Three games isn’t a great sample size in a season to see what a team is or isn’t, but it does give Frank Martin a general idea of what needs to improve to maximize potential this season.
The Gamecocks have done both good and bad, but there are two things Frank Martin will be focusing on when the Gamecocks get back to practice this weekend leading into the SC State game Dec. 23.
“Our point guard play has to be better and our bigs have to be better. If you were to pinpoint me to where we have to play better, those are the two areas I’ve targeted on our team,” Martin said. “Our point guard play isn’t bad it just has to be more consistent. Then our bigs have to play better collectively.”
One of those areas—bigs play—was more of an unknown entering the season with South Carolina having to replace All-SEC forward Maik Kotsar.
So far this year, it’s been relatively hit and miss.
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The Gamecocks are a great offensive rebounding team, top 30 nationally in offensive rebound rate, and one of the biggest bright spots has been Wildens Leveque, who’s one of the better offensive rebounders in the country.
Leveque had a good freshman season and this year is in the top 10 percent of offensive rebounders nationally but needs to continue to develop his scoring output.
“Wildens Leveque is a much better player than he was last year. He’s really trying hard. This is the battle big guys fight: some guys are naturally this way and it’s awesome and others are like Chris Silva when he was younger. They play with such physicality that then when you throw them the ball they’re too tight. You can’t play on offense when you’re tight,” Martin said.
“Now you’re decision making is rushed and tight. Chris got better at that as he got older. Wildens is giving us a physical presence offensively and defensively at the rim. He’s too tight. He has to learn how to relax. When the ball’s coming to him and he realizes its’ not a physicality play but a scoring play, he’s got to figure out a way to mentally separate those two.”
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Leveque has come off the bench in favor of Alanzo Frink, who’s started all three games at center.
Frink is averaging 3.3 points and 3.7 rebounds this season and his head coach wants more from the junior big man.
“Alanzo has to give us more. He’s had tremendous moments in practice. He finished last year with a bang with the way he was playing, and the year’s not started off well for him. We’ve got to get him to play better. I’ve got to figure out how to help him so he can play better and play with more confidence, with a greater degree of physicality,” Martin said.
“His energy has not been good in games, and that’s his responsibility. There’s a certain energy level he has to bring that he’s not brought. Don’t ask me why, ‘m trying to figure it out.”
One wildcard in all of this is Jalyn McCreary, who struggled in the first two games against Liberty and Tulsa coming off concussion protocol and did better against Houston with eight points and four rebounds.
“We just need Jalyn to be at practice. His first year, he’d give us two good weeks of practice and then something would get beat up because he plays with reckless abandon and throws his body around and he’s not scared of contact,” Martin said. “He gets hit or gives a hit. He has to figure out a way to stay on the court so he can be more consistent with his minutes in a game.”
