Carter alleges breach of contract
By BRIAN LINDER, T&D Sports Editor Friday, July 31, 2009Buddy Pough is not the only South Carolina State coach unhappy with dealings within the athletic department.
Thursday, The Times and Democrat confirmed that South Carolina State men’s basketball coach Tim Carter had a letter delivered Tuesday to S.C. State President George Cooper and the university’s general counsel, Edward Givens, claiming his contract was breached.
When reached via phone Thursday, Carter, who was on the road back to Orangeburg after spending some time recruiting, declined to comment on the matter. The author of Carter’s letter was his attorney, Joseph R. Lefft, who also presented Cooper and Givens with Pough’s letter claiming breach of contract less than a week ago.
According to Lefft, at the crux of Carter’s complaint is an agreement that was in place with the university to develop the Bulldog men’s basketball team into a mid-major contender. The plan included a guarantee that Carter would be able to comprise his own staff of three assistants and one director of basketball operations. According to Lefft, South Carolina State has reduced Carter’s staff by one assistant. He said it also included issues of funding.
“There was a long-term strategy,” Lefft said. “It was a plan to build the program into an elite mid-major. As it stands, they have not followed through on the plan and the program has not evolved.”
At the heart of the plan, according to Lefft, was a facilities outline for the team.
“Smith-Hammond-Middleton is used by PE, by students, for events and activities,” Lefft said. “Dukes Gym is 75 years old and the court is 84 feet so really there is only one court on campus. There’s just one place to play.
“Smith-Hammond-Middleton is over 40 years old,” Lefft added. “Look at some of the other institutions in the conference. Florida A&M just built an 11-million-dollar arena that is state of the art. If you look around the conference they are investing in basketball.”
Also, Lefft said there was a separate contract in place guaranteeing Carter an office upgrade. Currently, the coach’s office is located at Dukes Gym.
“We had that in writing in 2007,” Lefft said. “It’s August 2009.
“The guy is a highly successful coach,” he added. “We are just asking the university to live up to what it has committed to.”
Carter’s Bulldogs finished second in the MEAC with a 17-14 record last season. They closed out the season on an 11-3 run.
“The plan was to make them a mid-major power,” Lefft said. “The goal is to get into the NCAA Tournament and win a couple of games. That brings recognition to the university on a national basis and it allows for a broader pool of students to choose from. When you can get to the NCAA, the further you go, the more recognition and revenue you bring in.
“Here’s the thing,” he added. “People just have to follow the contract. The contract was negotiated for a reason. It was understood and approved by the president and the board. We are simply asking that they fulfill the contract.”
South Carolina State University President George Cooper was out of the office Thursday and could not be reached for comment.
T&D Sports Editor Brian Linder can be reached via e-mail at blinder@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5553. Follow him on twitter at twitter.com/TandDSports.
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2ndGenerationBulldog wrote on Aug 5, 2009 7:57 PM:
bravo14sc wrote on Aug 5, 2009 5:23 PM:
Bulldog87 wrote on Aug 2, 2009 2:21 PM:
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homegrown wrote on Aug 1, 2009 8:41 PM:
If SCSU had 85 scholarships not 63 and a 25 to 35 million dollar football budget like Clemson and USC, Yeah SCSU would beat their behinds every yr "
rthomp wrote on Aug 1, 2009 11:45 AM:
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What would we beat or dogs wrap our fish and line our bird cages with?
T&D should change their name to SCSU RAG. "
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