South Carolina hiring NBA exec
South Carolina has hired David Duquette from the Charlotte Hornets in an executive capacity to advise on a variety of men’s basketball topics, GamecockCentral.com has learned.
For the past 14 years, Duquette has worked in various roles for the NBA franchise, most recently serving as the team’s Senior Director of Salary Cap Strategy.
Among other roles that Duquette has taken on in Charlotte: Basketball Operations Assistant, Director of Basketball Affairs, Director of Basketball Strategy/Team Counsel, and Assistant General Manager.
The expected hire is the latest in a string of offseason moves for Lamont Paris’ program after the administration’s decision to bring him back for a fifth season in Columbia.
Two assistant coaches – Eddie Shannon and Will Bailey – departed this offseason, while Bob Donewald Jr. was hired this spring to take one of those roles.
GamecockCentral.com previously reported that a consultant – Jake Rosenberg of The Athlete Group – has been contracted to provide outside help.
The program has also received a significant uptick in financial support to build the roster this transfer portal cycle.
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Duquette’s hire fills a role that was another expected cog in giving more resources to Paris for the 2026-27 season.
“Our goal is to build a men’s basketball program at South Carolina that is consistently competitive in the SEC and nationally. To reach our goals, it will require an increased level of investment across the program that matches these expectations,” Donati said in a statement released back in March.
Duquette began his career as an unpaid intern with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2009 while a first-year law student at Suffolk. He was hired by the organization as a basketball operations assistant after passing the bar exam, then took on his first role with the Hornets in 2011.
In the course of his various positions with the Hornets, Duquette has worked on player contracts, as a liaison to the NBA league office, background research and scouting of pro and college players, and establishing the Greensboro Swarm (the Hornets’ minor league team), according to a profile from Suffolk University.