Maik Kotsar 'starting to figure it out'

If there was ever a play to summarize how Maik Kotsar is playing this season, look no further than Sunday when Maik Kotsar found himself alone in the open court.

With only a trailing defender half-heartedly getting back in transition, the old Kotsar might have just laid it, securing two points but nothing from the style department.

That was the old Kotsar, though.

Sunday, the 6-foot-11 forward, instead of the save lay-up play, threw down a one-handed dunk, securing the two points and bringing the crowd at Colonial Life Arena to its feet.

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“I mean I feel better,” Kotsar said. “I feel light on my feet. The opportunities present itself."

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A year ago, Kotsar running alone in the open court might be cause for concern, but not this year.

So far, the longest-tenured Gamecock is the team’s best player and is acting as a catalyst for Frank Martin’s offense.

“We look to Maik as our leader on and off the court,” Jair Bolden said. “When he’s playing well, it sets the tone for the whole team.”

He’s scored in double figures in his last five games after scoring 10 or more points just five all of last season.

Over those last five games he’s been a stalwart in the lineup, playing 35.4 minutes per game with an average offensive rating of 108.6.

He’s averaging 13.2 points on 58.2 percent from the field while averaging 7.4 rebounds per game. Over his last five games he’s hauled in 12 offensive rebounds as well.

“I hope like heck he continues to play this way,” Martin said. “Maik can be a pro. I’ve been telling him for years, ‘Dude you can be a pro, man. The way you defend, you can be a pro. You’re big and strong.’ I think he’s starting to figure it out.”

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It’s a far cry from last year where Kotsar struggled to do anything offensively, shooting 43.8 percent from the field en route to averaging just 6.7 points per game and looking insecure offensively.

“There were moments last year where I didn’t know how to help him. he was great defensively but he would shrink on offense. It was his mind and he would not allow himself to succeed offensively,” Martin said. “I couldn’t be happier for him.”

This year is completely different through eight games and it’s showing in his game with him attempting the second-most field goals (72) on the team behind AJ Lawson and the most of any post player with the next-highest Alanzo Frink at 39.

“I want him to stay aggressive. He always worried about missing shots. Stop worrying about that. He’s battling,” Martin said. “His minutes are way up. He’s not picking up his rik-tik fouls,” Martin said. “I’m really happy for Maik. We need him to keep doing what he’s doing.”

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There’s still work to be done, especially on the defensive glass, and Kotsar can knock down his jumper at a higher clip, too, but it seems like everything is coming together at the moment as he continues his senior season.

He only got a “passing grade” on his dunk from Bolden, and joked a between-the-legs dunk was next up in his arsenal, but his game right now is exactly what he expected as he worked this offseason.

“More or less,” he said, nodding. “I still have a lot of work to do. I still have to get better in some regards. I have to be more aggressive on the rebounds. Against Northern Iowa, I got three rebounds. I have to be better at that. Then limit turnovers, make better decisions and make shots.”

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