By Thomas Grant Jr.
The basketball sidelines at Brookland-Cayce high school has an entire new look from a leadership standpoint.
On Monday, the school announced its new head coaches for next season. In Larry Davis for the boys and Terrance Gibson for the girls, Brookland-Cayce has hired longtime veterans with local ties who have proven themselves at other schools.
An All-State guard at Denmark-Olar who won a national championship at North Carolina and was part of an SEC regular-season champion at the University of South Carolina, Davis is coming off a 3-year stint at Division III Mars Hill College in North Carolina.
He previously coached high school at Lewisville, which won a Class A title in 2013, Northwestern and York Prep, which finished state runner-up in Class 2A in 2022 to new region rival Gray Collegiate.
“A great opportunity to be back in South Carolina,” Davis said. “To be back in South Carolina again, close to home, family, and friends. Excited to be here. This is where I started my prep career and now end it with my coaching career.”
Davis replaces Robert Wells, who left after nine seasons to take a similar position at Lexington. Wells also brought over the formerly Cayce Roundball Classic which Davis hopes to revive in Cayce.
While Davis looks to continue the success of the boys’ program, Gibson finds himself looking to build a winning foundation. The Lady Bearcats have not posted a winning season since 2018 and are coming off a 0-14 showing in region play under former head coach Jamaal Brown.
Over at Ridge View, Gibson posted 259 victories in 20-plus seasons. This past season, he led the Lady Blazers in the third round of the Class 5A Division l Lower State semifinal where they lost in controversial fashion in three overtimes to Ashley Ridge.
Following the game, the Lady Swamp Foxes were disqualified for using an ineligible player. Despite the ruling, the Executive Committee of the S.C. High School League voted down a request for Ridge View to replace Ashley Ridge in the Lower State final.
Putting the past behind, Gibson is anxious to make a new start.
“When I first got to Ridge View, it was almost like building from scratch,” Gibson said. “But the main thing was they had success. They’ve been to the playoffs before and they’ve been to the playoffs. This program has not. So it’s exciting to see what I can do and see if citing my beliefs are I can work on this level.”
Gibson hopes his name recognition and family ties within the Cayce community will encourage aspiring players to compete at a high level. He also wants a commitment to hard work in the classroom, weight room and ultimately the hardwood.
(Photo by Thomas Grant Jr.) – New Brookland-Cayce head coaches Larry Davis and Terrance Gibson.
