South Carolina is pretty used to flying under the radar the last few years, and this year might be more of the same as the season quickly approaches.
But, as it gets within three weeks of the season starting, South Carolina’s coaching staff is high on the talent and depth they’re returning off last year’s squad.
“I think one of the things that might be overlooked is how deep we are. We’ve got some real depth at every position,” assistant coach Chuck Martin said. “Teams usually who are pretty good and make a run in league play and make runs in the NCAA Tournament usually those teams are deep at all the positions.”
The Gamecocks have been one of the more consistent teams in the SEC over the last five years, finishing in the top half of the league four of the last five seasons—including three in the top for—with a Final Four run mixed in as well.
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This year they return four starters and over 70 percent of their production from a team that finished sixth in the SEC.
Among those starters are former All-SEC freshmen team guards Jermaine Couisnard and AJ Lawson, a three-year starter in Justin Minaya and a two-year starter in Keyshawn Bryant.
“I think we have a good group of kids who are working really hard and who are super committed and talented. We have bodies,” Martin said. “We have a handful of guys who can really play.”
This season will undoubtedly be one of the more unusual in recent memory with COVID-19 protocols changing the way South Carolina and every other program handles things leading up to the season.
Martin, though, thinks this team has not only the talent to manage a season but the depth as well.
“I feel like we have enough bodies to sustain some of the challenges all coaches around the country encounter,” Martin said. “The coaches and staffs and teams that can figure out those challenges are the ones that have success. A big part of that is depth.”
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The Gamecocks have been doing full team practice over the last three weeks but have been back on campus since the summer working out.
Based off that alone, Martin’s been impressed with the maturity of this year’s team.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I have three kids of my own and I know how challenging it is for adults, let alone kids, to create a bubble and maintain a bubble and take care of their academic responsibilities,” Martin said.
“It’s been a challenge for our guys but they’ve responded really, really well. They’ve been committed to trying to create a bubble when we got together a few months ago, sustaining a bubble and having a positive outlook.”
