Two seniors reflect on memorable moments during careers

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL

With the news yesterday of South Carolina being left out of the NCAA Tournament and NIT, it means the careers of Chris Silva, Hassani Gravett and Tre Campbell are over at South Carolina are over.

Those three will all explore options in professional basketball but won't suit up for South Carolina again. Campbell leaves after just one season as a graduate transfer but for Silva and Gravett, that duo is one of the more decorated in Gamecock history.

Now that their careers are over, the two longest-tenured seniors in Silva and Gravett on the team opened up about some of their career highlights, their favorite teammates and which opposing players they hated going against.

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Favorite game

Silva: “Probably the Duke one or Kentucky (games). Those are the two that always stick in my head. Duke because ESPN had us with a two percent chance of winning that game. That got us fired up. In the first half of the game we couldn’t make shots but the defense was tough and we were still in the game. in the locker room the coaches and players were talking and we walked out confident that we could get this thing done. It was a crazy game.”

Gravett: “Probably when I dropped my career high against Florida in a road game, SEC opener. It was real fun. Bloomin’ Onion.”

Favorite teammate(s)

Silva: “There were a whole bunch of friends that turned into family. I can’t think of one. if I had to chose, we were all tight but PJ (Dozier) and John (Ragin) were with me every day and always doing something with me.”

Gravett: “Probably Chris. That’s my senior brother. We’ve bene through it together. I’d known Chris before I got here. We didn’t have a relationship but I knew of him from different AAU tournaments.”

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Hardest player to compete against

Silva: “Probably Grant (Williams) and (Robert) Williams from Texas A&M; probably those two. Yante Maten was tough too; I’m not going to lie. He was tough. He was the guy when I was facing him I knew it was going to be a battle and a good game.”

Gravett: “I don’t know if I want to answer that. Tremont was probably the most difficult person I guard. But I plan on taking my game past this year. Maybe I’ll meet up with him again in the tournament. You never know.”

“I did well against (Fletcher Magee). I was happy he wasn’t able to get the catches or the shots he wanted. He was a big-time shooter.”

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The two were major factors in South Carolina's 2017 Final Four run with Silva starting in the Gamecocks' front court with Gravett playing a big role off the bench behind Sindarius Thornwell, PJ Dozier and Duane Notice.

They blossomed into their own players over their careers with Silva earning All-SEC honors his last two years on campus, including being named Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a junior.

Gravett, after a rough junior year, had a senior year to remember shooting over 40 percent from three and earning SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors.