By Brian Rauf - Fansided
South Carolina basketball is hoping to build on last year’s 4th-place finish in the SEC. Here is how the Gamecocks look going into the new season.
Following their surprise Final Four run in 2017, South Carolina basketball has been remarkably average. They hold a 33-32 overall record in the two seasons since, including an 18-18 mark in SEC play.
This offseason was also filled mostly with news about players who will not be playing for the program this coming season.
The Gamecocks landed UNC transfer Seventh Woods, a Columbia native, but he will have to sit out a season due to transfer rules (he was not a graduate transfer). Chris Silva, South Carolina’s leading scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker from a year ago, signed with the Miami Heat as an undrafted free agent. Hassani Gravett, their starting point guard, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Orlando Magic.
That said, things appear to be on the upswing for this Gamecocks program. AJ Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant emerged as reliable contributors during their freshmen seasons, with Lawson flashing the potential to be a star in the SEC. Six of their top 10 scorers are back, giving this group a good bit of continuity.
The Gamecocks program has made some underrated strides under Martin in recent years, finishing in the top four in the SEC in three of the last four seasons, a streak that includes a fourth-place finish – ahead of Auburn – last season.
Can they extend that streak in 2019-20? Here is a full season preview for the Gamecocks:
Starting lineup
Jermaine Couisnard
Point guard is South Carolina’s biggest positional question mark, and Couisnard is the program’s biggest question mark from a player perspective. He redshirted last year due to an academic issue but was the talk of the program during the offseason, as his play on the summer circuit drew significant praise from former high school teammate R.J. Barrett and many former Gamecock players.
Couisnard is more of a scorer than a passer and he may not play the traditional point guard role, but he’s too talented not to have on the court. His shooting ability and range will give the Gamecocks an element they’ve really never had under Frank Martin.
AJ Lawson
South Carolina only experimented with Lawson at point guard in short spurts last season, and we’ll probably see him split time between playing on and off-ball this season. At 6-6, he averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and a team-high 2.9 assists in 30.5 minutes per game last year, showcasing tremendous all-around ability.
Originally ranked in the top 40 of the 2019 recruiting class, Lawson reclassified to 2018 to play for the Gamecocks last season. His lack of physical maturity limited him somewhat and now, with a full offseason in SC’s training program under his belt, Lawson could take a huge step forward as a sophomore.
Justin Minaya
Minaya was one of South Carolina’s best players when he was a freshman in 2017-18 and was expected to have a big role last year, but a knee injury caused him to take a medical redshirt after just five games. He’s a smooth, smart player who can shoot and rebound at an effective clip.
Keyshawn Bryant
Keyshawn Bryant is a lanky 6-5, 200-pound athlete capable of pulling off the spectacular.
That athleticism allowed him to make contributions as a slasher, finisher, and rim protector, but his lack of shooting (20.7 percent) kept him from being a threat of any kind outside of the paint. South Carolina will need everything he brought to the table last year (particularly defensive with Silva gone), but they also need him to improve on his perimeter skills.
Maik Kotsar
Kotsar is the lone holdover from that Final Four team, but the senior hasn’t shown much progression throughout his career. Still a solid defender, Kotsar’s offensive game remains extremely limited to where he can’t be anything more than a role player. That was a problem the past two years, but the Gamecocks have others who can pick up the offensive slack this year, which will allow Kotsar to focus more on the things he does best – defense and rebounding.
Key reserves
T.J. Moss
Moss also took a medical redshirt last season after injuring his ankle and foot after seven games of action, but the freshman showed promise during the little bit of time he was on the court. Another solid shooter, he averaged 6.3 points and 1.9 assists in 20.6 minutes per game. Expect him to be South Carolina’s sixth man if he’s not in the starting lineup.
Micaiah Henry
South Carolina is short on traditional big men and experience, and Henry can fill both of those needs off the bench. The grad transfer from Tennessee Tech stands 6-9 and 235 pounds and averaged 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds on 58 percent shooting last season. He’ll add some needed rim protection as well (1.8 blocks per game).
Jalyn McCreary
The highest-rated recruit in South Carolina’s freshman class, McCreary is a very strong, athletic presence inside the arc at 6-7 and 225 pounds. There’s no doubting his physical tools but will likely need some time to adjust to the college game. McCreary should see more playing time – and could earn a spot in the starting lineup – as the season progresses.
Alanzo Frink
Frink played sparingly as a freshman but has the kind of versatility at 6-6 and 265 pounds that will prove to be valuable as a four-man off the bench. He showed flashes of what he can do against Virginia (nine points, eight rebounds) and Clemson (eight points, seven rebounds) last season.
Trey Anderson
Anderson was actually the lowest-rated prospect in South Carolina’s 2019 class according to the 247sports Composite, but he has quickly impressed Martin, as the head coach explained last month.
“Physically he’s a lot more prepared than I thought he was going to be. I know he can shoot it. I know he can move. We recruited him. It’s not like I saw a picture, said he looks good and send him scholarship papers. I didn’t realize physically he’s as competitive with work ethic to attack the weight room and drills. You learn more about kids when you start to coach him. There is a lot of guys you guys read about in scouting reports that when they get on the court they don’t progress as fast as they need to. He’s actually progressed extremely fast. That’s what has caught me off guard.”
His size (6-6) and shooting ability should earn him at least some time in the rotation.
Non-conference schedule
Nov. 6 — North Alabama
Nov. 10 — Wyoming
Nov. 15 — Cleveland State
Nov. 19 — Boston University
Nov. 22 — Gardner-Webb
Nov. 26 — Wichita State (Cancun Challenge)
Nov. 27 — West Virginia/Northern Iowa (Cancun Challenge)
Dec. 1 — George Washington
Dec. 4 — at UMass
Dec. 8 — Houston
Dec. 15 — at Clemson
Dec. 22 — at Virginia
Dec. 30 — Stetson
South Carolina’s lackluster non-conference play last season cost them any shot at making the NCAA Tournament, but things set up pretty nicely for them this year.
The Gamecocks start with five very winnable games (although they lost to Wyoming last year) before heading to Cancun over the Thanksgiving holiday. That four-team tournament will give South Carolina two good “measuring-stick games” no matter who they play. All four teams missed the Big Dance last year, but all return most of last season’s production are expected to take leaps forward and be firmly in the mix this season.
December games against George Washington, UMass, and Stetson should all be wins as well – a true road game against the Minutemen could get interesting – but that three-game stretch against Houston, Clemson, and Virginia is one of the toughest stretch of games the Gamecocks have all season.
Houston returns a large majority of the team that made the Sweet 16 last season and are projected to be one of the top two teams in the American Athletic Conference, along with Memphis. A home game against them gives Frank Martin’s squad a great chance to pick up a resume-building win early in the year.
Clemson is expected to be bad this year, but rivalry games on the road are always difficult.
That brings us to the biggest non-conference game on the schedule – a road game against the defending national champions. Virginia will look much different with Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and De’Andre Hunter, yet the Cavaliers are still expected to be a top 25 team. Plus, UVA has only lost in Charlottesville seven times in the past five seasons and will have the toughest defense the Gamecocks will face.
Season outlook
South Carolina should fully expect to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since that magical 2017 Final Four run or, at the very least, be in the bubble conversation.
Martin has finally been able to restock this roster with talent after it was so depleted due to unexpected departures following that run and should be able to have success in a relatively wide open SEC behind Kentucky, Florida, and LSU.
However, there are two big questions facing this team that will determine just how successful they will be. Without Chris Silva and Hassani Gravett, the Gamecocks lack experience – will that matter? And can they find reliable, consistent point guard play?
AJ Lawson gives South Carolina their first legitimate star since Sindarius Thornwell and the combination of him, Minaya, and Bryant on the wing will give opponents plenty of matchup problems. They should be able to provide enough offense to complement what we know will be a stingy defense under Martin.
There’s a real possibility that youth and inconsistent point guard play will sink the Gamecocks and keep them out of the postseason altogether for sixth time in Martin’s tenure. At the same time, there’s also enough talent on this roster to think they should finish in the top six in the SEC, potentially finishing as high as fourth for the second straight year.
Chances are, we’ll know which direction things will go for the Gamecocks following their trip to Cancun and that tough December stretch. My guess is they fall somewhere in the middle and sneak into the NCAA Tournament as a bubble team.
South Carolina basketball is hoping to build on last year’s 4th-place finish in the SEC. Here is how the Gamecocks look going into the new season.
Following their surprise Final Four run in 2017, South Carolina basketball has been remarkably average. They hold a 33-32 overall record in the two seasons since, including an 18-18 mark in SEC play.
This offseason was also filled mostly with news about players who will not be playing for the program this coming season.
The Gamecocks landed UNC transfer Seventh Woods, a Columbia native, but he will have to sit out a season due to transfer rules (he was not a graduate transfer). Chris Silva, South Carolina’s leading scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker from a year ago, signed with the Miami Heat as an undrafted free agent. Hassani Gravett, their starting point guard, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Orlando Magic.
That said, things appear to be on the upswing for this Gamecocks program. AJ Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant emerged as reliable contributors during their freshmen seasons, with Lawson flashing the potential to be a star in the SEC. Six of their top 10 scorers are back, giving this group a good bit of continuity.
The Gamecocks program has made some underrated strides under Martin in recent years, finishing in the top four in the SEC in three of the last four seasons, a streak that includes a fourth-place finish – ahead of Auburn – last season.
Can they extend that streak in 2019-20? Here is a full season preview for the Gamecocks:
Starting lineup
Jermaine Couisnard
Point guard is South Carolina’s biggest positional question mark, and Couisnard is the program’s biggest question mark from a player perspective. He redshirted last year due to an academic issue but was the talk of the program during the offseason, as his play on the summer circuit drew significant praise from former high school teammate R.J. Barrett and many former Gamecock players.
Couisnard is more of a scorer than a passer and he may not play the traditional point guard role, but he’s too talented not to have on the court. His shooting ability and range will give the Gamecocks an element they’ve really never had under Frank Martin.
AJ Lawson
South Carolina only experimented with Lawson at point guard in short spurts last season, and we’ll probably see him split time between playing on and off-ball this season. At 6-6, he averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and a team-high 2.9 assists in 30.5 minutes per game last year, showcasing tremendous all-around ability.
Originally ranked in the top 40 of the 2019 recruiting class, Lawson reclassified to 2018 to play for the Gamecocks last season. His lack of physical maturity limited him somewhat and now, with a full offseason in SC’s training program under his belt, Lawson could take a huge step forward as a sophomore.
Justin Minaya
Minaya was one of South Carolina’s best players when he was a freshman in 2017-18 and was expected to have a big role last year, but a knee injury caused him to take a medical redshirt after just five games. He’s a smooth, smart player who can shoot and rebound at an effective clip.
Keyshawn Bryant
Keyshawn Bryant is a lanky 6-5, 200-pound athlete capable of pulling off the spectacular.
That athleticism allowed him to make contributions as a slasher, finisher, and rim protector, but his lack of shooting (20.7 percent) kept him from being a threat of any kind outside of the paint. South Carolina will need everything he brought to the table last year (particularly defensive with Silva gone), but they also need him to improve on his perimeter skills.
Maik Kotsar
Kotsar is the lone holdover from that Final Four team, but the senior hasn’t shown much progression throughout his career. Still a solid defender, Kotsar’s offensive game remains extremely limited to where he can’t be anything more than a role player. That was a problem the past two years, but the Gamecocks have others who can pick up the offensive slack this year, which will allow Kotsar to focus more on the things he does best – defense and rebounding.
Key reserves
T.J. Moss
Moss also took a medical redshirt last season after injuring his ankle and foot after seven games of action, but the freshman showed promise during the little bit of time he was on the court. Another solid shooter, he averaged 6.3 points and 1.9 assists in 20.6 minutes per game. Expect him to be South Carolina’s sixth man if he’s not in the starting lineup.
Micaiah Henry
South Carolina is short on traditional big men and experience, and Henry can fill both of those needs off the bench. The grad transfer from Tennessee Tech stands 6-9 and 235 pounds and averaged 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds on 58 percent shooting last season. He’ll add some needed rim protection as well (1.8 blocks per game).
Jalyn McCreary
The highest-rated recruit in South Carolina’s freshman class, McCreary is a very strong, athletic presence inside the arc at 6-7 and 225 pounds. There’s no doubting his physical tools but will likely need some time to adjust to the college game. McCreary should see more playing time – and could earn a spot in the starting lineup – as the season progresses.
Alanzo Frink
Frink played sparingly as a freshman but has the kind of versatility at 6-6 and 265 pounds that will prove to be valuable as a four-man off the bench. He showed flashes of what he can do against Virginia (nine points, eight rebounds) and Clemson (eight points, seven rebounds) last season.
Trey Anderson
Anderson was actually the lowest-rated prospect in South Carolina’s 2019 class according to the 247sports Composite, but he has quickly impressed Martin, as the head coach explained last month.
“Physically he’s a lot more prepared than I thought he was going to be. I know he can shoot it. I know he can move. We recruited him. It’s not like I saw a picture, said he looks good and send him scholarship papers. I didn’t realize physically he’s as competitive with work ethic to attack the weight room and drills. You learn more about kids when you start to coach him. There is a lot of guys you guys read about in scouting reports that when they get on the court they don’t progress as fast as they need to. He’s actually progressed extremely fast. That’s what has caught me off guard.”
His size (6-6) and shooting ability should earn him at least some time in the rotation.
Non-conference schedule
Nov. 6 — North Alabama
Nov. 10 — Wyoming
Nov. 15 — Cleveland State
Nov. 19 — Boston University
Nov. 22 — Gardner-Webb
Nov. 26 — Wichita State (Cancun Challenge)
Nov. 27 — West Virginia/Northern Iowa (Cancun Challenge)
Dec. 1 — George Washington
Dec. 4 — at UMass
Dec. 8 — Houston
Dec. 15 — at Clemson
Dec. 22 — at Virginia
Dec. 30 — Stetson
South Carolina’s lackluster non-conference play last season cost them any shot at making the NCAA Tournament, but things set up pretty nicely for them this year.
The Gamecocks start with five very winnable games (although they lost to Wyoming last year) before heading to Cancun over the Thanksgiving holiday. That four-team tournament will give South Carolina two good “measuring-stick games” no matter who they play. All four teams missed the Big Dance last year, but all return most of last season’s production are expected to take leaps forward and be firmly in the mix this season.
December games against George Washington, UMass, and Stetson should all be wins as well – a true road game against the Minutemen could get interesting – but that three-game stretch against Houston, Clemson, and Virginia is one of the toughest stretch of games the Gamecocks have all season.
Houston returns a large majority of the team that made the Sweet 16 last season and are projected to be one of the top two teams in the American Athletic Conference, along with Memphis. A home game against them gives Frank Martin’s squad a great chance to pick up a resume-building win early in the year.
Clemson is expected to be bad this year, but rivalry games on the road are always difficult.
That brings us to the biggest non-conference game on the schedule – a road game against the defending national champions. Virginia will look much different with Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and De’Andre Hunter, yet the Cavaliers are still expected to be a top 25 team. Plus, UVA has only lost in Charlottesville seven times in the past five seasons and will have the toughest defense the Gamecocks will face.
Season outlook
South Carolina should fully expect to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since that magical 2017 Final Four run or, at the very least, be in the bubble conversation.
Martin has finally been able to restock this roster with talent after it was so depleted due to unexpected departures following that run and should be able to have success in a relatively wide open SEC behind Kentucky, Florida, and LSU.
However, there are two big questions facing this team that will determine just how successful they will be. Without Chris Silva and Hassani Gravett, the Gamecocks lack experience – will that matter? And can they find reliable, consistent point guard play?
AJ Lawson gives South Carolina their first legitimate star since Sindarius Thornwell and the combination of him, Minaya, and Bryant on the wing will give opponents plenty of matchup problems. They should be able to provide enough offense to complement what we know will be a stingy defense under Martin.
There’s a real possibility that youth and inconsistent point guard play will sink the Gamecocks and keep them out of the postseason altogether for sixth time in Martin’s tenure. At the same time, there’s also enough talent on this roster to think they should finish in the top six in the SEC, potentially finishing as high as fourth for the second straight year.
Chances are, we’ll know which direction things will go for the Gamecocks following their trip to Cancun and that tough December stretch. My guess is they fall somewhere in the middle and sneak into the NCAA Tournament as a bubble team.
