SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL

It was a solid opening-night win for South Carolina Wednesday, but an even bigger night for two of the Gamecocks’ freshmen.

In their 77-55 win over North Alabama, both Jalyn McCreary and Trae Hannibal showed glimpses of what they can bring to the team this season.

“Jalyn’s been playing really well early on,” Micaiah Henry said. “He’s been crashing the boards well, finishing around the rim well. He’s really just scratching the surface of his potential. I think he’ll have a really good career here."

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McCreary was the biggest bright spot for the Gamecocks’ frontcourt, putting up nine points and four rebounds in 20 minutes, the most among freshmen.

He’d get thrown into a few tough situations, having to play the five at times with a guard-heavy lineup, but he did enough right to impress his coaches and his teammates.

“It helps a lot,” Justin Minaya said of his explosiveness, “especially Jalyn going for an offensive rebounder. I think he’s a really good offensive rebounder and he’ll help with that.”

After battling cramps in the Gamecocks’ exhibition, Hannibal showed exactly why he was thought of as a Rivals150 player coming out of Hartsville (S.C.) High School last season.

The linebacker disguised as a point guard went for just five points and an assist, but gave his team a boost off the bench as one of the team’s better on-ball defenders.

"The one thing he did do today is he’s the one guard who put up a fight and guarded the ball. He created some loose balls for us,” Frank Martin said. “He went out there and said you’re not going to screen me and you’re not going to beat me off the dribble. He gave us life. Credit him that he’s able to do that.”

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What he did in Wednesday’s win is nothing new to his teammates, who have seen that version of Hannibal since practice started.

“Incredible energy, and his defensive presence is amazing,” Jair Bolden said. “Being able to learn the offense, he made some freshman mistakes but that’s to be expected, but he’s being aggressive and learning. (I saw) how much room he has for growth and how good I think he’s going to be.”

The next step for both comes in maturing and growing in the Gamecocks’ system, which will come as they get more and more comfortable with what they’re being asked to do.

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“I tell him every day he has to learn what we’re doing. The days of just gambling going for a steal and breaking the team defense down, you can’t do that anymore, and offensively not knowing what structure we’re running. Just give me the ball and let me do my thing doesn’t work. You think that’s going to work against Kentucky, Tennessee and all those guys? He has to mature in that way,” Martin said of Hannibal. “He’s like all young kids, they’re worried about the YouTube moment instead of worrying about making the right play. That’s where his growth has to come.”

Both players were ranked inside the Rivals150 for the 2019 class with McCreary finishing at No. 135 overall while Hannibal stayed steady at No. 148.