Martin addresses Hinson focusing on football

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL

Frank Martin first sensed something was up with Evan Hinson the Friday before taking on Arkansas.

The junior that's been bouncing between football and basketball for the better part of three seasons now wasn't his usual self as the Gamecocks got ready to play the Razorbacks.

But, Martin kept quiet until after the game, making it his mission to get to the bottom of it before the Gamecocks traveled to play No. 1 Tennessee Monday.

"The practice before Arkansas, he wasn’t really engaged in practice. This is his third year with us, so I got a pretty good feel for him," Martin said. "He played the game and we were off Sunday. Monday my objective was to call him and ask, ‘Ev, everything all right?’ Before I could reach out to him, he said, ‘I need to come see you.’"

Also see: What Frank Martin said in his postgame press conference

What happened next was a two-day process from Monday and Tuesday where Hinson told Martin and the rest of the basketball staff he wanted to give up playing basketball and focus solely on football for the remainder of his career.

Hinson was averaging 1.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists in 9.5 minutes per game.

It was an incredibly involved process with Martin speaking not only to Hinson directly but getting input from football coach Will Muschamp before Hinson ultimately made his decision to leave the team.

Hinson, who's played sparingly at tight end behind some entrenched starters like first-rounder Hayden Hurts and veterans like Jacob August and K.C. Crosby, now gets a few days break before starting his redshirt junior season with the football team during spring practice, which starts Feb. 27.

He rejoins a program that loses its two starters at his position next year and has a wide-open competition for the starting spot heading into next season.

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"We talked on Monday and spoke again yesterday. Obviously Will Muschamp was engaged in those talks," Martin said." I understand, man. His clock is ticking. We had senior tight ends on the team this year, and there’s an opportunity for him to be a starting tight end. He’s been doing this like nonstop for three years; he wanted to rest his body for 10 or 12 days before camp starts for them."

But what's good for Hinson isn't great for a Gamecock basketball team already decimated with injuries.

The Gamecocks (12-12, 7-4 SEC) are already down three players who are redshirting this year in Justin Minaya (knee), TJ Moss (foot) and Jason Cudd (knee) and another in Jermaine Cousinard who's ineligible dealing with an academic issue.

South Carolina is now down to 10 players total with just eight healthy scholarship players.

"It hurts us, but when you take on a young man that’s a football player, that’s something you have to be prepared for," Martin said.

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Hinson was on a football scholarship, so his leaving the team does not impact the Gamecocks' numbers moving forward into the 2019 class and beyond.

The Gamecocks lost 85-73 to Tennessee Wednesday night and hit a season-high 14 three pointers.