Columbia Star

1963        Celebrating 60 Years      2023

Wells pulls double duty while enjoying teams’ success





This Motel 6 on Knox Abbot Drive is the future location for the new Brookland-Cayce gym.

This Motel 6 on Knox Abbot Drive is the future location for the new Brookland-Cayce gym.

Brookland-Cayce basketball fans might have to be a little patient with the boys’ team should they get off to a slow start to the 2016-2017 season.

One reason is Robert Wells is having to pull double duty in the month of November and into December as both boys‘ basketball coach and wide receivers coach for the Bearcats’ football team. Along with preparing the basketball team for the season, Wells is helping the football team as it gets ready to face the Bluffton Bobcats Friday, December 2 in the quarterfinals of the 3A playoffs.

However, the story doesn’t end there for the basketball team. According to Wells, at least eight players expected to be a part of the roster are still playing football including Dominick Perry, Marquis McCoy, Mike Williams, Quinton Hook, and Rasheed Taylor.

It is an interesting position for the preseason No. 3 Class 3A team to be in. Currently, only three players are practicing on the hardwood with 12 junior varsity players; although, one of them is preseason Top 5 player Lloyd Hemming.

Brookland-Cayce’s Lloyd Hemming

Brookland-Cayce’s Lloyd Hemming

While Wells will have to transition his team from the gridiron to the hardwood, he believes having players from the football team on the basketball team can help.

“They will bring the football mindset, the physicality, the toughness, and the understanding of how to win,” Wells said. “I think that is the greatest thing I see in our football team. Once you learn how to win, it translates to the next sport.”

It is quite the position to be in for Wells, the former three sports star for Brookland-Cayce in the early 2000s. He has helped turn around a once woeful football program and now has the first playoff win in basketball in this decade on his resume. The Bearcats defeated Hanahan in the first round of the 2016 Class 3A playoffs.

While it presents a challenge for Wells, the success of the football team was something he anticipated back in the summer.

“I saw this summer our football team had a chance to be special,” Wells said. “Then I knew this team could go to the State Championship. I started planning my schedule based on what I thought our football team could do.”

To help his basketball squad, the first regular season game was not scheduled until December 9 when the Bearcats host the Airport Eagles. There are also two tournaments at the end of December, the Hoops Classic in Charleston and the Lowe’s Round Ball Classic in Chesnee, which follows a trip to Timberland to take on the top ranked team in 3A.

While the non-region portion of the schedule is often used by most teams to get players ready for region, it will be a little more important for the Bearcats who may need some time to complete their roster.

Wells did get the benefit of seeing his players on the hardwood over the summer. However, it will be different when the games count. In the preseason, Brookland-Cayce was ranked No. 3, which did not come as a complete surprise to Wells.

“The last four years we’ve been the team trying to knock off the ranked teams,“ Wells said. “This year we’re going to be the team everyone tries to knock off and prove we aren’t worthy of the number

3 ranking. It should be an exciting year.“

While the ranking can be exciting and present a challenge at the same time, the Bearcat coach believes it is up to his players to determine if Brookland Cayce is worthy of the high ranking.

“No one wins the state championship in the preseason ranking,” Wells said. “It’s a good feeling and a good motivation for our kids, but it also shows us where we have the potential to be. If we work hard and do the small things and follow the details, I think this team has a true chance to win a state championship.”

Brookland-Cayce has been predicted to win Region V-3A which includes Strom Thurmond, Swansea, Gilbert, Edisto, and Pelion.

For Wells and the basketball team, the excitement surrounding the program isn’t just about the 2016-2017 season, it’s also about the future.

Lexington District Two announced recently it purchased the Motel 6 on Knox Abbot Drive in order to build a new gym for Brookland-Cayce High School. To date, no timeline has been given as to when the gym will be completed.

“I have to thank our board members, our superintendent, our principal, our athletic director, and the Cayce/West Columbia community for coming together and doing what’s best for the kids,” Wells said.


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