Eddie Oliver is a South Carolina native, born and raised in the historic port city of Georgetown. His thirty-two year Athletic Director career included twenty seven years in the City and County of Georgetown and five years in North Myrtle Beach. He is now retired and doing his basketball hobby full time. In Georgetown, teams in his program won more than thirty State Championships in all sports except Soccer. Twenty six of those teams moved on to World Series play. In addition to state titles, his teams won more than one hundred District Championships.
Before leaving North Myrtle Beach, his teams won nine Soccer State Titles and his baseball/softball programs had eight District Champions and Runners-up in less than five years. These are feats that had never been accomplished before his arrival. Eddie has always given the volunteer coaches and the young people all the credit for success. "I do think leadership is the key to anything good and I have also always believed that teams who look good and play well together have an advantage" said Oliver. "If people think I did a good job and the youngsters had fun, then that's satisfaction enough for me"!
Eddie has always been heavily involved in athletics, but says that his faith in God is the most important thing in his life. "I'm far from being a perfect person but I do realize that I have been blessed far beyond what I deserve. I think it's important that I share the faith I have with others and I want in some way to be worthy of all the blessings I have been given. Nothing I have or have accomplished would have ever been possible without forgiveness and God in my life leading the way" says Oliver. "I am extremely disappointed about some of the negative things and falsehoods said about me by people who I once trusted. It's seems the more you do the more you become a target and that is very unfortunate".
His efforts in behalf of youth athletics and recreation activities have affected youngsters and programs in a very positive way, from one end of the Grand Strand to the other and around the state and nation as well. Even though the teams under his direction have had enormous success, Oliver believes that youngsters having fun and participating is far more important than wins and losses. "I coached a championship teams and have been associated with many others and I do think my leadership and involvement with them has been very positive" says Oliver.
"Winning seems to follow Eddie around. I think the primiary reason for that is his organizational skills, leadership qualities and his ability to put things in proper order and perspective as far as priorities are concerned", said former Assistant Athletic Director Randy Walker. "The programs always get better after Eddie takes over so he must be doing something right" said former coach W.L. Coker.
Eddie was a member of the Dixie Youth Baseball National Board of Directors for twelve years and has also been an important part of several baseball tournaments including the North-South Classic, Palmetto Youth Baseball and the ongoing Hawaiian Tropic Classic. He was also an original member of the local North-South Football Game Committee. He has been honored as an official Kentucky Colonel, the top award from the State of Kentucky for his efforts in behalf of teams in the Bluegrass state. He was also honored as the Best Tournament Director in the Country, by the Reidel Roundball Report in 1992. He is a member of the prestigious McDonald's All American Advisory Committee. Rick Darnell from Illinois says "Eddie is the greatest high school basketball ambassador in the country".
Eddie and his lovely wife Nancy Carole have four grown children, Eddie, Kim, Jeff and Lauren and three Grandchildren Tyler, Trevor and Cole. Nancy is originally from Greenwood in upperstate South Carolina and Eddie has no reservations in saying that his wife is the best thing that has ever happened to him. "She is the love of my life and the wind beneath my wings" says Oliver. "Nancy Carole is a classy, intelligent woman who helps me in more ways than people can imagine. She's also a great cook, but when things don't go exactly right, she can also resemble a marine drill sergeant". As the old saying goes, "When Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" but I wouldn't trade her for all the gold in Fort Knox"! Nancy is a teacher at Waccamaw High School in Pawleys Island. The Oliver's live in the Surfside Beach area just south of the beautiful resort city of Myrtle Beach.
Eddie was Executive Director of the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach for more than ten years. During that time the teams and players he recruited for the event brought the tournament from an average event to the best in the nation at the time. The tournaments under his direction were rated the best in the country from 1987 through 1996. He organized and started the Tournament Ambassadors program which has continued to be one of the events most popular assets with visiting teams. "Eddie didn't start the tournament, but he is certainly the one most responsible for bringing the tournament to the national stage with the great teams and players he was able to bring in" said one coach who helped inagurate the event in 1981. Over the last eight years Oliver was with the event he had the National Player of the Year named by at least one publication. He also had eight teams who were pre season number one and four teams who went on to win the mythical National Championship. No other event comes close to those statistics and the Beach Ball Classic has not had any Players of the Year, pre season top teams or National Champions since Oliver left or before he became Tournament Executive Director.
Eddie is no longer with the Beach Ball Classic, but because of the respect he gained during that time, he is still called on by tournaments and events all over the country for consultation and advice regarding teams and players. Jeff Hewitson of the Prime Time Shootout in New Jersey, Rosser Thrash of the Red Cross Rotary Roundball Classic in Charleston, South Carolina along with many other tournaments, say that Eddie was a key person in helping bring those events into the national spotlight.
Eddie's website, HoopsUSA.com, is an extention of his basketball efforts. His Consensus Boys High School Basketball Poll and the annual High School Basketball Tournaments and Events Report are rated the best of their kind in the country by coaches and basketball analysts.
COMMENTS ABOUT EDDIE OLIVER
"Eddie is one of the great basketball minds in the country"...Greg Newman - Delaware - “Eddie does a great job with his report. I recommend it highly“…Bob Gibbons, All Star Sports - “Eddie knows high school tournaments. He has always done a super job”…Tom Konchalski, HSBI - “Eddie is a dedicated, quality person who knows and loves basketball. I consider him a very dear friend…Jack Curran, Archbishop Molloy, NY - “Eddie knows the game, does a great job and is a super individual”…Morgan Wooten - DeMatha, MD - “Eddie Oliver's HoopsUSA Tournaments and Events Report is a basketball jewel”...Michael Kruse, Prep Stars - “We owe much of our success to Eddie Oliver”...Jeff Hewitson - Prime Time Shootout - Trenton, NJ - “This is one of the best reports of its kind that I’ve seen in twenty years in the coaching business”….Assistant College Basketball Coach - “Eddie Oliver’s Tournament and Events Report is the premier source of national tournament information and previews nicely all the major events” ...Dinos Trigonis - Full Court Press, California - “Nobody knows more about holiday high school basketball tournaments than Eddie Oliver. His report is the best of it’s kind in the country and well worth having” ...Clark Francis - Hoop Scoop, Louisville, Kentucky - “The tournament information in the HOOPSUSA Report is amazing. No one does this kind of report better than Eddie Oliver” ...Gregg Swain - Midwest Basketball Report, Oklahoma - “It is the most extensive High School Tournament Report in the country”...Jerry Shenk - Middle Atlantic Sports - “Events who don’t have the HOOPSUSA Report are falling behind”…Donnie Wilkie - City of Palms Classic, Florida - “I highly recommend Eddie Oliver’s Tournament and Events Report. It is the most informative and comprehensive source of it’s kind in the country”…Dave Telep - Scout.com, North Carolina - “The HoopsUSA Report is worth ten times what we paid for it”…Steve Keller – HoopGroup, New Jersey - “Honestly, there is just not a tournament report better than this…Rick Bolus – Blue Chip Camps, Kentucky - Eddie is high school basketballs greatest ambassador….Rick Darnell, Illinois.
The teams and players Oliver recruited for tournaments make up a virtual "who’s who" of top high school basketball talent. Four of the teams he brought in won the Mythical National High School Basketball Championship and an unbelievable seven players in a row won National Player of the Year honors. Here is a list of many of players that participated in the events that Oliver was on charge of:
PRESENT NBA PLAYERS: (May not be updated)
Malik Allen - Shawnee (NJ) Miami Heat
Ray Allen - Hillcrest (SC) Seattle SuperSonics
Kenny Anderson - Archbishop Molloy (NY) SIndiana Pacers
Mike Bibby - Shadow Mountain (AZ) Sacramento Kings
Mike Bradley - Burncoat (MA) Atlanta Hawks
Kobe Bryant - Lower Merion (PA) Los Angeles Lakers
Vince Carter - Mainland (FL) New York Nets
Jason Collier - Springfield (OH) Atlanta Hawks
Baron Davis - Crossroads (CA) Golden State Warriors
Danny Ferry - DeMatha (MD) San Antonio Spurs
Joe Forte - DeMatha (MD) Seattle SuperSonics
Kevin Garnett - Mauldin (SC) Minnesota Timberwolves
Al Harrington - St. Patrick (NJ) Indiana Pacers
Brendon Haywood - Dudley (NC) - Washington Wizards
Grant Hill - South Lakes (VA) Orlando Magic
Jimmy Jackson - Macomber-Whitney (OH) Houston Rockets
Antwan Jamison - Providence (NC) DWashington Wizards
Jason Kidd - St. Joseph Notre Dame (CA) New Jersey Nets
Trajon Langdon - Anchorage East (AK) Cleveland Cavaliers
Felipe Lopez - Rice (NY) Washington Wizards
Don MacLean - Simi Valley (CA) - Miami Heat
Jermaine O’Neal - Eau Claire (SC) Indiana Pacers
Cherokee Parks - Marina (CA) Los Angeles Clippers
Scot Pollard - Kamiakin (WA) Cleveland Cavaliers
Melvin Simon - Shaw (LA)
Tim Thomas - Paterson Catholic (NJ) Los Angeles Clippers
Rasheed Wallace - Simon Gratz (PA) Detroit Pistons
Former NBA players:
Keith Booth - Dunbar (MD)
Vonteego Cummings - Thomson (GA) Golden State Warriors
Tremaine Fowlkes - Crenshaw (CA)
Charles O’Bannon - Artesia (CA)
Stanley Roberts - Lower Richland (SC)
Dontonio Wingfield - Westover (GA)
CONTINENTAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE
Toby Bailey - Loyola (CA) Phoenix Suns (1995 NCAA Champs)
Nicky Davis - Richland Northeast (SC) Sioux Falls Skyforce
Darrin Hancock - Griffin (GA) Fort Fayne Fury
Kris Johnson - Crenshaw (CA) Quad City Thunder
B.J. McKie - Irmo (SC) Connecticut Pride
EUROPEAN PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES (Not updated)
Jo Jo English - Lower Richland (SC) Turkey
Steve Hood - DeMatha (MD) Israel
Jason Hoover - Archbishop Molloy (NY) Switzerland
Ted Jefferies - DeMatha (MD) Germany
Michael Lloyd - Dunbar (MD) Israel
Kirk Luchman - Shawnee (NJ) Germany
Tony Miller - Villa Angela St. Joseph (OH) Holland
Jerrod Mustaf - DeMatha (MD) Spain
Greg Newton - Niagara Falls (CN) Belgium
Darnell Robinson - Emery (CA) Israel ('94 NCAA Champs)
Duane Simpkins - DeMatha (MD) France
Everick Sullivan - Hillcrest (SC) Cyprus
Steven Thompson - Crenshaw (CA) Israel
Several of the present College stars, who played on teams recruited by Oliver, may be destined for the NBA as well including: Keith Bogans (Kentucky), Lamont Barnes (Temple), Ivan Howell (South Carolina), Tony Kitchings (South Carolina), Kris Lang (North Carolina), J.R. Van Hoose (Marshall), Isiah Victor (Tennessee) and many others.
OLIVER'S TOP RATED PLAYERS BY AT LEAST ONE PUBLICATION
1988-89 - Kenny Anderson - Archbishop Molloy (NY) Ga. Tech & NBA
(USA TODAY - NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR)
Jimmy Jackson - Macomber-Whitney (OH) Ohio State & NBA
1989-90 - Grant Hill - South Lakes (VA) Duke ('91 & '92 NCAA Champs) - NBA
1990-91 - Cherokee Parks - Marina (CA) Duke ( '92 NCAA Champs) & NBA
1991-92 - Jason Kidd - St. Joseph Notre Dame (CA) California & NBA
(USA TODAY - NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR)
1992-93 - Rasheed Wallace - Simon Gratz (PA) UNC - NBA
(USA TODAY - NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR)
1993-94 - Felipe Lopez - Rice (NY) St. John's - NBA
(USA TODAY - NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR)
1994-95 - Kevin Garnett - Mauldin (SC) NBA
(USA TODAY - NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR)
1995-96 - Kobe Bryant - Lower Merion (PA) NBA
(USA TODAY - NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR)
1996-97 - Baron Davis - Crossroads (CA UCLA - NBA
(GATORADE - NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR)
Chris Burgess - Woodbridge (CA) Duke - Utah
1997-98 - Al Harrington - St. Patrick (NJ) NBA
(USA TODAY - NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR)
OLIVER'S TOP RATED TEAMS BY AT LEAST ONE MEDIA SOURCE
1984-85 - DeMatha High School - Hyattsville, Maryland
1985-86 - Crenshaw High School - Los Angeles, California
1988-89 - Archbishop Molloy - New York City, New York
1990-91 - Simon Gratz High School - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(NATIONAL CHAMPIONS - NPP-AP - ESPN)
1991-92 - Dunbar High School - Baltimore, Maryland
(NATIONAL CHAMPIONS - USA TODAY - AP - ESPN)
1992-93 - Simon Gratz High School - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(NATIONAL CHAMPIONS - USA TODAY - AP - ESPN)
1993-94 - Crenshaw High School - Los Angeles, California
Rice High School - New York City, New York
1994-95 - Shawnee High School - Medford, New Jersey
(NATIONAL CHAMPIONS - HS BASKETBALL REPORT)
* Ten Times (1987-1996), With Teams And Players Recruited By Eddie Oliver, Beach Ball Events Were Rated The Nation's Best High School Holiday Basketball Tournaments.
OTHER OUTSTANDING PLAYERS RECRUITED
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (Some May Have Changed)
Lamont Barnes - University Heights (KY) Temple
Joey Beard - South Lakes (VA) Boston University (G)
Keith Bogans - DeMatha (MD) Kentucky
Geoff Billett - Christian Brothers (NJ) Rutgers
Dante Bright - Dunbar (MD) Massachusetts (G)
Marion Busby - Eau Claire (SC) College of Charleston (G)
Sam Clancy - St. Edward (OH) Southern California
Charlton Clarke - St. Raymond (NY) Massachusetts
Herbert Lee Davis - Georgetown (SC) South Carolina (G)
Thaddeus Delaney - Eau Claire (SC) College of Charleston (G)
Dana Dingle - St. Raymond's (NY) Massachusetts (G)
Taymon Domzalski - New Mexico Military (NM) Duke (G)
Brian Earl - Shawnee (NJ) Princeton (G)
Danny Earl - Shawnee (NJ) Penn State (G)
Lester Earl - Glen Oaks (LA) Kansas
Bobby Joe Evans - McKinney (TX) Oklahoma
Joe Forte (Sr) - DeMatha (MD) North Carolina
Lamarr Greer - Middle Township (NJ) Florida State (G)
Eric Harris - St. Raymond's (NY) Minnesota (G)
Shaheen Holloway - St. Patrick (NJ) Seton Hall
Ivan Howell - Lower Richland (SC) South Carolina
Leonard Johnson - Eau Claire (SC) South Carolina (G)
Jarrett Kearse - Simon Gratz (PA) West Virginia
Tony Kitchings - South Aiken (SC) South Carolina
Kris Lang - Hunter Huss (NC) North Carolina
Pete Lisicky - Whitehall (PA) Penn State
Brian Lynch - Christian Brothers (NJ) Villanova (G)
Brett Nelson (Jr) - St. Albans (WV) Florida
Marvin O'Connor - Simon Gratz (PA) Villanova
John Pelphrey - Paintsville (KY) Kentucky (Head Coach - South Alabama)
Kareem Reid - St. Raymond (NY) Arkansas (G)
Edward Scott (Jr) - Lower Richland (SC) Clemson
Shawn Smith - Simon Gratz (PA) LaSalle (G)
Winston Smith - St. Patrick (NJ) Massachusetts (G)
Lynard Stewart - Simon Gratz (PA) Temple (G)
Terrell Stokes - Simon Gratz (PA) Maryland (G)
Harold Swanagan - University Heights (KY) Notre Dame
Todd Tackett - Paintsville (KY) Kentucky
J.R. Van Hoose - Paintsville (KY) Marshall
Isiah Victor - University Heights (KY) Tennessee
Luke Walton - University (CA) Arizona
Jermaine Williams - South Garland (TX) Southern California
And the beat goes on!!
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