SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL
When teams start preparing for South Carolina and Frank Martin, coaches usually know what they’re going to get offensively.
Martin-coached teams are usually methodical on the offense, playing through a dominant low-post player, mostly in half court sets.
But, with an injection of a host of long, athletic guards and wings last year the Gamecocks began to switch away from that a little and it could continue into this season as well.
“We probably won’t play solely through the low post next year. We probably need to play a little differently. We probably might evolve defensively because we have so many 6-foot-6 athletic guys. I don’t have that answer for you,” Frank Martin said after last season. “We build next year’s team based on the strength of the personnel going into next year’s team. That’s what you do. That’s what we’ll do.”
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The Gamecocks did play through Chris Silva plenty last season—he was involved in 26.9 percent of the team’s offensive possessions—but they played a lot faster than in years past.
In 2018-19 the Gamecocks had an adjusted tempo of 70.2, which is the number of possessions they’d get against a Division I school wanting to play at the average basketball tempo.
It was the fastest tempo of any Martin-coached team dating back to his time at Kansas State. It ranked 61st nationally in terms of adjusted tempo, the highest ranked team he’s had in Columbia and the third-highest he’s had in his career.
Last year’s team was one of just two teams to hit over 70 possessions with the only other coming in 2015-16 with a guard-heavy team that included Sindarius Thornwell, PJ Dozier and Duane Notice.
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The offense finished the year with an offensive efficiency at 108.1, the third-highest of a Martin team at South Carolina behind only the Final Four year (108.9) and the year before where they won 25 games (109).
The reason they were able to go so fast last year was because of athletic, quick guards and wings like Hassani Gravett, Tre Campbell, AJ Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant who enjoyed getting out and running in transition.
This year they’re bringing back Lawson, who’s projected to be a first round pick by ESPN, and Bryant while also bringing in athletic bigs like Jalyn McCreary and Wildens Leveque who enjoy getting out and running.
“If I get the rebound, I can push the ball,” AJ Lawson. “Keyshawn, anyone, I feel like we got a lot of talented guys that can get up the floor quick.”
The Gamecocks bring back a lot of pieces like Lawson and Bryant in the backcourt with TJ Moss coming back from a season-long injury while Jermaine Couisnard and Jair Bolden are both eligible this season after missing all of last year.
“I think we have all the pieces. We have very talented big guys that can block shots and score down low. We have shooters; we have slashers,” Bolden said. “Everyone on the team, which is the most important thing, is willing to learn. I don’t think we’ve reached our full potential. We’re still working everyday to reach that. Hopefully we’ll find it.”
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It’s also a little different too without the entrenched post presence they’ve had the last four years in Silva.
They have talent on the roster in Maik Kotsar, Micaiah Henry, Alanzo Frink and the freshmen but Kostar is coming off a rough junior season, Henry is still adjusting to the system as a graduate transfer and Frink is fully healthy for the first time since coming in last year.
It could be a situation where the Gamecocks could opt to play smaller with a guy like Bryant or Minaya at the power forward spot if they want to maybe go a little faster.
“Whatever the team needs me to do, I’ll do,” Minaya said. “I think I’ve gotten a lot stronger. I’m strong, I’ve put on a lot of weight to help me play the four. I’m a good rebounder and take pride in my rebounding. That’s one of my biggest attributes to help the team.”
