Gamecocks coming together at the right time

A month ago, it was hard to envision the Gamecocks doing what they did Wednesday night at Vanderbilt.

They were losers of four straight games and, after getting close to beating Michigan, Virginia and Clemson could never get over that hump.

That changed in a comeback win over Florida and culminated Wednesday when they came back from 12 down to beat the Commodores and improve to 4-0 in conference play for just the third time since joining the SEC.

“I’ve liked this team from day one. They’ve got a lot of resolve. We didn’t throw the towel in when we lost some games earlier. That doesn’t mean we’re going to win the next six, it just means when the game’s going they’re not throwing the towel in. They’re fun to be around.”

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The Gamecocks (9-7, 4-0 SEC) have trailed at some point in all four of their SEC games, including the majority of the wins at Florida and Vanderbilt.

It seems like once the Gamecocks figured out how to win close games and got over that hump, they started to rattle off wins in league play.

But for those close to the team, it was just a matter of time before a group of young players gelled together and started to put together a string of big wins.

“From the beginning of the year, I had faith in this team. We had our struggles but I feel like six freshmen and eight new guys total you’re going to have some ups and downs,” Hassani Gravett said. “I definitely had no doubt that we could be a great team.”

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When the season started the Gamecocks had seven new faces in practice: five freshmen that never played college basketball before, a graduate transfer in Tre Campbell and not to mention George Washington transfer Jair Bolden who can practice but isn’t playing while sitting out a year.

With so many new players, it would have been hard to expect a group of primarily freshmen to gel quickly. They would have their growing pains but it was only a matter time, Gravett said, before the team he saw in the summer started to show itself on the court.

“I realized it in the summer playing pickup and mix-matching the teams and going at it each day,” he said. “Guys, we have a lot of competitors on our team, so seeing that and seeing how guys bonded together, I knew something was special.”

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The Gamecocks started 5-7 in non-conference play but, after beating North Greenville to end a four-game losing streak, are winners of five straight, the longest streak since the team’s Final Four year.

They’re undefeated over their first four games of SEC for the third time in school history with the other two years ending in an SEC title and a final four run.

A win Saturday at LSU would tie the longest conference win streak in seven seasons under Martin.

“I think it says a lot about the chemistry of our team,” Gravett said. “Everybody pulled through and made sure we kept fighting. Nobody lets up.”

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