MBK: Gamecocks need young frontcourt newcomers to step up early
Between Sindarius Thornwell, Duane Notice, P.J. Dozier, Justin McKie and TeMarcus Blanton, South Carolina possesses one of the best and deepest guard corps in the SEC for 2016-17.
The forward line, though, could be the youngest and least experienced in the conference with four newcomers, three of them freshmen, gracing the preseason roster, all of whom are expected to get meaningful playing time.
Sophomore Chris Silva is the lone returning scholarship frontline player following the departures of Michael Carrera, Laimonas Chatkevicius, Mindaugas Kacinas, Eric Cobb, Raymond Doby and Brian Steele after last season.
Undoubtedly, the evolving chemistry between the experienced backcourt and the inexperienced frontcourt should be an intriguing early season storyline for the Gamecocks.
“I think they are going to be fine,” head coach Frank Martin said of his new contingent of frontcourt players. “They’re young. They’re going to be nervous. That’s the great thing about having older guys around that can help those guys deal with those moments. As good a player as P.J. Dozier is and was last year for us, he was nervous sometimes. Having a Sindarius around to help him deal with those moments, that’s what it’s about.”
The group of frontcourt newcomers includes three foreigners – freshman Khadim Gueye (Dakar, Senegal), freshman Maik Kotsar (Tallin, Estonia) and JUCO transfer Ran Tut (Melbourne, Australia).
The fourth newcomer, Sedee Keita, lists his hometown as Philadelphia but he spent time at the 22ft Basketball Academy in Greenville.
Right now, the quartet is working through its second week of practice and are experiencing the typical ups and downs most new players go through in major college basketball.
“Those young guys are all going to be extremely valuable to us,” Martin said. “If you ask me about one guy standing out, none of them are because they are all in the same place on the learning curve. They all bring something positive to the team, which is so important.
“It’s going to be one of those deals where things are done by committee. They are all going to play. Who plays more will be determined by maturity, the ability to retain information, managing emotions and things of that nature. If you do those things, you minimize mistakes.”
The 6-foot-9, 223-pound Silva started six of 32 games last season, averaging 5.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while playing just over 13 minutes per contest. He shot a respectable 48.2 percent from the floor and blocked 28 shots, emerging as a defensive force underneath the basket. The negative? His 100 fouls and three disqualifications led the Gamecocks.
“Chris Silva is going to take a huge step forward,” Martin said. “His understanding of what we’re trying to do and who he is as a player within our structure, he’s in a much better place on Day 1 compared to Day 1 last year. He has been extremely helpful to those other big young players.”
The front court novices must develop quickly for South Carolina to successfully navigate a challenging non-conference schedule highlighted by matchups with Michigan (Nov. 23), Syracuse (Nov. 26), Seton Hall (Dec. 12), USF (Dec. 17), Clemson (Dec. 21) and Memphis (Dec. 30).
“Early in the year, we’ll probably have to depend on our guards a lot more, maybe for some post stuff,” Martin said. “But I’m always looking for balance. That’s the goal by the end of the year. Right now, we have big strong guards. We posted up (Carrera) a lot last year, especially when he was at the three (spot).
“I think we can do that with P.J. (6-foot-6) and Sindarius (6-foot-5). They are big, strong guards. We have more guards too. We can have some other guys there. As they continue to grow and get better, you can play P.J. and Sindarius off the ball a little bit. Both of them would be a nightmare to guard at the eight or nine-foot range.”
