South Carolina Gamecocks
2018-2019 Overall Rank: #113
Conference Rank: #13 SEC
After making a Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2017, South Carolina crashed hard and barely finished above .500 in 2018. The Gamecocks lost a lot of production from their tournament run, so a rebuild was expected. This year, four starters return and another disappointing year in the SEC won’t be as accepted. Frank Martin has brought in some potentially impactful new pieces and is prepared to get South Carolina back into SEC contention.
2017-18 Record: 17-16, 7-11
2017-18 Postseason: None
Coach: Frank Martin
Coach Record: 113-90 at South Carolina, 230-144 overall
Key Departed Players:
Frank Booker, Guard, 12.7 ppg
Frank Booker, Guard, 12.7 ppg
Wesley Myers, Guard, 7.8 ppg
Kory Holden, Guard, 3.4 ppg
David Beatty, Guard, 3.0 ppg
Kory Holden, Guard, 3.4 ppg
David Beatty, Guard, 3.0 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Chris Silva, Senior, Forward, 14.3 ppg
Maik Kotsar, Junior, Center, 8.0 ppg
Justin Minaya, Sophomore, Forward, 7.9 ppg
Hassani Gravett, Senior, Guard, 7.4 ppg
Felipe Haase, Sophomore, Forward, 5.8 ppg
Evan Hinson, Junior, Guard, 2.7 ppg
Jason Cudd, Sophomore, Center, 1.3 ppg
Maik Kotsar, Junior, Center, 8.0 ppg
Justin Minaya, Sophomore, Forward, 7.9 ppg
Hassani Gravett, Senior, Guard, 7.4 ppg
Felipe Haase, Sophomore, Forward, 5.8 ppg
Evan Hinson, Junior, Guard, 2.7 ppg
Jason Cudd, Sophomore, Center, 1.3 ppg
Key New Players:
Keyshawn Bryant, Freshman, Forward
Tre Campbell, Senior, Guard, Grad Transfer from Georgetown
Jermaine Couisnard, Freshman, Guard
Alanzo Frink, Freshman, Forward
A.J. Lawson, Freshman, Guard
T.J. Moss, Freshman, Guard
Keyshawn Bryant, Freshman, Forward
Tre Campbell, Senior, Guard, Grad Transfer from Georgetown
Jermaine Couisnard, Freshman, Guard
Alanzo Frink, Freshman, Forward
A.J. Lawson, Freshman, Guard
T.J. Moss, Freshman, Guard
Projection:
South Carolina got a major boost when Chris Silva withdrew his name from the NBA Draft and elected to return for his senior season. Silva earned first team All-SEC honors as a junior behind 14.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. The Gamecocks also return three other starters from a year ago. Maik Kotsar, Justin Minaya and Hassani Gravett each started 20+ games and averaged between 7 and 8 points per contest. Frank Martin will also have three returning bench players along with five incoming freshmen and a grad transfer. The roster is reloaded this season, but South Carolina still has quite a bit of work to do to get back to the NCAA Tournament. The SEC will be competitive, and the Gamecocks likely still have too much inexperience to make a real impact this season.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.1 (265th in nation, 13th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.0 (89, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 39.8 (344, 14)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.4 (80, 8)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.3 (213, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.9 (235, 9)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.0 (234, 8)
Rebound Margin: 3.1 (74, 5)
Assists Per Game: 12.8 (235, 11)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.8 (264, 12)
Madness 2018 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#109 A.J. Lawson
