George Felton (born December 28, 1952) is a former American

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

coach. He was the head coach of the

South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gamecocks won Southern Conference titles in 1927, 1933, 1934, and 1945, and then they gained nati ...

team from 1986 to 1991. Felton has also served as a scout for the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

and

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). Felton was born in

the Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County to its north; to its south and west, the New York City bo ...

, and attended

All Hallows High School All Hallows High School (formerly known as the All Hallows Institute) is a Catholic co-ed high school in the South Bronx, New York, United States. Located at 111 East 164th Street, near Yankee Stadium, the school has an enrollment of approximate ...

. He played

for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...

. Felton started his coaching career as an assistant coach under

Bobby Cremins Robert Joseph Cremins Jr. (born July 4, 1947) is an American retired college basketball coach. He served as a head coach at Appalachian State, Georgia Tech, and the College of Charleston. Early years Cremins attended All Hallows High School i ...

with the

Appalachian State Mountaineers The Appalachian State Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, United States. The Mountaineers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and were ...

from 1976 to 1981. He followed Cremins to the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The teams have also been nicknamed the ...

in 1981 and was appointed as associate head coach. Felton was hired by his alma mater to become the head coach of the Gamecocks in 1986. He led the team to a 87–62 record for five seasons until he was fired in May 1991 with one year remaining on his contract. Felton rejoined Cremins at Georgia Tech as an unpaid assistant for the 1991–92 season because of his buyout at South Carolina. He became a full-time assistant in 1992 when he joined head coach Brian Mahoney with the

St. John's Red Storm The St. John's Red Storm is the nickname used for the 17 varsity athletic programs of St. John's University, in the U.S. state of New York. St. John's 17 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fencin ...

for three seasons. Felton was hired as an assistant for the

Oregon State Beavers The Oregon State Beavers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Division I ...

in 1995 where he served under

Eddie Payne Edward G. Payne (July 10, 1951 – July 7, 2021) was an American college basketball coach and the head men's basketball coach at the University of South Carolina Upstate. Payne led the USC Upstate Spartans through their first season of Division ...

, his former Gamecocks assistant coach. He joined the staff of another former assistant,

Tubby Smith Orlando Henry "Tubby" Smith (born June 30, 1951) is an American college basketball coach who last coached the men's basketball team at High Point University, his alma mater. Smith previously served in the same role at the University of Tulsa, t ...

, with the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...

in 1997 and won a

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

with the team in 1998. Felton left the collegiate coaching ranks in 2001 to join the Indiana Pacers as a scout. He was hired by the San Antonio Spurs as the director of college player personnel in 2006.

References

1952 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Appalachian State Mountaineers men's basketball coaches East Carolina Pirates men's basketball coaches Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball coaches Indiana Pacers scouts Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball coaches North Carolina A&T Aggies men's basketball coaches South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball coaches South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball players 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-basketball-coach-stub