SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL

Keyshawn Bryant saw the opportunity. Standing on the corner of the court at the Crisler Center, he noticed the defender out of position and, with a head nod from Chris Silva and almost no hesitation, took off for the basket.

In the split second before receiving the ball and jumping toward the hoop, he only had one thought.

“I’m going to dunk on him,” Bryant said, giving a little smile.

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What ensued was a violent posterization of the Wolverines’ Charles Matthews that made him look less like a player that saw significant minutes at Kentucky before playing on a Final Four team last year, and more like someone you’d find playing pickup at a local gym.

As Bryant streaked into the lane and up towards the basket, Matthews decided to jump and, instead of blocking the shot, had his plan backfire.

“You just have to take a charge or something,” AJ Lawson said, laughing.

Ask Bryant and he’ll probably be the first one to say he didn’t expect to play as much as he did.

But the freshman, added late to the Gamecocks’ 2018 class, is playing in 45 percent of the team’s minutes and has found his way into the starting lineup with Justin Minaya out of the lineup.

It was a learning curve, he said, trying to handle Martin’s defense, and it seems to be working after coming up with not only the highlight of his young career but arguably the best play of the Gamecocks’ (4-5) season.

“I feel like the team needed that,” Bryant said. “Chris threw me a pass and I made a play and finished it.”

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The play was simple enough.

Silva picked up the ball at the top of the key and, after making one dribble, shot Bryant a look. Once he saw that, instincts took over for both as Silva threaded a pass and Bryant caught it mid-stride and threw down the jam.

“If the defender is up the line, that means he can’t come and get the ball. You’re supposed to dribble and he back cut,” Silva said. “I saw it and dribbled at Keyshawn and he did a great job selling it and I passed the ball. Then he did what he did best: jump.”

Then, once his teammates saw him jump, there was only one thought possible.

“Get him Key,” TJ Moss said, smiling.

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Since the dunk, the highlight’s made its rounds on social media and ESPN’s different platforms, introducing the college basketball world to Bryant and his freakish athleticism.

As of Friday, there hadn’t been a day the dunk hadn’t been mentioned among the team with the Gamecocks are hoping Bryant continues his form as they enter two big matchups this week against No. 6 Virginia and Clemson, two teams with a combined record of 17-3.

“We talk about it every day,” Alanzo Frink said. “People really don’t know he can jump so his jumping ability is very sneaky. If somebody jumps on him, he’s going to dunk on him.”