George Felton (born December 28, 1952)
Teams coached: South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina record: 87-62 (.584)
Overall record: 87-62 (.584)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (1989)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (1991)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
2000-2001 | Kentucky (assoc. HC) |
1997-2000 | Kentucky (asst) |
1995-1997 | Oregon State (asst) |
1992-1995 | St. John’s (asst) |
1991-1992 | Georgia Tech (asst) |
1986-1991 | South Carolina |
1981-1986 | Georgia Tech (assoc. HC) |
1976-1981 | Appalachian State (asst) |
George Felton Facts
- George Felton
- Born December 28, 1952
- Hometown: Bronx, New York
- Alma Mater: University of South Carolina (BA, 1975) / Appalachian State (MA)
- A native of the Bronx, New York, Felton played basketball at All Hallows HS (NY)
- Went down South to play for fellow-New Yorker Frank McGuire and the South Carolina Gamecocks
- After graduating from USC, Felton became an assistant coach at Appalachian State under Bobby Cremins
- Spent five years at App State then followed Cremins to Georgia Tech, becoming his associate head coach
- In 1986, Felton was hired by his alma mater to become the head basketball coach at just 33 years old
- Led the Gamecocks for five seasons, going 87-62 and reaching the postseason twice: the 1989 NCAA and 1991 NIT
- Finished .500 or better every season and in the two postseason years had the program ranked in the AP Top 20
- Abruptly fired in May 1991 with one year remaining on his contract; two months later was arrested for DUI
- Rejoined Cremins at Georgia Tech, spending the 1991-92 season as an unpaid assistant due to his buyout from USC
- Became a full-time assistant coach again in 1992, spending the next three years on Brian Mahoney‘s staff at St. John’s
- Next was a two-year stint on Eddie Payne‘s staff at Oregon State; Payne was a former assistant of Felton at USC
- Joined the staff of another former assistant, Tubby Smith, at Kentucky in 1997 and coached with the Wildcats for four seasons
- In the first year, Smith’s first as head coach, the Wildcats won the 1998 NCAA National Championship
- Left Kentucky after the 2000-01 season to go to the NBA, worked as a scout with the Indiana Pacers
- Hired in 2006 as Director of College Player Personnel for the San Antonio Spurs
- Worked with the Spurs for many years, earning NBA Championship rings in both 2007 and 2014
George Felton Coaching Tree
- Joe Dooley (East Carolina, Florida Gulf Coast)
- Brian Ellerbe (Michigan, Loyola MD)
- Eddie Payne (USC Upstate, Greensboro, Oregon State, East Carolina)
- Tubby Smith (High Point, Memphis, Texas Tech, Minnesota, Kentucky, Georgia, Tulsa)