Silva opens up about 'hard' start to senior season

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL

There was a moment in South Carolina’s six-point win over Coastal Carolina where Chris Silva looked like, well Chris Silva.

The 6-foot-10 big man caught the ball coming off the rim at the apex, came down with it and went back up with one hand and slammed the ball back into the net.

It was reminiscent of the Silva of old, the guy that was all-conference and SEC Defensive Player of the Year last season, but those sights have been few and far between in what he called a hard start to his senior season.

“I think I’ve been over thinking and putting too much pressure on myself,” Silva said. “With all that, I think I forgot to enjoy the game.”

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Silva found a way to enjoy the game Saturday night.

His stats—nine points, five rebounds—may not show it but Silva seemed to make the plays he’d make when he was on in games last season. He had a few dunks and a season-high six blocks while battling some foul trouble that limited him to 19 minutes.

Silva came into the season as a preseason All-SEC honoree but struggled to live up to that reputation through the first month of the season.

He’s scored in double figures just twice already and registered over 25 minutes in less than half of the team’s games.

Silva admitted the start to the season has been hard on him, as substandard performances continued to snowball without a long enough break to catch his breath and get back to the player it was.

“You’re looking at the coaches and the frustration on everybody,” Silva said. “That goes into your head. With that, coach still didn’t stop believing in me...I just cleared my mind. It doesn’t matter the points or whatever, I just tried to give the best I could.”

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Through all of it, he said head coach Frank Martin’s confidence never wavered.

Martin had a talk with Silva after the team lost to Wofford and the message was simple: stop piling on unneeded pressure and just go out and play the game.

“He’s got to worry about what he used to do that made him such an important player on a team that was able to make a run to the final four, which is play with unbelievable enthusiasm and relentless energy. We need to get him back to that,” Martin said. “Stop worry about our team or me. Stop worrying about that stuff. Worry about being you. Once you’re you and you start having success, then you can start worrying about everyone else.”

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When Silva’s playing free, Martin said, he brings the team’s energy and enthusiasm, something that’s missing if he’s not playing with confidence.

With two road games, including one against No. 5 Michigan Saturday, the team hopes Silva’s struggles are behind him and his performance against Coastal is one he’ll build on and play freer as the Gamecocks (4-3) start a pivotal stretch of their season.

“He’s definitely over thinking. Sometimes he tries to take on too many responsibilities instead of doing what he’s good at and shining in that aspects,” Hassani Gravett said. “He’s able to get in the game and make some big time plays for us.”