It’s been a whirlwind of an offseason for South Carolina men’s basketball with more turnover this year than in the previous two years combined.
The Gamecocks have overhauled about half of their scholarship players from last year’s six-win that dealt with major COVID issue and struggled in SEC play.
With a bevy of moves from transfers departing and enrolling and bringing in a three-man signing class it can be hard to keep track of it all, so we’ll this space to keep track of all the movement.
In (7)
Guard, Chico Carter Jr. (via Murray State)
Carter—originally from Columbia, S.C.—was the Gamecocks’ first transfer portal commitment, announcing his decision in early April and is on campus now for the start of offseason workouts.
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The 6-foot-2 guard will likely play some point guard and off the ball in the backcourt and give the Gamecocks more ability to space the floor with his ability to shoot. Carter Jr. shot 44.2 percent from three last year and had a 107.1 offensive efficiency and joins a team coming off shooting 30.5 percent from deep.
He will compete for starter minutes with the Gamecocks losing almost all of their guards from last year’s team. Carter is coming off a career year where he averaged 12.7 points usually coming off the bench while shooting 50.8 percent from the field.
Guard, Devin Carter (freshman)
Carter is the highest-rated member of the Gamecocks’ 2021 signing class, coming to campus a four-star prospect and the No. 88 player in the class.
A native of Miami, Fla., Carter reclassified down to the 2021 after a season-ending shoulder injury and took a prep year at Brewster Academy before enrolling at South Carolina.
His Brewster Academy head coach raved about his competitiveness and ability on the court, and Carter has a chance to play big minutes in the backcourt off the ball.
During his senior year at Doral (Fla.) he averaged 28.8 points per game on 50 percent shooting with 8.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
Josh Gray (via LSU)
Gray was the latest addition to the team, rounding out the roster with his July commitment.
He'll add immediate size listed at 6-foot-11, 255 pounds but will need to refine his offensive game after coming out of high school a little raw and not playing much at LSU (10 games, 33 total minutes). When Gray was in the game he was effective, shooting 3-for-6 from the field.
His impact, at least early, will be defensively and on the glass. He's a physical post presence and hauled in 12 rebounds (seven defensive, five offensive) and blocked two shots.
Wing, James Reese (via North Texas)
Reese is another Columbia-based player who started his career at Buffalo and went to junior college before playing the last two seasons at North Texas, having the most NCAA Tournament experience on the roster.
The 6-foot-4, 167-pounder was the second-leading scoring on a team that won a game in the NCAA Tournament, finishing averaging 10.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three.
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He could play the second guard spot or the wing, and should compete for minutes there with the guards and behind Keyshawn Bryant at the wing spot.
Guard, Erik Stevenson (via Washington)
The second time was the charm for Stevenson, who was recruited by South Carolina out of the portal an offseason ago but opted to go closer to home and play for the Huskies.
He heads to South Carolina now after one season there where he has a chance to work himself into a starting guard spot once he arrives on campus later in June.
Stevenson’s numbers dipped this season, averaging 9.3 points on 35.7 percent shooting but both Stevenson and South Carolina hope the Gamecocks’ system can get him back to where he was the final season at Wichita State where he averaged 11.1 points on 37.7 percent shooting.
Forward, AJ Wilson (via George Mason)
Wilson comes in after four years at Mason, where he turned into one of the better defensive players in the conference.
The 6-foot-7, 230-pounder was the Most Improved Player in 2019-20 then earned A-10 All-Defensive team honors this past season en route to setting the school record in career blocks (212) averaging 2.9 and 2.3, respectively, the last two seasons.
Wilson’s productivity scoring dipped this year—down from 12.2 to 7.8 points and from 45.5 to 39.7 percent shooting—and the hope is he can rekindle some of that scoring in Columbia as well.
His role will likely be defensive, averaging five rebounds last season and hauling in 509 already in his career.
Guard, Jacobi Wright (freshman)
Wright is another top 150 prospect already on campus, coming in to try and help steady the point guard spot. Wright, a home state player who started at Fort Mill and finished at Legacy Early College in Greenville, is the No. 111 player in the country.
BJ Jackson, Wright’s coach at LEC, loves his ability to command an offense and lead a team and Wright also averaged 16.4 points, 3.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 42 percent from the field, 41 from three.
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While the Gamecocks only return one guard who averaged over 10 minutes last game but do have a handful of guards who’ve already played college basketball but Wright should compete for minutes in the guard rotation at point.
Forward, Ta’Quan Woodley (freshman)
Woodley’s recruitment came together quickly in the early signing period after he de-committed from Penn State and the Gamecocks—his first offer—swooped in and landed the 6-foot-7 forward.
South Carolina has some bigs on its roster who’ve played—Wildens Leveque, Alanzo Frink, Tre-Vaughn Minott and now Wilson—but Woodley has a chance to play some as a freshman.
He prides himself on being an aggressive, defensive-first player.
Out (7)
Wing, Trey Anderson (transfer) ---> San Jose State
Alanzo Frink (transfer) —> East Carolina
Guard, Trae Hannibal (transfer) ---> Murray State
Guard, AJ Lawson (NBA Draft)
Forward, Jalyn McCreary (transfer) ---> South Florida
Wing, Justin Minaya (grad transfer) ---> Providence
Guard, TJ Moss (grad transfer) ---> McNeese State
Guard, Seventh Woods (grad transfer) ---> Morgan State
