Bill Foster has resigned after six seasons...

Bill Foster has resigned after six seasons as basketball coach at the University of South Carolina.

The announcement came as no surprise, since his team lost to Memphis State last weekend in the first round of the Metro Conference tournament, 100-59. The Gamecocks had lost their last eight games and finished last in the Metro Conference with a record of 12-16.

Foster, 55, had two years remaining on his contract. His best season at Carolina was a 22-9 record in 1982-83 when the Gamecocks also were invited to the National Invitation Tournament. Foster missed much of that season after suffering a heart attack.

Foster, who succeeded Frank McGuire in 1980, also coached at Duke, Rutgers and Utah. Foster was voted Coach of the Year in 1978 at Duke, where his teams went to the NCAA tournament in each of his last three seasons.