Couisnard, Bryant set to walk on Senior Day as USC men play their final home game
The South Carolina men’s basketball team will hold its Senior Day recognition Tuesday night at Colonial Life Arena, as the Gamecocks will play their final home game of the season against Missouri at 7 p.m.
Graduate students James Reese and A.J. Wilson will play their final game at Colonial Life Arena after transferring to the Gamecocks this offseason. Due to COVID-19 adjustments, the other seniors on USC’s roster have an extra year of eligibility — should they choose to use it.
Head coach Frank Martin said Monday that the Gamecocks (17-11, 8-8 SEC) plan to honor all of their veterans, including redshirt junior Jermaine Couisnard and seniors Keyshawn Bryant, Erik Stevenson and Martin’s son Brandon Martin. The coach said he hasn’t discussed plans for next season with any of those players and did not rule out the possibility that they could return, but he said he thought recognizing all of them was “the right thing to do.”
A local product who starred at A.C. Flora high school, Reese transferred to the Gamecocks after stints at North Texas and Buffalo and immediately established himself as a team leader. Starting all year long as the team’s shooting guard, Reese is averaging 10.4 points per game and has delivered in clutch moments — none bigger than his half-court buzzer beater in overtime at Ole Miss.
“James has been rock solid for us,” Martin said. “He’s been an unbelievable leader. Courage, tremendous spirit, day in and day out, and I’m really proud of him.”
Wilson transferred to the Gamecocks after establishing himself as a defensive force at George Mason. Saddled by injuries early in the year, Wilson took time to hit his stride but has been a valuable presence at power forward, making his impact through shot-blocking and rebounding. Martin said he intends to start Wilson at center Tuesday in place of junior Wildens Leveque, to honor him in his last home game.
“A.J. I’ve got mixed emotions on, because he’s a really good dude,” Martin said. “And I wish that this year had panned out better for him as far as the way it’s gone from the beginning to where we’re at right now. But we still got a couple games to play and hopefully some more after that, and we need him to help us.”
Bryant and Couisnard both tested the NBA Draft waters a year ago and seem likely to do so again, if not declare for the draft outright. Both players have been key starters throughout their Gamecocks careers and were crucial in leading USC to a four-game winning streak in February.
Stevenson, a transfer from Washington, emerged as one of the team’s top leaders alongside Reese and is tied with Couisnard as the team’s leading scorer with 11.5 points per game.
“We haven’t spoken about next year,” Martin said. “Right now we’re worried about beating Missouri and figuring out a way to finish this year the right way. But it’s the right thing to do. I’ve always felt guys who have been ... in college for four years, they’re in line to get degrees and you got to honor them. You got to celebrate them.”
Next USC men’s basketball game
Who: South Carolina vs. Missouri
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Couisnard, Bryant set to walk on Senior Day as USC men play their final home game."
