2017–18 USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball team

The 2017–18 USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina Upstate during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by first-year head coach Kyle Perry, played their home games at the G. B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Perry was initially named interim coach upon head coach Eddie Payne's retirement on October 3, 2017 due to health concerns, but had the interim tag removed on October 20 and was named full-time head coach.[1][2] They finished the season 7–25, 2–12 in ASUN play to finish in last place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the ASUN Tournament to Florida Gulf Coast.

2017–18 USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball
ConferenceAtlantic Sun Conference
2017–18 record7–25 (2–12 ASUN)
Head coach
  • Kyle Perry (1st season)
Assistant coaches
  • Kente Hart
  • Jon Cremins
  • Josh Chavis
Home arenaG. B. Hodge Center
2017–18 Atlantic Sun men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Florida Gulf Coast12–2 .857  23–12  .657
Lipscomb †10–4 .714  23–10  .697
Jacksonville8–6 .571  15–18  .455
NJIT7–7 .500  14–16  .467
North Florida7–7 .500  14–19  .424
Kennesaw State6–8 .429  10–20  .333
Stetson4–10 .286  12–20  .375
USC Upstate2–12 .143  7–25  .219
† 2018 ASUN Tournament winner

After the season, USC Upstate fired Perry on March 1, less than five months after being named full time head coach of the Spartans.[3] On March 30, the school hired former Tulane head coach Dave Dickerson for the job.[4][5]

This season marked the final season for USC Upstate as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, as the school announced on November 15, 2017 that they will be moving to the Big South Conference for the 2018–19 season.[6][7][8]

Previous season

The Spartans finished the 2016–17 season 17–16, 7–7 in ASUN play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They lost in the Quarterfinals of the ASUN Tournament to Kennesaw State. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the First Round to Furman.

The season marked Eddie Payne's 15th and final season as head coach at USC Upstate as he announced his retirement on October 3, 2017.[9]

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Tim Hart5G6'3"175FreshmanPlano, TXLeft the team due to personal reasons
Josh Cuthbertson10F6'5"185SeniorNew Bern, NCGraduated
Philip Whittington15F6'9"215SophomoreColumbus, GATransferred to Kent State
Blake Edwards21G6'0"180SophomoreChapin, SCWalk-on; left the team due to personal reasons
Nick Kornieck25F6'7"205FreshmanHenderson, NVTransferred to Doane
Michael Buchanan44C7'0"285SeniorLas Vegas, NVGraduated

Incoming transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Patrick Welch15G6'1"185JuniorPembroke, NHJunior college transferred from South Georgia Technical College

2017 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Austin Nelson
SF		 Hendersonville, NC North Henderson High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Cory Kaplan
SF		 Melbourne, FL Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Yeskin Walker-Williams
SF		 Houston, TX Manvel High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Isaiah Anderson
C		 Richmond, VA John Marshall High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 260 lb (120 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Avery Diggs
C		 Brandon, FL Clearwater Academy International 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 260 lb (120 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2017-11-27.

    Roster
    2017–18 USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    F 0 Malik Moore 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)190 lb (86 kg) JrClyde A. Erwin HS Asheville, NC
    G 1 Mike Cunningham 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS JrDuVal HS Washington, D.C.
    G 2 Austin Nelson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)194 lb (88 kg) FrNorth Henderson HS Hendersonville, NC
    G 3 Jure Span 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)175 lb (79 kg) JrCombine Academy Litija, Slovenia
    F 4 Ramel Thompkins 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)202 lb (92 kg) SrVidalia Comprehensive HS Vidalia, GA
    C 5 Avery Diggs 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)260 lb (118 kg) FrSpoto HS Brandon, FL
    F 10 Cory Kaplan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrHoly Trinity Episcopal Academy Merritt Island, FL
    G 11 Deion Holmes 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)188 lb (85 kg) JrChesnee HS Chesnee, SC
    C 12 Isaiah Anderson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)260 lb (118 kg) FrJohn Marshall HS Chester, VA
    F 13 Carson Smith (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS SrNation Ford HS
    Brunswick CC    		 Fort Mill, SC
    G 15 Pat Welch 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)181 lb (82 kg) JrPembroke Academy
    South Georgia Tech    		 Prembroke, NH
    F 21 Lloyd Hemming (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)186 lb (84 kg) FrBrookland Cayce HS Cayce, SC
    F 22 Andrew Tate (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)188 lb (85 kg) FrSpartanburg Cayce HS Spartanburg, SC
    G 23 Thomas Booker 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)178 lb (81 kg) RS FrBowling Green HS Bowling Green, KY
    F 33 Jacob Schulte 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)237 lb (108 kg) RS JrNewport Central Catholic HS Newport, KY
    F 35 Yeskin Walker-Williams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrManvel HS Houston, TX
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results
    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 10, 2017*
    8:00 pm, BTN Plus    		 at No. 15 Minnesota L 77–92  0–1
    		 Williams Arena (10,836)
    Minneapolis, MN
    Nov 12, 2017*
    3:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Allen W 85–66  1–1
    		 G. B. Hodge Center (653)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Nov 14, 2017*
    7:00 pm, SECN+    		 at Georgia L 65–74  1–2
    		 Stegeman Coliseum (5,369)
    Athens, GA
    Nov 18, 2017*
    2:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Charleston Southern L 72–82  1–3
    		 G. B. Hodge Center (528)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Nov 20, 2017*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Paine W 79–59  2–3
    		 G. B. Hodge Center 
    Spartanburg, SC
    Nov 24, 2017*
    5:00 pm    		 vs. Bowling Green
    Creek Classic    		 L 74–83  2–4
    		 Gore Arena (1,083)
    Buies Creek, NC
    Nov 25, 2017*
    5:00 pm    		 vs. Abilene Christian
    Creek Classic    		 W 88–78  3–4
    		 Gore Arena (1,208)
    Buies Creek, NC
    Nov 26, 2017*
    4:00 pm    		 at Campbell
    Creek Classic    		 L 74–93  3–5
    		 Gore Arena (1,019)
    Buies Creek, NC
    Nov 29, 2017*
    7:00 pm    		 at UNC Asheville L 70–82  3–6
    		 Kimmel Arena (1,436)
    Asheville, NC
    Dec 2, 2017*
    3:00 pm    		 at Gardner–Webb L 66–87  3–7
    		 Paul Porter Arena (725)
    Boiling Springs, NC
    Dec 5, 2017*
    8:00 pm, ESPN3    		 at Kansas State L 49–86  3–8
    		 Bramlage Coliseum (6,911)
    Manhattan, KS
    Dec 9, 2017*
    3:00 pm    		 at Denver L 69–84  3–9
    		 Magness Arena (951)
    Denver, CO
    Dec 16, 2017*
    4:00 pm    		 at Jacksonville State L 61–77  3–10
    		 Pete Mathews Coliseum (1,222)
    Jacksonville, AL
    Dec 18, 2017*
    11:00 am, ESPN3    		 Coastal Georgia W 83–75  4–10
    		 G. B. Hodge Center (723)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Dec 20, 2017*
    9:00 pm, FS1    		 at No. 25 Creighton L 62–116  4–11
    		 CenturyLink Center (15,366)
    Omaha, NE
    Dec 30, 2017*
    2:00 pm, ESPN3    		 North Greenville W 80–59  5–11
    		 G. B. Hodge Center (366)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Jan 2, 2018*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 UMKC L 77–79  5–12
    		 G. B. Hodge Center (837)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Atlantic Sun Conference regular season
    Jan 6, 2018
    4:00 pm, ESPN3    		 at NJIT L 87–98  5–13
    (0–1)    		 Wellness and Events Center (618)
    Newark, NJ
    Jan 11, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 at Florida Gulf Coast L 58–75  5–14
    (0–2)    		 Alico Arena (3,633)
    Fort Myers, FL
    Jan 13, 2018
    4:00 pm, ESPN3    		 at Stetson L 69–87  5–15
    (0–3)    		 Edmunds Center (543)
    DeLand, FL
    Jan 18, 2018
    4:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Jacksonville W 91–85  6–15
    (1–3)    		 G. B. Hodge Center (833)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Jan 20, 2018
    4:00 pm, ESPN3    		 North Florida L 80–100  6–16
    (1–4)    		 G. B. Hodge Center (749)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Jan 24, 2018
    7:30 pm, ESPN3    		 at Lipscomb L 78–92  6–17
    (1–5)    		 Allen Arena (1,007)
    Nashville, TN
    Jan 27, 2018
    7:30 pm, ESPN3    		 Kennesaw State L 80–81  6–18
    (1–6)    		 G. B. Hodge Center (704)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Jan 29, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Lipscomb L 106–110 2OT 6–19
    (1–7)    		 G. B. Hodge Center (837)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Feb 3, 2018
    4:30 pm, ESPN3    		 at Kennesaw State L 69–93  6–20
    (1–8)    		 KSU Convocation Center (1,171)
    Kennesaw, GA
    Feb 8, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Stetson W 91–79  7–20
    (2–8)    		 G. B. Hodge Center (837)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Feb 10, 2018
    4:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Florida Gulf Coast L 71–88  7–21
    (2–9)    		 G. B. Hodge Center (833)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Feb 15, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 at North Florida L 100–109  7–22
    (2–10)    		 UNF Arena (1,606)
    Jacksonville, FL
    Feb 17, 2018
    4:00 pm, ESPN3    		 at Jacksonville L 70–82  7–23
    (2–11)    		 Swisher Gymnasium (889)
    Jacksonville, FL
    Feb 22, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 NJIT L 67–76  7–24
    (2–12)    		 G. B. Hodge Center (833)
    Spartanburg, SC
    Atlantic Sun Tournament
    Feb 26, 2018
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 (8) at (1) Florida Gulf Coast
    Quarterfinals    		 L 76–96  7–25
    		 Alico Arena (2,832)
    Fort Myers, FL

    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Eastern Time

    Source[10].

    References
    1. "USC Upstate's Eddie Payne to retire due to health reasons". Mid-Major Madness. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
    2. Shanesy, Todd (October 20, 2017). "Kyle Perry gets his shot to lead Spartans". GoUpstate.com. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
    3. Goodman, Jeff (March 1, 2018). "South Carolina Upstate fires AD Julio Freire, coach Kyle Perry". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
    4. Shanesy, Todd (March 30, 2018). "USC Upstate names new men's basketball coach". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
    5. "Dave Dickerson named USC Upstate men's basketball coach". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
    6. Shanesy, Todd (November 15, 2017). "USC Upstate moving to Big South Conference". GoUpstate.com. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
    7. "USC Upstate to join Big South Conference in 2018-19". Mid-Major Madness. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
    8. Sordelett, Damien. "Big South adds Hampton, USC Upstate to fold". NewsAdvance.com. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
    9. Shanesy, Todd (October 3, 2017). "USC Upstate's Eddie Payne retires, effective immediately". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Spartanburg, SC. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
    10. http://upstatespartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/2017-18/schedule
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