SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL

The Gamecocks hosted their media day Thursday morning with every returning player, including both transfers, available to the media a little less than a month before the season starts.

Before media day, GamecockCentral asked it's subscribers for questions they wanted to ask players and these were their answers.

Q: How did going against Bolden and Couisnard in practice help develop your game?

AJ Lawson: “For me, I’m a skinny fast guy. Those guys are strong. Going against stronger guys was definitely a benefit. In a game, there’s a stronger and faster guys. Those guys are athletic and the type of guys you see in the SEC.”

Q: Is making the NCAA tournament the standard moving forward?

TJ Moss: “Any program wants to get to the tournament. We’re one.”

Also see: Behind enemy lines getting to know the Bulldogs

Q: How do practices differ here from previous schools?

Micaiah Henry (Tennessee Tech): “It’s just really fast paced. He really focuses in on the details. I think that’s been a really big adjustment to play and perform at that level. Being able to get up and down. It’s really competitive. We do a lot of five on five things. We keep the juices flowing. Everything’s competitive. It’s fun.”

Jair Bolden (George Washington): “Frank practices are different. We go, but I think our practices are more competitive than anything I’ve been in. We're constantly guarding each other and playing against each other like it’s a game. I think that makes it good. in the games we’re used to that intensity.”

Seventh Woods (North Carolina): “Here, it’s more live action, game action. Everything we do is five on five competitive rather than at Chapel Hill sometimes we go from drill to drill to drill and then we get competitive. Everything we do here is competitive. I love that about it.”

Q: Who has stood out on defense? Offense?

Alanzo Frink: “Right now we’re changing the offense, so everyone’s getting used to everything. Right now, I feel like Micaiah’s getting used to everything, you have Wildens who’s a shot-blocking presence, and then you have Maik, who’s definitely. Then I’m working on scoring in the post and getting stronger.”

Q: Most difficult part of their game to adapt to the college level?

Alanzo Frink: “The biggest difference for me, since I’m not really explosive, I had to learn how to use my body a lot because I couldn’t jump through people. in high school, I was stronger than everybody so I could body people in the post. Now, everybody’s strong, so I have to learn how to use my footwork and use my body.”

TJ Moss: “That I’m not as fast as I really was when I got to this level. I used to be faster than a lot of people but once I got here, it was a chance and I had to learn how to slow my game down to be able to get to my spots.”

Also see: Gamecocks in good with three-star lineman

Jermaine Couisnard: “Just about spots. I’m used to in high school getting to a certain spot but here it’s all about spacing. That was my biggest problem, being spaced out.”

AJ Lawson: “It was just adjusting. I was just a skinny guy from Canada. I had to get stronger, had to learn how to play with pace a little bit because I just love to run up and down the court and dribble the ball as fast as I can. I had to learn how to play within the system, get stronger and play with guys who are tougher and stronger than me.”

Jair Bolden: “I think it’s just the speed and size of everybody. Normally, a guy like me can get to the rim in high school. If you get to the rim now there’s a seven-foot guy waiting for you. You can try to make a move but there’s a guard that’s in the gap. It’s getting used to all that. Being able to be locked in every moment in the game.”

Q: Who is the fastest player on the team?

Jair Bolden: “Fastest? Pssh, I think the fastest is Key (Bryant), but AJ might be the quickest. If you let Key run the court, he’s going to beat everyone up. But AJ as that first step and those cuts that are incredibly fast.”

Keyshawn Bryant: “Definitely me. It depends on what we’re sprinting at; if it’s 100 or 200 (yards), definitely me.”

Q: Who is the most irritating player to go up against due to their relentless defense?

Micaiah Henry: “Man, it’s tough. We have some tough guys out here. We have AJ with his skill, his length and athleticism. Whenever he’s coming off a ball screen or curling off a screen he’s hard to contain. Then you have Maik Kotsar with his size and ability—6-11, 270—he’s a handful to guard any time he catches the ball down low.”

Keyshawn Bryant: “I do not like guarding Jair. I don’t like guarding Jermaine, either. They can shoot, they can pull up on you.”

Seventh Woods: “Right now? The guys I’ve guarded the most are Ja and AJ. I’d have to be one of them because I haven’t guarded the others much. Those two are definitely tough guards. Both of them.”

Also see: Projecting South Carolina's hoops lineup this year

Q: Who has surprised you the most at hitting the 3 pointer?

TJ Moss: “Keyshawn can knock it down. He’s been working on that shot.”

Jermaine Couisnard: “Mike Green. He don’t look like it.”

Keyshawn Bryant: “Wildens (Leveque). He hits them in practice. He trusts his shot. That’s a good thing.”

Q: Who is the best free throw shooter?

Alanzo Frink: “Jair. I see Ja shoot in the gym, so I’d have to say he’s the best shooter.”

AJ Lawson: “It might be TJ. We only had one drill the other day where we’re shooting free throws and I think it was TJ making all of his. Him and Jair.”