Shane Beamer wants no complacency from Gamecocks

Shane Beamer is a meticulous notetaker. He frequently reviews writings from staff meetings – even dating back to his very first college job under Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State – in search of something relevant to the here and now for his Gamecocks program.

A recent look back at this same week in April last year was unsettling for the third-year head coach.

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“Last year, we didn’t do a great job academically, didn’t do a great job keeping the locker rom clean. Last year maybe we took a breath and didn’t get better,” said Beamer during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Beamer’s first two teams in Columbia certainly surpassed preseason expectations. He wants his team to know that similar success in 2023 will not happen automatically.

So, he has challenged members of his program to finish the spring in a strong fashion

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“That’s what I talked to the team about after practice. The human nature is, OK, we’re 10 practices down, next week’s the last week of spring break, we’ve got Easter weekend coming up, human nature is to go, alright, we’re good and just kind of coast,” he explained. “That’s what I’m looking for is how we continue to get better: players, coaches, all of us, every single person in this building.”

Fond of reminding everyone from his team to fans that his program has not “arrived” despite some early victories, Beamer’s likewise reminding everyone that the spring is not over.

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“There better not be any complacency after ten practices with one week of spring practice left. We have a lot of work to do,” he said. “That’s what I want to see, how we continue to progress and get better, and then, also, some of these older guys, do they continue to take a step and improve, or do they get caught by some of these young guys?”

One of the South Carolina program’s core values is “compete”, another mantra that’s been consistently driven home as spring approaches its end.

Said Beamer: “There are no jobs that are given here right now. You earn and compete for everything. If anybody’s getting complacent and think they’ve got a job locked up, they’re going to be shocked here pretty quickly. I want to see these young guys continue to come along and push these older guys.”

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