Sam Dekker, a veteran of 11 professional seasons that spanned the NBA and several overseas leagues, has been appointed assistant coach under head coach Lamont Paris at the University of South Carolina.
The move brings a wealth of experience to the Gamecocks program, where Dekker will concentrate on on‑court player development, drawing on his own trajectory from a two‑time All‑Big Ten honoree at Wisconsin to a champion in the Russian Premier League with PBC Lokomotiv Kuban.
A Global Perspective on Player Development
Dekker’s hiring follows a storied collegiate partnership with Paris that helped the Badgers to back‑to‑back Final Four appearances in 2014 and 2015, a period in which the duo compiled a 91‑24 record and contested the national title game.
Having forfeited his remaining college eligibility after his junior year to enter the 2015 NBA Draft, Dekker went on to appear in 201 NBA games for five franchises, averaging 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds before carving out a successful stint with the London Lions, where he led the team to the BBL Championship in 2022‑23.
Beyond the hardwood, Dekker is a family man, married to Olivia since 2018, and a father of two sons, Harlan and Christian, who will now be part of the Gamecocks community.
His international résumé includes professional stops in Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Spain, where he was recognized as a two‑time All‑Big Ten selection and earned the 2015 NCAA West Regional Most Outstanding Player award after a 27‑point performance in the Elite Eight.
The Gamecocks’ administration sees Dekker’s blend of NBA experience, overseas success and developmental insight as a perfect fit for Paris’s vision of elevating the program’s talent pipeline.