Everything you need to know as Frank Martin, Gamecocks tip off a new season
From seeing the SEC tournament canceled to testing positive for COVID-19 himself, Frank Martin has experienced the pandemic head on.
His South Carolina men’s basketball team has isolated itself on campus for months, waiting — hoping — for the opportunity to play this fall.
That opportunity will finally arrive this week, as the Gamecocks open their season with an exhibition contest at home against Coker on Wednesday night, followed by a weekend excursion to Kansas City for the Hall of Fame Classic.
“At the end of the day, any time we get to play a game this year, it’s a win for our kids,” Martin said Monday. “They put in the time, and mentally they get to do what they love to do.”
While USC will soon be back on the court, a lot will have changed. If you’ve been distracted by the state of the world or just haven’t had the energy to keep up over the last eight months, here’s all the essential information you need to know about South Carolina for 2020-21.
So how good is USC expected to be this year?
It depends who you ask. The Gamecocks didn’t receive votes in the preseason AP Top 25 or in the coaches poll, and SEC coaches picked the Gamecocks to finish eighth in the 14-team conference. At 18-13 (10-8 SEC) last season, the Gamecocks spent most of the year on the NCAA tournament bubble and appeared likely to miss the cut before the SEC tournament was abruptly canceled due to COVID-19.
But there are plenty of reasons to believe that the Gamecocks could — and should — improve on that resume. Last year’s team was a young group that suffered injuries to starters Justin Minaya and Keyshawn Bryant during key stretches of the season. Added experience and improved health could help the Gamecocks make a leap. Coaches and players alike have raved about the improvements last year’s underclassmen have made. Assistant coach Chuck Martin said he believes the team’s depth might surprise the casual fan.
Frank Martin thought college basketball fans might be surprised by something else:
“How good our players are,” he said Monday, with a smile.
The Gamecocks showed flashes a year ago. Martin pointed to double-digit road victories against Clemson and defending national champion Virginia. There was also a one-month stretch from Jan. 15 to Feb. 15 when the Gamecocks won eight of 10 games. That stretch was bookended by wins against Kentucky and Tennessee — the only SEC teams ranked in this year’s preseason top 25.
“We were rolling last year,” Martin said. “That’s the part that’s a little disappointing to me is that this group of kids has not gotten the credit they deserve headed into this year, locally and nationally. … We return our whole team, yet no one speaks about us, and that’s disappointing to me. But take my word for it, I don’t get out of bed worried about that kind of stuff.”
Who’s back?
The bulk of last season’s roster remains intact. Dynamic guards A.J. Lawson and Jermaine Couisnard return to lead the USC backcourt. Lawson and Couisnard paced the Gamecocks in scoring a season ago with 13.4 and 12.1 points per game, respectively. Coaches voted Lawson to the All-SEC first team and Couisnard to the second team.
Lawson tested the NBA Draft waters for a second-straight offseason but decided to return to school after pro teams pointed out areas in his game that needed improvement.
“I felt like those calls were very informative,” Lawson said. “I felt like I learned a lot. They’re telling me that last year was still a good year. The only thing I could have worked on is making better decisions. I shot the ball pretty well. And just work on my turnover rates, to bring that down.”
Joining Lawson and Couisnard are the veteran 6-foot-6 wings Minaya and Bryant, who provide versatility and flexibility in the multiple positions they play. Injury sidelined both players at points last season, but Martin points to both as key leaders on the court. Minaya has more of a shooting touch, while Bryant might be the team’s most explosive dunker.
Junior big man Alanzo Frink started 12 games last season and brings experience at center, while returning sophomores Wildens Leveque (6-foot-10, 242 pounds) and Jalyn McCreary (6-foot-8, 235 pounds) offer tantalizing size and upside.
Who’s gone?
The loss of 6-foot-11 center Maik Kotsar creates USC’s biggest hole — both literally and figuratively. The four-year starter played a key role in South Carolina’s 2017 Final Four run, and he led the Gamecocks with 6.3 rebounds per game last season while also scoring 11.2 points per contest. From Estonia, Kotsar returned to Europe when he signed with Germany’s Hamburg Towers team in August.
The Gamecocks also lost their top 3-point shooter in junior guard Jair Bolden, who transferred to Butler after shooting 41.2% beyond the arc in his one season with USC.
While he never played a minute for USC, three-star freshman forward Patrick Iriel decided to withdraw from school, leaving the Gamecocks with an open roster spot. Iriel withdrew for personal reasons, with Martin saying: “It was not a basketball thing. It was not a Frank-Patrick relationship problem. (He) just made a decision for what he felt was best for him.”
Who’s new?
The Gamecocks opened the offseason one player over the scholarship limit, leaving them with little flexibility to add to the roster. That’s not necessarily a negative thing, as Martin expects last year’s young roster to make developmental strides this season. After Iriel’s departure, Columbia native Ja’Von Benson is the lone true freshman on the roster. Martin said the 6-foot-7 forward has shown flashes in practice but still has much to learn about playing in the head coach’s system.
The most significant addition to the group is undoubtedly senior guard Seventh Woods, who sat out last season after transferring from North Carolina. A Columbia native who first earned national attention as a 14-year-old, Woods is looking to prove he’s more than the role player he was for Roy Williams’ title-winning Tar Heels. Woods battled through a frightening case of rhabdomyolysis this summer, but he’s healthy now and projects to compete with Lawson and Couisnard for minutes at the point.
The Gamecocks also have a new face on the coaching staff, as the team hired assistant Will Bailey from Saint Louis to replace the retiring Perry Clark. Bailey is known as a guard guru and ace recruiter.
Who’s going to have a breakout season?
Woods is an easy answer here, considering he didn’t play a year ago. There’s a real sense of untapped potential with Woods after he never quite lived up to his high school hype at UNC. Part of that was due to having point guard talents like Joel Berry and Coby White playing ahead of him, but part of it, too, was a lack of consistency from Woods as a shooter. Reports from practice are that Woods is playing with an increased aggression and hunger. Martin hasn’t been shy about projecting a breakout for the senior.
Other breakout candidates include Bryant, who finished last season on a rampage, averaging 15.6 points and 9.4 rebounds over the team’s last five games. Martin calls him “one of the most intelligent guys on our team” and is bullish on the forward’s chances for carrying that success into this year.
McCreary is another player who could surprise fans this year, Martin said, noting that the lengthy 6-foot-8 sophomore has refined his unorthodox jump shot.
“I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people,” Woods said. “We’re pretty much 15 guys deep, and we can all go out there and produce and play. I don’t think there are a lot of teams out there that can say that.”
What will be the biggest non-SEC games to watch?
South Carolina’s non-conference schedule is brief, but there are a couple of tough opponents. After Northwestern withdrew from the Hall of Fame Classic, Liberty joined the tournament and will serve as USC’s first opponent in a regulation game on Saturday. The Flames have won at least 29 games in back-to-back years.
Other highlights include a Dec. 5 road bout against Houston, which Martin called an underrated team. And, of course, Gamecocks fans should circle South Carolina’s Dec. 19 home game against rival Clemson.
What about the biggest SEC game?
The Gamecocks open up conference play with a bang, traveling to Kentucky on Dec. 29 to take on a Wildcats team that ranks No. 10 in the AP Top 25. USC narrowly defeated Kentucky in Columbia last season, winning 81-78. Both the Jan. 12 and Feb. 16 games against No. 12 Tennessee will also be worth watching. The teams split their series a year ago.
Speaking of games, will I be able to go to games during the COVID-19 pandemic?
During normal times, Colonial Life Arena can hold up to 18,000 people, but the COVID-19 pandemic will change that. Attendance at home games will be limited to approximately 3,500 people, and no fans will be allowed to sit in the five rows closest to the court. Tickets will be entirely digital, and facial coverings will be required at all times in the arena. Tickets will be sold in two-, four- and six-seat pods, and seat selection began in early November.
What else has COVID changed?
Under SEC guidelines, teams will be tested three times a week during the season. A positive test triggers a 10-day isolation period, even if there are no symptoms, followed by a four-day re-acclimation period. Anyone determined to be a close contact — defined as spending 15 combined minutes within six feet of a confirmed positive over the course of 24 hours for two days prior to the positive test — must quarantine for 14 days and cannot test out of that quarantine. Players won’t have to wear facial coverings on the court, but coaches will have to on the sideline.
ROSTER
Projected starters
A.J. Lawson — junior guard, 6-foot-6, #00
Jermaine Couisnard — redshirt sophomore guard, 6-foot-4, #12
Justin Minaya — junior forward, 6-foot-6, #10
Keyshawn Bryant — junior forward, 6-foot-6, #24
Alanzo Frink — junior , 6-foot-8, #20
Bench
Seventh Woods — redshirt senior guard, 6-foot-2, #23
T.J. Moss — redshirt sophomore guard, 6-foot-4, #1
Trey Anderson — sophomore forward, 6-foot-6, #2
Jalyn McCreary — sophomore forward, 6-foot-8, #4
Trae Hannibal — sophomore guard, 6-foot-3, #12
Mike Green — sophomore guard, 6-foot-2, #13
Nathan Nelson — junior forward, 6-foot-7, #14
Wildens Leveque — sophomore forward/center, 6-foot-10, #15
Ja’Von Benson — freshman forward, 6-foot-7, #21
Ford Cooper Jr. — sophomore guard, 6-foot-3, #44
South Carolina basketball 2020-21 schedule
Wed., Nov. 25 — vs. Coker (Exhibition)
Sat., Nov. 28 — vs. Liberty (Hall of Fame Classic)
Sun., Nov. 29 — vs. TCU or Tulsa (Hall of Fame Classic)
Sat., Dec. 5 — at Houston
Thu., Dec. 10 — vs. Wofford
Mon., Dec. 14 — at George Washington
Sat., Dec. 19 — vs. Clemson
Wed., Dec. 23 — vs. S.C. State
Tues., Dec. 29 — at Kentucky*
Sat., Jan. 2 — vs. Florida A&M
Wed., Jan. 6 — vs. Texas A&M*
Sat., Jan. 9 — at Ole Miss*
Tues., Jan. 12 — vs. Tennessee*
Sat., Jan. 16 — at LSU*
Tues., Jan. 19 — at Missouri*
Sat., Jan. 23 — vs. Auburn*
Wed., Jan. 27 — vs. Georgia*
Sat., Jan. 30 — at Vanderbilt*
Wed., Feb. 3 — at Florida*
Sat., Feb. 6 — vs. Mississippi State*
Tues., Feb. 9 — vs. Alabama*
Sat., Feb. 13: vs. Ole Miss*
Tues., Feb. 16 — at Tennessee*
Sat., Feb. 20 — vs. Missouri*
Wed., Feb. 24 — at Mississippi State*
Sat., Feb. 27 — at Georgia*
Tues., March 2: vs. Arkansas*
March 10-14: SEC Tournament in Nashville
Home games in bold
Neutral-site games in italics
Conference games have asterisk*
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 8:10 AM with the headline "Everything you need to know as Frank Martin, Gamecocks tip off a new season."
