How does Gamecocks Sweet 16 run change recruit perception?

Finding blue-chip basketball talent in South Carolina has never been a problem.

Convincing those prospects to stay home, is another story entirely.

At a place like the University of South Carolina -- traditionally more known for its rabid football fan base and for men's basketball success over 40 years ago -- going out and simply landing the best basketball players that the Carolinas have to offer -- just hasn't been a realistic possibility.

For the most part, top local basketball prospects grow up dreaming of creating poster-worthy dunks and hitting deep 3-pointers in a jersey that's one of two popular shades of blue, rather than in the garnet and black of South Carolina.

Few know that scene better than Jamie Shaw.

As co-author of Phenom Hoops Report, a NCAA compliant scouting service that also organizes nationally recognized exposure camps, AAU tournaments, and high school showcases, Shaw has a unique feel for the pulse of both prospects and coaches in the Carolinas.

Duke and North Carolina will always be popular among top local talent, but can the Frank Martin-led renaissance of the Gamecocks program, make South Carolina more of a destination spot among the best?

"I think it's certainly putting South Carolina on the map," said Shaw, a North Myrtle Beach, S.C. native. "Not even just the school South Carolina, but the state of South Carolina."

Martin's recipe for building the South Carolina program has featured a special blend of ingredients.

The Gamecocks' run, of course, starts with SEC Player of the Year Sindarius Thornwell. The former four-star prospect believed in Martin's vision before it was considered cool to and it's paid of for both Thornwell and the Carolina program.

That's something the Gamecocks can build on moving forward, Shaw says.

"Now, the way South Carolina is winning, with their best two players arguably, obviously Sindarius Thornwell and then P.J. Dozier, being in-state players, they're going about building their brand as a winner with kids that are local," Shaw said. "But it's also building their brand nationally."

Landing in-state blue-chippers like Thornwell and Dozier is a major reason for Martin's success, but it's the evaluation and development of lesser-known prospects around them that has put Carolina in the Sweet 16. Martin prefers to make deep, thorough evaluations -- with a focus on the right fit -- before extending an offer, and that attention to detail has paid off as Martin is considered one of the game's best evaluators.

Chris Silva, Duane Notice, Maik Kotsar, Justin McKie, Rakym Felder, Hassani Gravett -- the list goes on -- none had four stars by their name during recruiting, and all have out-played their rankings.

"Frank Martin is creating the perception that South Carolina wins, but not only that South Carolina wins, but they build toughness and they build players and they develop," Shaw said. "I think absolutely this [run] is building it on the national level that South Carolina is doing something right."

As South Carolina has won more on the court, its recruiting success, at least on paper, has increased each season. Martin's early classes were littered with prospects who had few other major offers to their names.

Even before the Sweet 16 run, Martin had already signed arguably his best group to date with the class of 2017, led by David Beatty and Ibraham Doumbia.

Even with increased exposure for the program and a deeper pool of talent to pull from, Shaw doesn't expect Martin's focus on evaluation and "fit" to change.

"Still, South Carolina is doing a great job of evaluating and recruiting along with they have guys, both David Beaty and Ibrahim Doumbia are Top 100 type players," he said. "(Doumbia) is an unbelievable talent. David Beaty is the same. But what they all exude is mental toughness. They all exude a determination and a grit to win, which is a key factor in what Frank looks for in players. But they also bring a skillset and a toughness to the court. Doombia and Beaty were both sought after players with multiple Power 5 offers."

Despite South Carolina's historic run, don't expect recruiting to change over night. North Carolina and Duke will still be, well, North Carolina and Duke. One win over the Blue Devils doesn't change that. And for every Thornwell and Dozier, who decided to stay at home, there's a Seventh Woods or Nicolas Claxton, who thought an out-of-state program was a better fit.

But the Gamecocks recent run can only help change the perception of what's possible in the future at the program.

"The perception around the kids was that you're going to have to go elsewhere, you're going to have to go out of the state to get exposure," Shaw said. "Well South Carolina making a run, South Carolina having the SEC Player of the Year in home-grown Sindarius Thornwell, changes that perception. You can get that exposure staying home. South Carolina making a run, being ranked in the Top 25 the last two years, changes that perception nationally of the people coming in, saying, 'Hey, this team's pretty good.'"

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