Shawn Poppie enters his second year as assistant coach at USC Upstate in 2012-13 and will assist in all phases of the women's basketball progam.

Poppie is no stranger to Upstate or the G.B. Hodge Center, the home of Spartan basketball. As a player at Limestone, he played several games in the Hodge Center and against Upstate when the Spartans were members of NCAA Division II. After graduation, he returned to his alma mater as an assistant women’s basketball coach and helped lead a transformation of the program under head coach Corey Fox.

Poppie was a two-time all-conference selection as a player in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference. He also left his mark on the men’s program as the all-time leader with 602 assists and 168 steals. He is the fifth player in school history to reach 1,000 points, finishing his career ranked third with 1,246 points. He ranks second all-time in rebounds, third in games played, fourth in blocked shots and fifth in three-pointers made.

As a senior in 2006-07, he ranked sixth in the nation with a 6.8 assists average while leading the team with 176 dimes. He was an all-conference selection after averaging 13.8 points. He was an all-conference pick as a junior, averaging 12.3 points and dishing out 121 assists.

When he returned to Limestone as assistant coach, the Saints were coming off of a 10-19 season in 2006-07. In 2007-08, the team finished 16-15. In 2009-10, the Saints finished with a 17-11 overall record and a 15-7 mark in the conference. Last year, Poppie helped lead the squad to a 19-9 overall record and a 14-6 conference mark. Limestone was 65-50 overall during his tenure with the program.

A native of Crescent City, Ill., Poppie was a standout athlete at CPCI. He was a three-time all-conference player and was a two-time all-state selection as a high school standout. He graduated from Limestone with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management in 2007.