The South Carolina Gamecocks basketball team is looking to make a mark in the SEC basketball landscape. Last season, was far from stellar with a 14-16 (5-11 SEC) record and some off the court issues in the postseason with player departures.
Head coach Darrin Horn is trying to get the Gamecocks over the hump and into the NCAA Tournament; somewhere they haven’t been since 2004. The year ahead for USC will be tough as the team is young and the schedule has its’ challenges.
Let’s dive into this hoops squad:
Going into the 2011-2012 season, the off-season had plenty to talk about with the starting point guard Bruce Ellington leaving the team to go and play football for the Gamecocks. The good news in this is Ellington does still plan on re-joining the hoops team once football season ends, it is uncertain as to when that will be.
The off-season also saw the loss of starting shooting guard Ramon Galloway and Ole Miss transfer Murphy Holloway who sat out last season only to leave USC and re-enroll at Mississippi. Add in the graduation of their top inside player, Sam Muldrow, and Horn will have a roster in which nine of the eleven players are underclassmen.
This team is young with question marks but the team has talent. Potential is there for a surprising season but it will take work and some lucky bounces. Until Bruce Ellington gets back, the Gamecocks look to sophomore Eric Smith and JUCO transfer Benton Williams to handle the point guard responsibilities. Sophomore Brian Richardson looks to replace Galloway as the Gamecocks’ starting shooting guard but could lose out to incoming freshman Damien Leonard. In the forward spots, the Gamecocks will lean on Malik Cooke, who is the lone senior on the roster and junior Lakeem Jackson. Those two bring experience to the forward spots but form an undersized duo as Cooke is 6-6 while Jackson is just 6-5. Sophomore R.J. Slawson and freshman Anthony Gill will hope to provide some depth at the forward slots. Damonte Harris and redshirt freshman Carlton Geathers will attempt to replace Muldrow’s effectiveness inside.
Expect Cooke, Jackson, Elligton, Gill and Leonard to lead this squad. Glimmers of hope were seen from Cooke last season so potential is there and the same from Jackson.
Here is a projected Depth Chart for 2011-2012:
F/C: Damontre Harris (So)/Carlton Geathers (Fr)
F: Malik Cooke (Sr)/Anthony Gill (Fr)
SF: Lakeen Jackson (Jr)/R.J. Slawson (So)
SG: Brian Richardson (So)/Damien Leonard (Fr)
PG: Bruce Ellington (So)/Eric Smith (So)/Brenton Williams (So)
Key Gamecocks Lost: PF-Sam Muldrow, PF-Johndre Jefferson, F-Murphy Holloway (transfer-Ole Miss), SG-Ramon Galloway (transfer-La Salle), SG-Steve Spinella (not playing basketball anymore).
Newcomers: Freshmen Anthony Gill (Fr. – F – 6-8 – 235 – Charlotte, N.C. – Charlotte Christian School) and Damien Leonard (Fr. – G – 6-4 – 192 – Greenville, S.C. – J.L. Mann) and junior college transfer Brenton Williams (So. – G – 5-11 – 172 – Kissimmee, Fla. – Osceola/Santa Fe College).
Expectations for 2011-2012
The Gamecocks have talented players that have the ball skills necessary to win some games, they just need experience and to put forth a team effort. As long as USC does not try to live and die by the three ball, they should be able to compete with every team on the schedule. The key to success for this squad will be interior play and rebounding. If they can hold their own on the inside, this team could surprise quite a few and make some noise.
For Coach Horn, pressure is mounting to prove progression in the program. Love to see them get to the NCAA but don’t see that happening but the NIT is a reality as the Gamecocks should be able to finish over .500 overall.
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