Tre’ Kelley keeps his promises. The former South Carolina basketball standout (2004-2007) left campus to pursue professional basketball before he completed his degree, but he had promised others he would complete his schoolwork later. Now he has earned his degree.
“It was a promise I made to Coach (Dave) Odom, and a promise I made to my family to come back and get my degree,” said Kelley, who earned first team All-SEC honors as a senior in 2007. He scored nearly 1,500 points in his career and tallied the third most assists in program history (510) before playing professionally overseas and in the NBA Developmental League before hanging up the high tops in 2020. “When I first came here, my focus was a little different. I came here to play the game of basketball and try to help get my family out of the situation we were in by playing professional basketball. So, that was more of a priority. Where I’m from, there are only certain ways to get out of that situation and professional sports was one of them. At least that was the mindset.
“Now that mindset has changed because I want to coach college basketball, and you need your degree.
“My message to those who are in the same situation is to come back and do it. It’s worth it.”
Tre’ Kelley .
