SOUTH CAROLINA MEN’S BASKETBALL
There was no season-opening disappointment for the Gamecocks this year, as they took care of business with a 87-50 exhibition win over Columbia International.
Aside from a lull at the start of the second half, South Carolina controlled the game as expected, a far cry from last season when it lost to Augusta. South Carolina led by 23 at halftime, but CIU cut the lead to 13 early in the second half. Frank Martin called it a learning experience for young players.
“We’ve got firepower, we’re also immature,” Martin said. “We played that way in certain sections of the game. Little by little we’ll get it all connected.”
South Carolina played without one returning starter, Keyshawn Bryant, who was out with a knee injury, and another key player, Jermaine Couisnard, who was out with an illness. The news was more troubling for Bryant, who is expected to miss six weeks with his injury.
Martin updates Bryant, Couisnard injuries
South Carolina got strong games from returning players A.J. Lawson and Maik Kotsar. Kotsar scored six points early in the game and finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Lawson lived up to his potential, leading all players with 23 points and seven assists, plus a pair of rebounds and steals.
“He played with a much better tempo than he did a year ago,” Martin said. “You’re starting to see him remain aggressive even against set defenses.”
Among the new faces, Jair Bolden, who sat out last season as a transfer, started alongside Lawson and filled the stat sheet. Bolden had 12 points, six rebounds, and six assists, and looked like a good replacement for Hassani Gravett.
Freshman Jalyn McCreary played well off the bench. He played with a lot of energy, but under control. His 15 points were second-highest in the game, and he added three rebounds and three assists, including a nice feed to Lawson on a backdoor cut.
“Jalyn is one of those guys that when he shoots the ball it figures out a way to go in,” Martin said. “He’s a basketball player. He’s got instincts and courage.”
Martin compared McCreary to Chris Silva, saying that he may not always be in the right place, but he plays hard.
“He’s great, he does that every day in practice,” Bolden said. “He’s always giving 110 percent and crashing the glass hard and he’s rewarded with rebounds.”
Alanzo Frink started and was extremely productive in short minutes. He had four rebounds in the first 3:30 of the game, and finished with nine points and eight rebounds in just 13 minutes.
Notes:
The Gamecocks did not shoot well from the free throw line. They were 17-32 as a team. Surprisingly, Kotsar wasn’t the culprit, going 2-2. Micaiah Henry went 2-8 and Wildens Leveque went 0-4 to pull down the average. … South Carolina shot 47.7 percent for the game. CIU was 31 percent. … Freshman Trae Hannibal a rebound and assist in only six minutes. He struggled with cramps in the first and second halves. Martin said that Hannibal needs to learn how to hydrate better, but said nerves might have played a role. … The Gamecocks went 8-17 from three, led by 3-4 from Bolden and 3-5 from Lawson. … South Carolina had a 53-28 rebounding edge. … Walk-on Mike Green scored the final basket for South Carolina, his only basket. … CIU brought a large fan contingent, possibly outnumbering the Gamecock fans. … South Carolina opens the season November 6 against North Alabama.
