Over the last two games, the Gamecocks have struggled to get consistent point guard play, and Saturday they have to match up against one of the better young point guards in the SEC.
When Auburn comes to town, the Tigers bring with them Sharife Cooper, a former five-star freshman and top 25 player in the country, and it will be a big test for South Carolina’s on-ball defense Saturday.
“It’s pretty simple when you watch him that he’s a special player. He’s special because me makes the four guys on the court better,” Frank Martin said of Cooper. “The guys who are impactful basketball players elevate the other four guys on the court. And he’s definitely done that. It’s pretty simple to see he’s a gifted basketball player, but he’s also the kind of person that elevates others.”
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Cooper didn’t play in Auburn’s first 11 games but has in its last four after being ruled eligible by the NCAA.
In a very small sample size he’s averaging 22.5 points, 8.3 assists and 4.5 turnovers per game while shooting 39.7 percent (13.6 percent from three).
He’s leading the SEC in assist rate (52.7) and fouls drawn per 40 minutes (8.5) and will be a test for a Gamecock point guard group that’s been inconsistent, especially on the defensive end.
“Our point guard play is not that it’s bad, it’s just not playing well. Back in October I thought our point guard play was pretty good and aggressive. Right now we’re unsure of what we’re doing. Part of that is the journey we’ve been on,” Martin said. “If we play better, then we give ourselves a chance to beat the teams we’re playing.”
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The Gamecocks are coming off back-to-back defensive performances where they gave up 80 points and allowed on average over a point per possession.
Because of the stop-and-start nature of this season, Martin said, it’s been difficult for the Gamecocks to get into a rhythm defensively and thus game plan for someone like Cooper.
“If we’ve been in sync with what we’re doing defensively it’s never easy but it’s easier to make adjustments because there’s a foundation of how you’re doing things already so your adjustments are off your foundation,” Martin said.
“We have no foundation right now. We’re trying to put scotch tape on everything and try to hold it together as we try to refigure out who we are defensively. We’re going to have our hands full but that’s the job and place.”
The Gamecocks have had growing pains at point guard this season, and Martin said the group is struggling to build confidence right now.
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“Our point guard play is not bad, it’s just looking for confidence. Every time we line up the guy in front of us is really good and the team in front is really good. Just think about the team we play. It’s all right. We’ll figure it out. I have confidence in what we have at the point. I need them to play better.”
Tip off against Auburn is scheduled for noon on ESPN 2.
