Kelton Talford has made his small SC hometown proud. He’ll do it again in NCAAs

It happens every year — well, barring a pandemic, of course.

Fans in towns and cities all over the world intently watch the NCAA basketball tournament to see the players who hail from those burgs get their turn on the national stage.

Friday night, there will be a new place to have its name called: Great Falls, South Carolina.

Winthrop freshman forward Kelton Talford spent his decorated high school career at Great Falls High — the Class 1A school in the most rural part of already rural Chester County with a basketball legacy peered by few — and he’ll be the first player to represent it on the March Madness stage, per records available to The Herald.

Talford is charting new territory, but he’s also following in the footsteps of many of his idols who grew up in the 2,000-person town and came through the Great Falls High program that’s 35 minutes south of Rock Hill. One of those idols is Milwaukee Bucks forward Torrey Craig, who starred at USC Upstate and went on to an NBA career. Craig’s success provided Kelton and his teammates with a sense of realism to their dream that they may someday ascend to that same level.

“To think that I could be like him and make it from Great Falls to the NBA, it’s exciting to see that somebody from my small school made it all the way,” Talford told The Herald during his sophomore year of high school.

Talford shared a house and a court with another of those heroes. His father, Marlon, won three state championship crowns under the tutelage of Great Falls High legendary coach, John Smith. The elder Talford, nicknamed “Juicy,” was a standout for the 1996, 1997 and 1998 Red Devil clubs. He then went on to be Kelton’s assistant coach during his own star high school career.

Kelton claimed his own state championship as a senior at Great Falls, leading his club in scoring with 25 points in a 73-71 victory over Scott’s Branch. Kelton’s high school coach, Alex Fair, reminded him of his father’s guidance.

“I’m a firm believer in (the phrase) ‘Winners Breed Winners,’” Fair said. “Coach Marlon Talford is a major part of the Great Falls tradition. I always reminded Kelton to take full advantage of the major resource he had in his father.”

Talford flying at Winthrop

Kelton’s freshman season as an Eagle proved quite productive, despite his starting just one of the 24 games in which he appeared.

Talford finished the season shooting 62.8% from the floor and averaging nearly six points and four rebounds per game. His continued development paid significant dividends in Winthrop’s Big South title, as he missed just once in 10 tries from the field during the Eagles’ three conference tournament contests. The first-year forward also sank seven free throws in nine attempts.

“Different, exciting and a good learning opportunity,” Kelton said of his first year under Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey. He also mentioned that he chose Winthrop because he knew he would learn. “It wasn’t all about playing time,” he said.

He also offers an honest assessment of his game and where it stands following a year at the Division I level.

“I want to work on my ball handling and put on weight,” said Talford. He also referenced a desire to work on knocking down jump shots and perfecting his footwork on both offense and defense.

His teammates, however, offer the opinion that at least some of those skills are already developed.

“Our games actually are similar, but you have to really look at why,” observed forward Chase Claxton, adding: “First of all, we’re low-key built the same. And we both have the same athleticism. But he plays as hard as he can every single time he steps out on the floor. And I’ll literally see a lot of myself in the exact same way. When we are in practice and going against each other, I just know, like, ‘Dang, this is what it must feel like to play against me. Like, this is annoying. Relax for a second.’

“I like the energy and I’ve seen it. Of course, I always saw it in practice. But it’s just so much different to see it in a game. Playing with that same energy, and it’s good to have those types of players on your team.”

His coach also notices the energy Talford brings.

“Kelton — and what he brings to the table, what’s in his DNA — is just a junkyard dog. He’s a motor guy,” Kelsey told reporters at the preseason Big South media day in November. “You know, you can’t really teach effort. You either have that motor, or you don’t. And he just plays hard. That’s his value. Now, is he a skilled kid? Yeah, he can score inside. He can score off either hand. He’s got good footwork. He’s working hard on his perimeter shooting.

“But the thing you can take to the bank is that he’s going to play as hard as he can, to exhaustion, and then he’s going to come out of the game. And then he’s going to play as hard as he possibly can again. And that’s what he brings to the table. And it’s very, very valuable.”

Talford representing Great Falls

That sense of home always lives within Kelton, no matter what happens.

“Most people from a small-town environment, they’re like, ‘I hate it.’ And he’s just like, ‘Bro, don’t talk junk about my city, I love it here,’” said center DJ Burns, a fellow local standout for Winthrop. “Even being from Rock Hill sometimes I’m like, ‘Man I just wanna get out of this city.’ Kelton’s like, ‘Yo, soon as I have the chance, I’m going to Great Falls to see my family.’”

Fair and Jimmy Duncan, who coached Kelton at Great Falls before taking the athletic director job at Northwestern, both had a conversation with their star pupil shortly after the Eagles hoisted the trophy. Fair had a pointed and synergistic message for Talford.

“I just told him to keep grinding and to stay hungry and humble,” Fair said. “On March 7, 2020, he won a state championship and on March 7, 2021, he won a Big South championship.”

When Kelton’s name is called Friday night as his Eagles begin their postseason march against fifth-seeded Villanova just before 10 p.m. at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Ind., he will get to assume the role of the hometown hero — just years after dreaming of a life like that of Craig and his fellow Red Devils who have gone on to great things.

The impact of that national recognition won’t be lost on the town that shaped him.

“It’s huge for the entire Great Falls community,” Fair remarked, noting the pride the community feels around its teams. “I’m constantly encouraging our players to turn their dreams into reality. A lot of them saw how Kelton started and now they see the results of his hard work, so it makes them want to work even harder.

“At Great Falls, our players are going to always pursue excellence and achieve greatness.”

Connect with Brian Wilmer: @sportsmatters; bwilmer@gmail.com.

Alex Zietlow contributed to this report.