What Gamecocks assistant Monte Lee said about facing former team

CLEMSON — Monte Lee will be back on the South Carolina side of the Palmetto State rivalry this weekend when Clemson and the Gamecocks meet for a three-game series.

Lee is in his first season as the assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator at South Carolina, after spending the previous seven seasons at the head coach at Clemson. He was fired last May.

The 46-year-old spoke Wednesday about what his emotions will be like this weekend. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday at Clemson, with Game 2 Saturday in Greenville. Game 3 will be played Sunday afternoon in Columbia.

Lee plans to lean on past experiences during the series. Before becoming the head coach at Clemson, he led the College of Charleston program. The Tigers and Cougars faced off regularly after he left Charleston for Clemson.

“I’ve had this experience before. Coming from College of Charleston, when I was the head coach at Clemson, I had to experience that — being in the dugout and playing against a group of kids that you love and coaching against a program you loved being a part of,” Lee said. “It’s a little bit weird before the game starts, because as you go into the ballpark or they come into your ballpark, you see the kids. You remember recruiting them, remember coaching them and just being there with them through good times, bad times and all the special moments you spend together. It’s really about the people more than the opponent.”

Lee recruited the majority of Clemson’s roster, and even most of the Tigers’ freshmen had committed to Clemson prior to him being fired.

He is very appreciative of his time at Clemson and still has several friends there. Still, he is unsure of what kind of reception he will receive on Friday when the Tigers host USC.

“Who knows, right? I have no idea. I’ve always tried to live by a very simple principle — that I try to treat people the way that I want to be treated,” Lee said. “The people at Clemson were great to me. I have many great relationships there with a lot of people. If I get a chance to say hello to them while I’m there, I’d love to. Ultimately, it’s about me going up there trying to help our team win a ball game and prepare for the Clemson Tigers. My responsibility and focus will be on our team.”

Speaking of trying to win a ball game, Lee acknowledged that he can share insight into what several Clemson players do well and don’t do well.

He was asked how that might benefit the Gamecocks this weekend.

“I think the bottom line is, you present the information that you see and know about the opponent, then the players have to execute. The players have to execute the plan that you give them. Even though I may know a decent amount about their team, our pitchers still have to execute their pitches, and our hitters still have to execute against their pitchers,” Lee said.

“We know things do change. Pitchers are trying to execute a plan to get a hitter out, to pitch to a hitter’s weakness. Scouting reports sometimes can sometimes be overrated. They’re overrated if a player doesn’t execute the plan. It’s way more important the player understands the player and can execute it for the scouting report to be successful.”

While Monte Lee may have some emotional moments before the games and the series begin, he insists that those will go away once the first pitch is thrown.

“Ultimately, it’s not going to be about me. It’s going to be about our team and what I’m trying to do to help prepare our guys for a tough series. That’s my priority and my focus,” Lee said.

“Once the game starts and it comes to the competition part, it’s about their players versus our players. It’s about the competition. It’s about the opportunity for both programs and both coaching staffs to be a part of the greatest rivalry in college baseball. It’s special. Every pitch in this rivalry weekend is special to the coaches and the players and it means a lot to the state of South Carolina. Just to be a part of it is a special thing.”