he’ll be a great asset to our team. “
“I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to come home and compete for championships,” said Steele. “This program means a lot to me and being able to come back and be part of this team is special.”
Steele spent two of the most successful seasons in Queens University basketball history as a program assistant. In 2019-2020, the Royals recorded a 24-7 record, winning 10 of its 11 final games, and Queens finished in the top 25 in the two main national polls (NCAA D-II) for the fifth consecutive season. During the 2018-2019 campaign, Queens made 31-5, won the South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championship for five games and repeated as champion of the Southeast Region to advance to Elite Eight for the second consecutive season.
A three-year card winner for Gamecocks at hardwood (2012-15), Steele has been in action for 50 career games at Garnet and Black, with four games. After knee injuries marked his first three seasons on the court, Steele chose to serve as a student assistant coach during the 2015-16 campaign. He did the same during the historic 2016-17 season, which saw Carolina make it to the Final Four, and then became a graduate assistant manager the following year. He was a three-time member of the SEC’s Academic Honor Board and was appointed to the NABC Court of Honor during his career before graduating in sports and entertainment management in May 2016. During his preparatory career at Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, SC, Steele was an award winner in all states, regions and counties, and helped his team win a state championship during his junior season.