Hepp takes over as director of operations
L.J. Hepp stood by the door, wearing a South Carolina golf shirt with the Block C logo above his heart. If that wasn't enough, his new boss, Gamecocks basketball coach Darrin Horn, introduced him to the room with a welcome/directive.
"(He) graduated from that other school that sounds like us," Horn said. "The not-real Carolina."
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Ouch.
But OK.
"There are some people that I'm very close to that are very close to him," Hepp said. "They love him. They said, 'Get involved with him, that would be awesome.' When the opportunity came, it was great."
Hepp was hired last week as the Gamecocks' director of basketball operations, replacing Robert Knotts. The 30-year-old North Carolina graduate served on the basketball staffs at UNC, Stanford and Tulsa before returning to his hometown to coach high school basketball.
After three years at Raleigh's Panther Creek (N.C.) High, Hepp got a call from Horn asking if he'd be interested in coming back to the college game, even if it was a different Carolina than he was used to.
"Literally, I was teaching one day and the next day I was down here in the office," Hepp said.
Born in Pennsylvania but raised in Raleigh, Hepp played JV basketball at UNC until he began helping coach the team during his senior year. Then-coach Matt Doherty, impressed with Hepp's work ethic, offered him a graduate assistant job and Hepp stayed with the Tar Heels for two years while he earned his master's in sport administration.
He heard of a similar job, but on the other side of the country. Then-Stanford coach Mike Montgomery was looking for a video coordinator and after meeting with Hepp at the Final Four, hired him. Hepp left his home and traveled to the other coast.
"I packed everything I could in my car and went," he said.
After a year under Montgomery, coach Trent Johnson was hired. Johnson not only retained Hepp but promoted him to assistant coach.
After that season, Hepp wanted to get back closer to home and got another opportunity. Panther Creek was in the process of being built and needed a coach. Hepp's familiarity with the area -- it's 15 minutes from where he grew up -- and the Panther Creek principal knowing him already (he was an assistant principal at Hepp's alma mater, Leesville Road), made him a natural choice.
Following a detour at Tulsa -- he stopped by on his way back to help out for a little while -- Hepp came home. It was slim pickings his first years, the Catamounts going a combined 26-25, but his third year finally produced the result for which he was aiming.
Panther Creek went 28-3 last year, winning the conference's regular-season and tournament championships. He was named Tri-8 Conference Coach of the Year and North Carolina District 5 Coach of the Year.
Several of his players were recruited, most notably 6-foot-5 guard Earnest Ross, who signed with Auburn. Twins Marcus and Brandon Oliver are still deciding where they want to go.
Hepp was continuing to teach and finish the school year when Horn called. Hepp had already known Horn from previous recruiting and coaching clinics and as the relationship grew, Hepp figured if the opportunity came along to work for Horn, he'd take it.
It did and he did. Hepp might have to change his wardrobe a bit -- no light blue allowed -- but is a welcome addition to the staff.
"He brings a wealth of experience for what he's going to be doing in that position, and really above and beyond that," Horn said.
"I'm very excited to be here," Hepp said. "Coach Horn and I got to know each other and it kind of worked out."
The only thing to clear up -- what does L.J. stand for?
"Little Jacob," Hepp said with a laugh. "My uncle gave it to me when I was about a month old and the name stuck. I had to explain that the first day of school from kindergarten through high school."