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Quinton Ferrell ’07 returns as head coach of the men’s basketball team

Quinton Ferrell’s earliest memories of basketball were family affairs — mostly cousins dribbling, shooting, passing, defending, and rebounding in the dust of a dirt court at his grandparents’ house. He very likely bounced his first ball there while he watched. And learned.

“That’s where my love of the game started,” said Ferrell ’07, his alma mater’s first-year head basketball coach. “When I was younger, it seemed easy at times, but I always worked hard to get better. There are so many levels you can master to be a really good player — so many things to be good at. With just a ball, you can get better.”

The child who watched grew steadily into a player. A good one. Good enough to play college basketball and smart enough to land at a good school. From the day he first walked onto the PC campus, the North Augusta native knew he’d found the right fit.

“Getting to know the coaches and the players, I immediately felt the brotherhood of the team,” Ferrell said. “I liked the family feel and the genuine care they had for one another. And because I excelled academically, I knew I would do well here. … I liked the size of PC; I could just concentrate on school and basketball.”

Ferrell did much more than watch from the sidelines at PC. The three-year starter at point guard played on the 2005-06 Blue Hose team that advanced to the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional Semifinals and ended his career as the captain of another 20-win season while leading the team in assists and steals two years running.

In 2007, he graduated with a degree in accounting and a reputation as one of the best defensive players ever to play for former head coach Gregg Nibert. As he did in the classroom, Ferrell excelled at learning more about the game and how to lead others on and off the court.

“Coach Nibert was an old-school coach, which was great for me because I was a good fit in that environment,” he said. “He was very demanding, but I knew he was preparing us for life. I also saw Coach Nibert as a great family man and as a great example of a husband and father. … So many of the things he taught us were bigger than basketball. Being unselfish. Giving maximum effort. Being disciplined. Never letting someone outwork you.”

After five years working as an assistant to Nibert, Ferrell served as an assistant at Army, the Citadel, and the College of Charleston, where he recruited several of the players critical to the Cougars’ successful bids to play in the NCAA Tournament and the National Invitational Tournament, respectively.

Now, after years prowling the sidelines as an assistant coach — watching and learning from other head coaches and programs — Ferrell has taken the reins at his beloved alma mater to teach and guide the next generation of Blue Hose.

“Most of all, we’re about building great relationships,” he said. “I’ve always had great coaches who had a major impact on me. Now, I hope to have an impact on them and be a mentor — not just on the court but in their lives.”

As an established recruiter, Ferrell said he hopes to find student-athletes who fit PC as well as he did — ones who are eager to work hard in the gym and in the classroom.

The hard work begins and ends, however, with the coach himself.

“I take pride in being organized and I bring a strong work ethic that I was taught from an early age,” he said. “I also believe that the effort is worth it — adversity and hard work shape your character. I don’t necessarily believe I chose to go into coaching so much as coaching chose me. In a way, my entire life has prepared me to be a coach.”

Now that journey — with all its lessons — brings Ferrell back to Clinton to prowl the sidelines in Templeton Athletic Center. It also brings a great deal of excitement as he builds a program in his image and teaches a new generation of players how to win on the court and off.

“I’m excited about building a program that will stand the test of time,” he said.

One that Blue Hose faithful will enjoy watching.