The College of Charleston hired former Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins in 2006. In each of Cremins' five complete seasons, Charleston won 20 games and Cremins won the SoCon Coach of the Year award in 2011. The Cougars played in a national postseason tournament in three consecutive seasons under Cremins, making the CBI in 2009 and 2010 and the NIT in 2011. During Cremins' tenure, the Cougars were put back in the national spotlight when they upset then-No.9 North Carolina on January 4, 2010 at TD Arena. He took a leave of absence during the 2011–2012 season due to exhaustion and retired at the conclusion of the season. His overall record at Charleston is 125–68.
