Tre-Vaughn Minott will be 'ready to go' for LSU game
When Patrick Iriel left the Gamecocks’ program in late October, and as the season progressed, the coaching staff realized it needed another big man who can play and give the team a bigger force in the paint.
They got one right before the semester started in Tre-Vaughn Minott, who came to South Carolina as a mid-year enrollee and will get a chance to see his first action Saturday night against LSU.
“The plan is for him to help us. That’s why we brought him in right now. We needed another big body in there,” Frank Martin said. “We were short one when Iriel chose to leave the team. I don’t know if you saw our team the last few times we played with all the ins and outs with all the uncertainties out there right now, we could use another body.”
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Minott came to South Carolina in a little bit of an unusual circumstance, getting to campus and having two of his coaches—Martin and assistant Chuck Martin—having to go into isolation due to positive tests and contact tracing protocols.
He’s been able to practice now since arriving on campus, and has impressed assistant and now acting head coach Bruce Shingler enough to potentially chisel out some playing time against the Tigers.
“He’s never run an offensive set, never done a drill but he doesn’t look lost. If the opportunity presents itself, it’s next man up,” Shingler said. “I don’t know how the game is going to present itself. I don’t know if we’re in foul trouble or what we may have, but everybody is ready to go.”
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While he’s still finding he way around the program and in the Gamecocks’ system, what Minott can immediately give is added height to a roster needing some.
Outside of Minott, who’s listed at 6-foot-9, the Gamecocks only have one other player either his height or taller in Wildens Leveque (6-foot-10).
His size has been evident in limited practice time, but Shingler’s been impressed with the other types of intangibles Minott is bringing to practice leading up to Saturday’s game (8:30, SEC Network)
“That’s a big ole sucker. He came into practice and I talked to Frank and Chuck about it but I love what he brings to practice,” Bruce Shingler said. “His energy and spirit is high. He’s always talking and he’s engaged.”
Minott is originally from Canada and part of the 2020 class, playing for the Canadian National Basketball U17 team. He reclassified to the 2021 and spent some time at the NBA Academy Latin America before enrolling at South Carolina.
The biggest upside for both Minott and South Carolina is with this year not counting against eligibility Minott can come in and get acclimated without burning eligibility while South Carolina adds a big piece to its frontcourt.
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“He’s a talented young man that we think fits how we play. It’s a huge advantage when you bring somebody in and this year doesn’t count against him,” Martin said. “He’ll be a freshman again next year. He gets to get in the weight room, practice, learn and play and hopefully help us this year.”
