Shane Beamer's message during winter workouts: 'Be the reason we have the success we want to have this season'

The 2023 season was a disappointing one for South Carolina, as the Gamecocks slumped to a 5-7 finish. Head coach Shane Beamer and Co. have made a point to turn the screws on preventing a similar campaign as early as winter workouts.

And as such, the message has been simple: Put yourself in a position to bring your team success. Multiply that across every player — even every coach — and Beamer likes the chances for it to work.

“It starts with each individual being better than they were last season, including me as the head coach,” Beamer said on The Hard Count with On3’s J.D. PicKell. “And to be the reason we have the success we want to have this season. Really proud of our guys, the way that we’ve worked. We’re going into, as we record this, we’re going into spring break next week and getting ready to crank up with spring practice when we come back.”

Beamer shared that he arrived at this message and goal after taking a step back and assessing things after the season.

He also feels the gap from 5-7 to something much better isn’t that great.

“The thing for us is looking back at last season, record-wise we didn’t finish where we wanted but we weren’t far off, either,” Beamer said. “And we had an opportunity to win every game going into the fourth quarter. And we just, in a lot of those games we couldn’t get it done, we couldn’t finish. Couldn’t get over the hump. So taking a step back and just looking at everything we’re doing and how could we be better and just challenging every single person in our program to be even more personally accountable.”

And as spring practice approaches and Beamer reflects on the work that his team has put in — work that started on the day of the national championship game — the head coach is feeling bullish about where things are headed for the Gamecocks.

The games aren’t won or lost in January and February, but edges can surely be gained and Beamer thinks his squad has positioned itself for more success to come.

“But really like what our guys have done since we came back in January and we’ve been going at it since the Monday of the national championship game, is when we started winter workouts,” Beamer said. “Really like this group coming back and the maturity and how they’re going about their business.”