Chapin, SC (WLTX) -- While the Gamecocks are making a great run through the NCAA Basketball Tournament, many former players are following their progress closely.
"It's unbelievable, the defense is incredible. I know the coach from Duke said they have never faced a defense like that. They have stepped it up a couple of notches since the end of the season," Art Whisnant.
Whisnant played for the Gamecocks from 1959-62. The games were then played at the Old Field House on Sumter Street. Whisnant was a three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference player. He earned a first-team selection in 1962.
He said, "We knocked off North Carolina my sophomore year when North Carolina was number one in the country. We held our own."
Now as a spectator, Whisnant has enjoyed watching the men and women's basketball teams go through the NCAA tournament.
"I'm excited. The excitement is through the whole state. It is incredible the way people are acting," said Whisnant.
Even though Whisnant is excited about his Gamecocks, he is also excited and proud of his grandson who will be playing on a big stage next week too.
He said, "My grandson Dustin Johnson will be in the Masters. I will be there every day." Johnson is currently the No. 1 golfer in the world and is favored to win the tournament, Johnson's brother Austin is his caddie.
Whisnant expects both Johnson and the Gamecocks to play well. He believes this run in the tournament will build an even brighter future for basketball for South Carolina.
According to Whisnant, "It is great for recruiting. Them going to the final four. The recruits are going to take notice of South Carolina now."
Whisnant was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame last year.
He became a Gamecock Hall of Famer in 2001. In three varsity seasons as a Gamecock, he scored over 1500 points and collected over 700 rebounds.