Carey Rich wore a black polo with a familiar block C logo on the left chest. He was in a conference room outside his office at the City of Columbia’s Parks and Recreation headquarters, where a pair of cellphones — both his — briefly stopped buzzing on the table in front of him.
“I can just tell you I’m pretty lucky,” Rich said. “I have a very good life in Columbia, man. I’ve got a pretty good life. And I wouldn’t have this life if I didn’t play at the University of South Carolina. I get to work for the mayor, got him on speed dial.