For 17 years, Wofford men’s basketball was the model for stable success under Coach Mike Young. Building his program on “3D”, standing for Dedication, Determination, & Discipline, Coach Young led the Terriers to become the premiere program in the Southern Conference for over a decade. Today, his coaching prodigé and former player Kevin Giltner has the keys to the program, but first let’s take a look back to the Terriers’ move to Division 1 back in 1995. Wofford became the smallest school in the NCAA’s top division at just over 1,400 students, playing basketball in Benjamin Johnson Arena. The Terriers’ first coach at the Division I level was Richard Johnson, who had spent the prior ten years coaching the men’s basketball program through their move from NAIA to Division 2. Johnson led the Terriers for seven more years as a D1 program until 2002, before moving on to be Wofford’s athletic director after almost two decades at the helm of the basketball program. Now AD Richard Johnson was as a result given the unique opportunity to hire his own replacement, and the man he chose for the job was none other than his top assistant, Coach Mike Young, who would guide the Terriers for many years to come and to unprecedented success.
Now, it is Coach Young’s top assistant who has his turn at the helm of the old gold & black in Kevin Giltner. A member of the 2010 & 2011 SoCon Championship teams as a player, Kevin returned to Wofford after his senior season in 2012 and began his career in coaching under Coach Young. Over the next 6 years, Coach Young & Coach Giltner would lead the Terriers to three more SoCon titles, culminating in the 2018-19 season where the Wofford finished 30-5 (18-0 in SoCon play) and #19 in the final AP Poll of the season. The 7-seeded Terriers recorded their first ever NCAA tournament win with an 84-68 drubbing of Big East runner-up Seton Hall before a second round loss in the final minute vs 2-seed Kentucky. Throughout Young’s tenure at Wofford there was a strong emphasis on both volume and efficiency behind-the-arc, as well as tenacious defense, something Kevin Giltner embodied as much as any player for Coach Young. The 2019 SoCon title team was led by legendary Terriers like Fletcher Magee, Cameron Jackson & Nathan Hoover, who also embodied what it means to be a Wofford Terrier. While averaging 20.3 points per game and shooting 41.9% from behind the arc at a clip of 11 attempts per game, Magee earned the Lou Henson Player of the Year award, given to the best mid-major player in the country. He also broke the NCAA record for most career three pointers with 509.
Unfortunately for Terrier fans, their legendary coach and his former player/assistant moved on the following year to Virginia Tech, where they won Virginia Tech’s first ever ACC championship in only their second season with the Hokies. In the meantime, Wofford found itself in a period of unfamiliar instability. After defeating arch rival Furman to capture the SoCon title in the spring of 2025, the Terriers finally seemed poised to reclaim their throne as the kings of the Southern Conference. Just 5 months later, after reloading in the transfer portal and recruiting the high school ranks, Wofford found itself with no coach or associate head coach only 6 weeks before the start of the 2025-26 season. After one coaching change in thirty-four years, Wofford saw their next two coaches come and go in just five. In comes Coach Mike Young’s top assistant and former Terrier’s star Kevin Giltner.
As the season fast approached, expectations were at rock bottom for the Terriers, as the SoCon coaches voted Wofford 9th out of 10 teams in the preseason. The old gold & black had not finished any lower than 7th in conference play in over 20 years, dating back to a completely different era of the SoCon. That said, the team had some foundational pieces that so many great Wofford teams in the past featured; elite talent at guard and a coach who knows how to win at Wofford. Kahmare Holmes and Nils Machowski were a great one two punch, averaging a combined 36.7 points per game. The Terriers also got consistent play from Cayden Vasko, in a point forward style role, leading the team in assists. Wofford managed to finish 2nd in league play with a record of 19-12, blowing preseason expectations out of the water and sending a signal to the rest of the league that under Giltner, the Terriers would once again be a force to be reckoned with.
While the team’s top three statistical performers from last year’s squad are gone, this year’s team seems to be flush with talent at guard yet again. Junior PG Luke Flynn and Sophomore SG Chace Watley return for the Terriers, providing experience and more importantly potent scoring ability to the Wofford backcourt. Watley looks primed to take the next step as the SoCon’s third leading returning scorer, while Flynn looks to build on his very strong freshman & sophomore seasons and is by far the most experienced returning Terrier on the team. Also back for the Terriers is Sophomore F Brian Sumpter, looking to build on a huge freshman campaign of his own. Sumpter is a versatile big man who thrives on the defensive side of the ball. In his freshman year, Sumpter finished with the fourth most blocks by a Terrier in a single season in program history, and time after time blew the roof off of Jerry Richardson Indoor Arena with high flying dunks. Also returning is athletic Junior F Cannon Richards, who is finally healthy and looking to burst on the scene for the Terriers.
Wofford was very active in both the portal and the high school ranks in the offseason. One key addition is Colorado State/Black Hills State transfer Cameron Lowe. The 6’6″ guard is expected to play an impactful role in the Terriers’ offense as he transfers having shot 40.4% from three in his career. He very much fits the mold of so many former Wofford stars who also could shoot the lights out from deep. Coach Giltner and staff brought in many players who fit into what became part of Wofford’s DNA going back to Young’s time in Spartanburg. Another big arrival for the Terriers is Evan Ramsey. Coming from UVA-Wise, Ramsey was one of the top centers in the transfer portal, and brings rare size to Wofford. Standing at 7’0″, Ramsey gives the Terriers a formidable post presence and rebounder, with the size to tower over almost every player in the SoCon.
Coach Giltner’s return has marked a return of the Wofford Way, which Coach Young, Giltner himself, and dozens of players helped to create. A culture of grit, effort, determination, and most of all, winning. Kevin’s passion for the Wofford basketball program has been on full display since he returned to Spartanburg, and the Wofford fanbase has reciprocated that passion. Last season, the Terriers enjoyed arguably their best home court advantage at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium since the historic 2019 season. With the fanbase behind them and expectations once again sky high, tomorrow night Wofford will kickoff the new season facing off against the greatest coach in Wofford history, Coach Mike Young with his Hokies of the ACC.
After a tumultuous stretch of seasons for the Terriers, it seems the old gold & black has once again found their identity. There’s no doubt that Coach Giltner has all the right ingredients to be the next great Wofford coach.