The King and Queen of USC basketball

The King and Queen are headed for their hopeful coronations.

South Carolina is sending each of its basketball teams to the Final Four, and Sindarius Thornwell and A’ja Wilson are the players most responsible for it. Thornwell has risen from undeserved anonymity to an NBA prospect in two weeks, while Wilson could add a National Player of the Year prize to her already overstuffed trophy case this week.

“I’m probably a hard person to deal with, but they really do a great job of just handling me,” Wilson said in Stockton, deflecting all the praise to her teammates. “So, I really just give it all to them, and I wouldn’t be in the position that I am to even receive those awards and even be a finalist for awards such as the National Player of the Year without them.”

“I’m just enjoying the moment, just trying to keep the season going as long as I can and keep this thing going and trying to make it as far as I can,” Thornwell said in Greenville. “And I can think about everything else when it’s all over with.”

Thornwell was one of the best players in the country all season, but perhaps because his team didn’t dominate, he was shut out of the All-American teams. Ballots were sent in before the start of the NCAA Tournament, and Thornwell did score an honorable mention in the Associated Press vote, but was otherwise not considered one of the 15 best players in the country by the voters.

Had ballots still had some shelf life, there’s no doubt Thornwell would rate much higher on everyone’s vote. The Gamecocks have other pieces that are playing phenomenally well right now, but Thornwell’s the guy who got them here.

From Lancaster, Thornwell could have gone anywhere, especially after playing at prestigious Oak Hill (Va.) Academy as a senior. Instead, he pledged to Frank Martin before he left, knowing he wanted to stay home.

“For us all to be in the spotlight is just tremendous, because we don’t feel like we got the recognition that we deserved all season,” Thornwell said. “There was a time when we were No. 1 in the conference, and I don’t think anybody knew about it.”

It’s like his rise. During the tournament, he has played better than the performance that won him SEC Player of the Year. Yet only now is his name rising up draft boards and being discussed as the best player in the tournament.

Like Thornwell, Wilson is homegrown (Hopkins). The top prospect in the country, she turned down Connecticut to play for Dawn Staley, and the results have been amazing.

Just a junior, Wilson has won two SEC Player of the Year prizes and two first-team All-America awards. She is a favorite to win the national player of the year awards.

“It’s something special here. I don’t think people would have ever thought – growing up, you know the UConns, Tennessees, Stanfords, but now growing up and seeing that South Carolina is a part of that, it’s special,” Wilson said. “And just knowing that I am a part of it and just having a great team and teammates; just building a legacy, and especially with it being in my backyard, it makes it 10 times better for me.”

Wilson has been the go-to player in the tournament, but the Gamecocks have seen others step up. In the absence of Alaina Coates, USC has shown it can still dominate.

Even with Wilson in foul trouble against Florida State, the Gamecocks stretched the lead to as much as 16 points. That came in handy when the Seminoles made a late run, but Wilson blocked two shots in the final minute to help preserve the win.

Again like Thornwell, she makes an impact on each end of the court.

“I think I’m just kind of doing the same thing I’ve been doing,” Wilson said. “My biggest thing is just being efficient and just going out there and helping my team get a win.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2017 at 11:59 PM with the headline "The King and Queen of USC basketball."