Martin shares thoughts on his team less than a week before practice starts

South Carolina is still a less than a week away from kick diving headfirst into practice for the upcoming season, but Frank Martin already likes what he’s seen from his group so far.

The Gamecocks have been able to do a little on-court work the last few weeks leading up to the official start of team practice but Martin said he’s already seeing what kind of team he has in September.

“I like our team. There’s a sense of competitiveness amongst each other. They enjoy being around each other. They push each other,” Martin said on his appearance on 107.5 FM. “All that’s so important, but the part I’m starting to like being around and really liking is their willingness to listen. A month in, you already know which guys are going to listen and which guys aren’t going to listen. You’re trying to figure out how they learn. These guys are like sponges. They really want to listen.”

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The Gamecocks bring back a lot of guys from last year’s team that finished 11-7 in the SEC, headlined by potential first-round pick AJ Lawson.

Lawson’s surrounded by a few returning guards in Jair Bolden and Jermaine Couisnard, who didn’t play last season, and TJ Moss, who’s coming off season-ending surgery last year and back to full-go.

Those guys have all been good in the lead up to practice and Martin said every player should see the court this season. He’s already telling guards they may be playing 25 minutes instead of 30 to try and get everyone involved.

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“AJ Lawson’s been good. Jermaine Couisnard, Jair Bolden, TJ Moss—I’m so happy to see him out there competing again—he brings a toughness, a personality you have to have to be good,” he said. “You keep going. There’s not a guy in practice right now I’m looking at and saying, ‘I don’t think this guy’s getting on the floor this year.' The returning guys are better and the new guys have been tremendous.”

One of the guys who Martin touched on specifically is Keyshawn Bryant, who’s coming off a breakthrough year where he averaged nine points and 3.8 rebounds as a freshman and seems to be rounding into form entering his sophomore season.

“I think Keyshawn Bryant’s taken a step forward as a basketball player. Last year he played as an athlete. By the end of the year he was starting to become a better player,” Martin told Heath Cline. “He worked on things all offseason and now we’re on the court and I’m seeing him play as a basketball player rather than an athlete playing basketball.”

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The Gamecocks bring in a five-man freshman class mixed with a graduate transfer in Micaiah Henry and a transfer in Seventh Woods, who will have to sit out this season.

One guy who’s come on strong, Martin said, is big man Wildens Leveque, who’s flashing some athleticism as team practice is getting ready to start.

“Wildens Leveque in yesterday’s workout was ridiculous. I’m sitting there saying—and not because he’s scored every basket—the way he rebounded, moved, blocked shots and competed at the rim, I’m sitting there saying, ‘Holy cow.’ I’m excited. Winning a game is real hard, sustaining to deal with a whole season is difficult, but I’m excited. I’m excited to start this journey and see what happens.”

The Gamecocks start practice Monday and will have a little over a month before starting their regular season Nov. 6 against North Alabama.