2016 BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Adam Collins / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Kamila Melko / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Gamecocks ready to rebound after early postseason exits Adam Orfinger @AORFINGER
T
he South Carolina basketball tea ms capt ivated t he st ate and the nation last season as Frank Martin and Dawn Staley led their squads to a combined 30-0 start before the men lost on the road at Alabama. For the third straight year, Staley’s women claimed at least a share of the SEC title. Martin’s squad surprised t he experts and finished third in the SEC, while setting a program record with 25 wins. The regular season was incredibly k ind to t he G amecock s, but t he p o st sea son prov ided bit ter heartbreak. It started in Nashville, where the men lost a nail-biter to Georgia, effectively relegating them to the NIT. It wou ld on ly get worse f rom there, as suspensions would make t he top-seeded G amecock s play
short-handed in t he N IT, where t hey lost in t he second round at home. After being so close to the Big Da nce t hat t hey cou ld t aste it , the players haven’t changed their mentality. “The goal remains t he same,” senior guard Sindarius Thornwell said. “Make the tournament.” T he No. 2 Sout h Ca rol i na women’s team entered the NCA A Tournament with high expectations. The Gamecocks earned a top seed, but, after rolling through the first 11 quarters of the tournament, the wheels fell off in the fi nal period of the Sweet 16 matchup with Syracuse. South Carolina headed home from Sioux Falls empty-handed and with a bad taste in the players’ mouths, but the Gamecocks have too much t a lent to dwel l on la st sea son’s
disappointing fi nish. “At the end of the day, we did learn from that loss, and we’re just going to keep growing from it,” junior forward A’ja Wilson said. For both teams, this season is all about fi nding out what that growth is. For Mart in and his staf f, t he challenge has become continuing to build momentum despite losing s e v e n pl a y e r s f r o m l a s t y e a r ’s rotat ion. Staley has to rally t he troops after last season and bring the Gamecocks back to the Final Four in hopes of delivering what the fans desperately want: an NCA A Championship. With talented rosters, both teams are looking to rebound, not rebuild. The core is in place for the women, with Wilson, last year’s SEC Player of the Year, and All-American Alaina Coates being joined by two All-ACC
transfers. The men have the most experienced backcourt in the SEC, and the trio of seniors can also rely on former fi ve-star point guard PJ Dozier. The Gamecocks missed out on opportunities last season, but the ball is still in their court. Here in Columbia, it’s time to rebound. Editor’s Note: Inside this special issue, you can find features on both teams’ key players, including SEC Player of the Year A’ja Wilson and SEC Sixth Man of the Year Duane Notice. You can also check out an inside look at the role of the walk-ons on this year’s men’s basketball team. The section is loaded with coverage of both South Carolina basketball teams in addition to some SEC previews. We hope you enjoy the tip-off of our 2016-17 South Carolina basketball coverage. We’ll be bringing you the stories you want all season long.
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Thursday, November 3, 2016
GAMES TO CIRCLE Photos by Kamila Melko, Adam Collins and Josh Warner
MEN’S BASKETBALL Jordan Airington @AIRJ96
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JAN.7 VS. TEXAS A&M
South Carolina scored a huge win in College Station last season. That should be enough for Texas A&M to circle this date on the calendar, as the Aggies will be eyeing revenge. Center Tyler Davis gained preseason first team All-SEC honors and will likely make a run at SEC Player of the Year in his sophomore season. The loss of key leaders Alex Caruso, Danuel House and Jalen Jones leaves the Aggies with a scoring void to fi ll. Forward DJ Hogg will need to step up on the perimeter, and the Aggies need other players to help carry the load with only one starter returning. This early January game is essential to the Gamecocks starting off conference play on the right foot.
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FEB.4 VS. GEORGIA
Georgia gave South Carolina fits last season, beating the Gamecocks three times. Two of those losses came by two points or less but proved to be costly in the Gamecocks’ efforts to make the NCAA Tournament. This will be the second matchup between the two teams on the season and will be crucial regardless of the outcome of the first. J.J. Frazier, the SEC’s leading returning scorer, averaging 16.9 points per game a season ago, returns for Mark Fox’s Bulldogs. Yante Maten also returns for the Bulldogs, who lose guards Kenny Gaines and Charles Mann from last year’s team. South Carolina can’t afford to drop both games against Georgia again this season and would enjoy a sweep of their border rivals, mak ing the final matchup bet ween the t wo in Columbia even more important.
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FEB.18 AT VANDERBILT
Despite hav ing a head-to-head v ic t or y o v e r Va nde r b i lt , S out h Carolina was passed over in favor of the Commodores for the NCA A Tournament field. Vanderbilt’s 7-foot1 center Luke Kornet was a preseason second-team All-SEC selection, and his size could present a lot of problems for the Gamecocks. Kornet will be a large help in mak ing up for the loss of Damian Jones. His defensive
presence will be felt anytime he’s on the court, as he averaged an SEC-best three blocks per game last season. Guard Matthew Fisher-Davis and forward Jeff Roberson were excellent from 3-point range last season and should be able to stretch opposing defenses. Vanderbilt should be right in the thick of the SEC race when the Commodores host South Carolina. The Gamecocks need a win against Vanderbilt to help separate themselves from the pack come late February.
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T he Ora nge made a n u n l i kely run to the Final Four last season. Jim Boeheim’s team must replace several key leaders from a year ago as Michael Gbinije, Malachi Richardson and Trevor Cooney, the team’s three leading scorers, all departed over the offseason. Despite the scoring void, the Orange have possibly the most depth of any team in the ACC. For ward Tyler Lydon will be able to play more at the small forward position this season with the arrival o f E S P N 10 0 r e c r u i t Ta u r e a n Thompson. Sy racuse’s dept h will challenge the young Gamecocks, and this neutral site matchup will be an early test of how good South Carolina can be this season.
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JAN. 21 AT UK
Kentucky was once again deemed the favorite to win the conference during SEC media days and is stacked with talent as usual. John Calipari’s Wildcats reloaded after losing Tyler U l is , Sk a l Labis siere a nd Ja m a l Murray to the NBA Draft, as four players were named to preseason AllSEC teams. Guard De’Aaron Fox is extremely athletic and will use his speed to break opposing defenses and spark fast-break opportunities. Alongside Fox is guard Isaiah Briscoe, who decided to remain in Lexington for his sophomore season. Briscoe’s experience leaves him as a leader of this young Wildcat team. Kentucky’s strength will likely be its defense, as the Wildcats led the SEC in blocks per game last season and are poised to do the same this year. The Gamecocks lost at home in a blowout to Kentucky last season and hope to avenge that loss with a road victory in January. If South Carolina can win this game, consider them serious contenders for the SEC regular season title.
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NOV. 26 VS. SYRACUSE
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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL second-leading scorer A mer yst Alston, who graduated last year, but fellow double-digit scorers A lexa Har t a nd Shayla Cooper return for an offense that scored DEC. 18 VS. UCLA 86 points per game in 2015-16. A s t he G a meco c k s at tempt to move on from Tif fany M itchell and K hadijah Sessions, the new The Bruins nearly came away starting backcourt will have the with the upset on the West Coast challenge of stopping the Buckeye last season, and with three of the offense as South Carolina tries to team’s top four scorers returning jell in the season opener in a hostile for t h is sea son, UC L A shou ld environment. bring the Gamecocks a challenge come December. Jordin Canada averaged 16.1 points per game last season as a sophomore, and she DEC.1 AT TEXAS scored 21 against South Carolina last season. Shar pshooter K ar i Korver (67 made threes) and post Te x a s h a d t h e m i s f o r t u n e presence Monique Billings (12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game) of r unning into Connect icut in are back as well. This matchup t he Elite Eight last season, but is the last big game of the team’s t he L onghor n s played qu a l it y non-conference schedule before basketball all year long. They’ll taking on Connecticut in February, undoubtedly miss the presence of so it’s crucial for South Carolina to Imani Boyette in the post, however, build momentum before opening as no other player averaged more than 4.5 rebounds per game last SEC play. se a s on. B oyet te a l s o aver aged just a shade under t hree block s per contest. On the other hand, Brooke McCarty and Ariel Atkins FEB.26 VS. UK will be back to lead t he offense after combining for 23 points per game last season. This game will T he W i ldcat s lost a lot of be a true test of South Carolina’s talent to graduation or transfer, f rontcou r t of A’ja W i l son a nd b u t it ’s h a r d t o b e l i e v e h e a d Alaina Coates. Early in the season, coach Mat t hew M itchel l won’t Texas may not have figured out its have a strong team on the f loor, rim protection yet, and the duo of pa r t ic u la rly by t he end of t he bigs must win this game for South season. Even with some key players Carolina. having moved on, Kentucky has a fantastic duo of seniors in All-SEC First Team guard Makayla Epps and forward Evelyn Akhator, who FEB.13 AT UCONN nearly averaged a double-double last season. The Wildcats upset the Gamecocks in the final game of There’s not a women’s basketball the regular season two years ago, and South Carolina can’t afford to f a n i n t he cou nt r y who won’t be trending in the wrong direction b e w a t c h i n g t h i s o n e . T h e as the team tries to win its third- Husk ies beat the Gamecocks by 12 in Columbia last season, but straight SEC Tournament. t heir dominant t rio of Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jef ferson has moved on to t he NOV.14 AT OHIO STATE WNBA. There’s no question Geno Auriemma has the talent to replace them, but this could be the most The Buckeyes lost an absolute v ulnerable Connecticut team in shootout in Columbia last season, years. South Carolina hasn’t gotten and the team would end up losing over the hump to beat the Huskies in the Sweet 16 to Tennessee to yet (to be fair, few teams have), end its season. Still, Ohio State and this could be the Gamecocks’ h a s a let h a l scor i ng opt ion i n greatest opport unit y to cement junior guard Kelsey Mitchell, who t h e m s e l v e s a t t h e t o p o f t h e averaged 26.1 poi nt s per ga me women’s basketball world. last season and scored 36 against Sout h Carol i na. The Buckeyes must fi nd a viable replacement for
Drew Mueller @TDG_SPORTS
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Thursday, November 3, 2016 3B
Coates ready to handle high expectations Sarah Stone @SARAHCHA_SAUCE
Adam Collins / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Top returning rebounders in women’s basketball
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Lexi Martins — Lehigh — 421 rebounds in 2015-2016 season Chantel Osahor — Washington — 417 rebounds in ‘15-16 Kalani Purcell — BYU — 416 rebounds in ‘15-16 Alaina Coates — South Carolina — 360 rebounds in ‘15-16 Nia Coffey — Northwestern — 344 rebounds in ‘15-16
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Sen ior A la i na Coates comes into the 2016-2017 season as an All-American, a member of the preseason A l l- SEC tea m a nd one of two seniors on a team expected to win the SEC Tournament. The accolades come with their own set of challenges. “I do feel like it’s high expectations,” Coates said. “I do feel like, you know, we have a target on our back.” At t h is poi nt , such expectations are nothing new for Coates, who has played in three consecutive SEC title games and just as many NCAA Tournaments. Coates u ndersta nds t he dual it y of t heir nat u re: added pressure combined with a push for continued success. “I don’t t h i n k it ever gets any easier. It’s k ind of l i k e w it h b e at i n g a team more than once, you k now, it’s always harder and harder as the next time come s a rou nd,” Coate s said on winning the SEC Tournament. Aside from the ex pectat ions, Coates said the other constant is support from Gamecock fans. “It’s just a real supportive communit y, and it really doesn’t matter what event is going on, they’re going to support no matter what becau se we’re br i ng i ng pride to our school, and we’re trying to bring pride to our state,” t he Irmo, South Carolina, native said. A l t h o u g h t h e expectations and support r e m a i n , t h e t e a m’s c o mp o s it io n i s l a r g el y different. From last year’s team, the Gamecocks have
lost three starters and eight total letter-winners. This year’s roster includes seven new players, including four freshmen. Coates a lso faces t he challenge of filling a new role on the team. Though the senior has already made her impact on the team, holding three career records for rebounding alone, this season she is responsible for making a less tangible impact as a co-captain. “ I t ’s d i f f e r e n t n o w because I am a captain and it’s not just, OK, I’m going to take leadership over my position, it’s more I have to t a ke leadersh ip over everyone,” the center said. “So it has it’s challenges, but for the most part you k now ever ybody ’s been good.” Coates said she is using last season’s ending as a way to motivate herself and her teammates. She does not want this team to feel what last year’s did. Last season, the Gamecocks suffered only one loss i n t he reg u la r season. After winning the SEC Tou r na ment for a second year in a row, their post season ended when they lost to Syracuse in the Sweet 16. Coates is deter m i ned to ensure that this team leaves a different legacy, because now she has a more encompassing perception of what those expectations really mean — how it feels to meet them, and now how it feels to fall short. “I told my teammates time and time again, I don’t want to go out like that,” Coates said. “I want to go out with us standing on a pedestal with a bunch of confetti, and for us to, you know, get our rings.”
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Thursday, November 3, 2016
Thursday, November 3, 2016 5B
Frank Martin has brought previously dead South Carolina basketball program to life Adam Orfinger @AORFINGER
Josh Warner / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Kamila Melko / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
F o u r years ago, t he S out h Carolina m e n ’ s basketball prog r a m looked dead. A f ter a 10 -21 season, the Gamecocks found the spark t he y ne e de d : a successf ul coach w it h p o s t s e a s on ex per ience a nd a personality to draw in fans. After the 2015-16 season, the program has been rejuvenated, largely because of the efforts of head coach Fr a n k M a r t i n , who led the Gamecocks to a school-record 25 wins last season after the team was predicted to finish seventh in the SEC. While the ultimate goal for Martin is to lead South Ca rol i na i nto t he NC A A Tournament — something he has yet to accomplish — it’s hard to deny that the former Kansas State head man has done what few thought was possible: make the Gamecocks relevant again. “It’s been hard,” Martin said. “The challenge is what excited me. To be able to do it, you’ve gotta have people you can trust around you. That’s why ou r staf f is so important. Having a leader like Ray Tanner around every day, that was so important.” Martin didn’t only have one legendary mentor to draw from, though. The Miami native points to successful coaches Steve Spurrier and Dawn Staley as great influences in the early stages of his South Carolina career. “They were all so helpful to me, especially at the beginning, building the program,” Martin said. “I had a bunch of people that are Hall of Famers that have helped me, and that just goes to show how lucky I am.” It was a slow process through Martin’s fi rst three seasons. Starting from the 2012-13 campaign, the Gamecocks posted a 15-39 record
in SEC play, never finishing outside the bottom four in the conference. But behind the scenes, Martin was implementing a new culture, and in his fourth year, the team reaped its benefits. “When you’re trying to build something from scratch, that’s getting back to the record,” Martin said. “Materialistically, if you focus in on that, you’re going to go home feeling like a failure a lot more than you do a success story.” Martin’s mantra was to focus on improving every single day, and only worry about the score during the games. He modeled the system after Staley’s, which he defines as a “relentless approach on how they attack everything.” The results? Last season, the Gamecocks climbed as high as No. 19 in the AP Poll, Michael Carrera earned All-SEC honors, and the team won nine games against top-100 opponents. This season, Martin is tasked with keeping the momentum going despite losing seven players from last year’s rotation. He’s not shy to point out that the frontcourt has just one experienced player, but that doesn’t mean he’s buying into the perception that the team will struggle. At the same time, that doesn’t mean he thinks the season will be easy because of last year’s success. “Every single season has no correlation to the previous year or to what’s going to happen the following year,” Martin said. “This year’s team has to find its identity.” That identity likely lies in the backcourt, led by seniors Sindarius Thornwell, Duane Notice and Justin McKie in addition to sophomore point guard PJ Dozier. Martin has great confidence in the ability and leadership of his three seniors and said Dozier is “prepared to take a huge step as a sophomore.” Dozier and Thornwell were top-40 recruits when they came into the program, but they aren’t the only top-flight talents Martin will have at his disposal this year. TeMarcus Blanton, a former four-star recruit according to 247Sports, is healthy this season and should play a major role. “Mentally, he’s a more mature person, a more mature player, along with now he’s feeling a lot better about himself physically,” Martin said of Blanton. “So it gives him the opportunity to lead and be more impactful.” It was a process for South Carolina to reach SEC relevancy. With all the personnel losses, the Gamecocks are still projected to finish eighth in the SEC, but Martin has proven able to defy the odds, and he’s earned the respect of his players and the fans. “[Martin has] gotten the Gamecock family behind us and coming to the games and being there with us through the losses and through the bad seasons,” Thornwell said. “And now that we have a winning program, everyone’s just starting to follow in behind.”
Column: Staley needs championship to cement legacy Bobby Balboni @ROB_BALBONI1
In 2008, Dawn Staley inherited a South Carolina women’s basketball team that hadn’t made the NCAA Tournament in five years and had only placed in the SEC’s top four teams once in program history. Not only that, but Staley had a roster of players who weren’t focused on playing professional basketball, which hindered the team. In Staley, South Carolina was getting a proven winner and a culture-changer, exactly what the program needed. Staley had won three Olympic gold medals as a player and a fourth as a coach and led Temple to six 20-win seasons and six NCAA Tournament appearances in just eight seasons of coaching. In the five years before Staley took over Temple never managed more than 10 wins, so the South Carolina job was a familiar challenge. “The biggest challenge was probably just getting our players to love basketball,” Staley said of her early days in Columbia. “Just changing the culture.” That can be a daunting task, but Staley said she accomplished it by fi nding players who had their focus set on playing at the next level. “You have to get players that believe in your vision that pretty much have the same vision as you wanting to win a national championship,” Staley said. “I wanted players that wanted to be pros, pro athletes, because they seem to be more invested in the basketball part of it.” Staley started recruiting top-flight talent as early as 2009 when she brought in the nation’s No. 2 player in Kelsey Bone. Bone transferred after just one season, but that served as proof that Staley could recruit elite players. Just two years later, Staley earned the pledge of South Carolina Miss Basketball Aleighsa Welch, who entered the WNBA after four years in Columbia. Tiffany Mitchell followed suit in 2012, followed by Alaina
Coates in 2013 and then A’ja Wilson the following year. With those commitments, Staley had effectively changed the culture, if she hadn’t done it already. Those four players have been the driving force for South Carolina’s rise to national prominence, and Welch and Mitchell already are pros, while Coates and Wilson are well on their way. “The moment came when the majority of our team became lovers of the game,” Staley said when asked about the program’s turning point. “Whatever the -majority of your team is, the makeup of your players, you’re gonna be that.” The culture change has led to significant on-court success, as Staley has brought the Gamecocks to record heights, winning at least 29 games in each of the last three seasons, and leading them to the first Final Four in program history. Now, the challenge is to keep the ball rolling. South Carolina has seven new players this season, three transfers and four freshmen. Staley won’t have the luxury of relying on veterans as she did last season, but she feels comfortable with her established leadership to get the new players ready. “They’ve gotta grow up fast,” Staley said of the new additions. “We lean heavily on the returners to show them the ropes and get them up to speed about how we operate.” Senior Coates and junior Wilson will be counted on to lead on and off the court, and Staley is comfortable with how they’ve adjusted to their new roles. “Our value system is success has a certain look sound and feel, and they know when those three qualities aren’t in place,” Staley said. South Carolina has top recruits again in 2016, particularly in USA Basketball’s Tyasha Harris, the nation’s No. 27 player. It may be a challenge to maintain elite status with so much turnover, but for Staley, it’s nothing new.
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Thursday, November 3, 2016 7B
Thursday, November 3, 2016
OPPORTUNITY LOST 2015 • 2016
2016 • 2017
OPPORTUNITY SQUANDERED 2015 • 2016
Photo Illustration by Kamila Melko / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
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Thursday, November 3, 2016
Veteran backcourt, untested frontcourt for Gamecocks
Frontcourt Jordan Airington @AIRJ96
Sen ior leader sh ip i n t he f rontcourt led Sout h Carolina men’s basketball to its most successful season i n prog ram h istor y last year. Yet t his season, t he ex per ience of last year is being replaced with youth for Frank Martin’s Gamecocks. Guards Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice will lead a young team that will likely feat u re several f irst-t ime starters in the front court. Down low, the Gamecocks on ly ret u r n one player af ter t he depar t u res of Michael Carrera, Laimonas Chat kev icius, M i ndaugas K ac i n a s , E r ic C obb a nd R ay mond Doby over t he offseason. Sophomore Chris Silva is that lone returner a nd has t he potent ial for a breakout year in the upcoming season. Silva, a 6 -foot-9 for ward f rom G abon, can be a dy namic shot blocker and w i l l g u a rd t he r i m we l l for t he G amecock s. I n add it ion to h is defensive pre sence, Si lva w i l l a l so b e a k e y c o nt r ibut or o n t he offensive end. Mart in ha s been i mpressed w it h t he s opho more’s pl a y i n preseason pract ice say ing “he’s offensive rebounding better than anyone I’ve ever h ad,” a nd t h at “he’s h ad some dunks that I’ve never coached a nyone m a ke i n practice. A nd I’ve been for t u nate, I’ve been around some good ones over my career,” Martin continued. Martin has indeed coached some good ones during his head-coaching career; most notably former top-five pick Michael Beasley, while he was at Kansas State. W it h t he loss of key cont r ibutors i n t he f ront court, it is up to newcomers
K hadim Gueye, Maik Kotsar, Sedee Keita and Ran Tut to help fi ll the void. Gue ye is a 7-foot center f rom Seneg a l a nd t h reest a r pro sp ec t i n E SPN ’s rankings. His size will allow t he G a mecock s to match up w it h ot her dy na m ic frontcourts defensively and heighten their presence on the boards. Kotsar, a native of Estonia and graduate from Sunrise Christ ian Academy in K ansas, is a 6 -foot-10 big man who has the ability to pull the trigger from outside. Kotsar’s versatility provides the Gamecocks with another threat from beyond the arc. Keita is the third freshman newcomer to the front court a nd i s S o ut h C a r ol i n a’s highest-ranked recruit of the 2016 class, ranked as the No. 85 player in the ESPN100. These freshmen are joined by junior college t ransfer Ran Tut, a 6-foot-9 forward f rom Au st ra l ia. T he size of t he G a mecock s’ new additions is encouraging and is much needed to replace key rebounders in Carrera and Kacinas. Ho w q u i c k l y t h e S o u t h Carolina front court is able to adapt to t he sp eed of college basketball and form a bond on the court with the guards will determine how successf ul the Gamecocks will be this year. S o how do e s t h i s S out h Ca rol i na u n it st ack up compared to the rest of the SEC? Let’s take a brief look at the t wo most dominant front courts in the SEC. Kentucky I t ’s h a r d t o b e g i n a n y c o nv e r s at io n p e r t a i n i n g to SEC basketball without t h row i ng t he W i ldcat s i nto t he d isc u ssion. T he Kentucky front court is one of the best in the conference and even t he nat ion. SEEFRONTCOURTPAGE11B
Adam Collins / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Kendra Little / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Drew Mueller @TDG_SPORTS
The offseason saw a mass exodus in production for the Gamecocks’ frontcourt with La i monas Chat kev icius, M i ndag u a s K i nc i na s, a nd Michael Carrera graduating. T he t r io a nc hored S out h Carol i na i n leadersh ip, emot ion a nd consistent p r o d u c t i o n (a l l o f t h e m aver aged double d ig it s i n points). With their departures, coach Frank Mart in needs to find immediate impact on his team or the Gamecocks’ potential to compete in the SEC, much less reach the Big Dance, will be slim. A ll eyes will t urn to t he backcourt, which many predict will be one of the best in the SEC. Sophomore P.J. Dozier and seniors Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice will lead the guards in 2016-2017, and their contributions to the team will make or break the season. With such high profile players, there is a chance for this team to play well. For o ne , D o z ie r a nd Thornwell were both five-star players coming out of high school, the only ones Frank Mart in has reeled into t he program. W hile t hey bot h have shown f lashes of their potent ial, t hey st ill aren’t complete players, particularly when it comes to shoot ing threes and making decisions. Combined last season, they posted a 27.3 percent cl ip b e h i n d t h e a r c a n d 16 7 t u r nover s — over a t h i rd of the total team turnovers. Not ice has complemented their styles of play, as he excels from long range. Throughout his Gamecock career, Notice has made 37.4 percent of his three-point attempts, nearly reaching the 40 percent mark last season. But are those three, plus
other role players like senior Justin McKie, JUCO transfer Hassani Gravett and freshman Raykym Felder (depending on his status on the team after his arrest) coming off the bench, good enough to rank top in the SEC? Here’s a look of some of the other projected best backcourt competition around the conference Kentucky A n o t h e r y e a r, a n o t h e r loaded backcourt for coach John Calipari. The Wildcats picked up the top shooting guard and No. 2 point guard in the 2016 recruiting class in Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox. Monk is a high-f lying, freak-of-nature athlete who can also hit jumpers, and Fox will probably be t he faster player on t he court at any moment, prototypical of any Calipari guard. The Wildcats w i l l have some ret u r n i ng players that will contribute as well. Sophomore Isaiah Briscoe decided to forgo the draft in order to work on his offensive game, and senior and fan favorite Dominique Hawkins will provide energy and shooting. Kentucky is the heavy favorite to reclaim their f irst-place in t he SEC and deservedly so. Georgia One player one will lead the Bulldogs next year: J.J. Frazier. The senior last season led Georgia in points (16.9) and assists per game (4.4) and 3-point percentage (.386), while finishing sixth in the league in scoring. He really turned it on in the second half of the season, especially in the postseason, when he was named to t he All-SEC Tournament team. To complement him, junior Juwaun Parker will return after missing half of 2014-15 and all of 2015-16 to an Achilles injury, and coach Mark Fox SEEBACKCOURTPAGE11B
Backcourt
Notice striving to fulfill goal of NCAA Tournament bid Claudia Chakamian @C_CHAKAMIAN
Madison MacDonald / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Last season, senior guard Dua ne Not ice saw h is role change dramat ically. A lt hough he st a r ted t he majorit y of the games his first t wo seasons at South Carolina, he played primarily off the bench this past year. Many players would take this as an insult or a knock at their confidence, but Notice
didn’t let it get the best of him. He continued to give it all he could from the bench and make a difference. This season, his role on t h i s t e a m c h a n g e d onc e again, returning him back to a starting role and calling for more leadership from the experienced veteran. “For me, it doesn’t really mat ter what my role is,” Notice said. “Whatever coach decides, whether I come off
the bench or if I start, it’s not going to change the way that I play. I’m going to play hard and play with all of my heart.” This passion was evident, as he won the SEC Sixth Man of the Year, an award given to the player who performed the best coming off the bench. “I have a friend who plays in the NBA, Cory Joseph, who is someone who is like a SEENOTICEPAGE12B
Thursday, November 3, 2016 9B
After a year of waiting, Davis and Gray ready to perform for South Carolina Marion McCurry @MCFLURRY711
The change began two summers ago in Atlanta, then spread to Chapel Hill before f inally ending in Columbia. Kaela Davis, a star sophomore g uard play ing at G eorg ia Tech and a fi rst-team ACC performer that led the conference in scoring du ring t he 2014 -2015 s e a s on , annou nced she was l e a v i n g t h e Te c h program for greener p a s t u r e s at S o u t h Carolina. Soon after, Allisha Gray, another star g uard from the ACC, this time from the University of Nort h Carolina, also decided to t ransfer to Daw n S t a l e y ’s p r o g r a m . Gray was also a f i r s t\- t e a m AC C player a nd de spite her team going 26-9, she decided to leave To b a c c o R o a d i n f a vor f or Blo s s o m St reet a f ter Sout h Carolina eliminated her Tar Heels in the NCAA tournament. Their decision came w it h some stipulations. Not only would t hey have to leave behind coaches a n d t e a m m at e s at their old schools, but bot h players would also be forced to sit out a season before bei ng el ig ible to
appear on the court for the Gamecocks. To i l i n g a w a y o n t he prac t ice squ ad w it hout bei ng able to play in games was tough for t he t wo girls who were used to starring at their old schools, but the dividends will soon start to pay out. “Sitting out a year, it k illed me, but it was definitely worth the wait ... now that I’ve got the chains off me I’m ready to go,” Gray said. “Not being able to play for a year has def i n it e l y k i nd of amped it up a little bit coming into this y e a r.” A s i f t h e s e players needed any more mot iv at ion ,” Davis added. In her fi nal season a t G e o r g i a Te c h , Davis averaged over 19 p o i n t s a g a m e a n d h it 6 8 t h r e e pointers, more than a n y pl a y e r o n t he South Carolina team l a s t s e a s on . G r ay averaged 15.8 points i n he r s o p ho m o r e s e a s o n a s a Ta r Heel and displayed a k nack for gett ing t o t he f r e e t h r o w line, attempting 167 foul shots, which is also more t han any Gamecock last year. It would be unrealistic for SEETRANSFERSPAGE11B Courtesy of Tribune News Service
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10B Thursday, November 3, 2016
For Silva, change remains constant Sarah Stone @SARAHCHA_SAUCE_
Adjustment is nothing new in Chris Silva’s life. First, he had to adjust to a new cou nt r y. The for wa rd wa s b or n a nd raised in Gabon’s capital city of Libreville, but he moved to New Jersey for the chance to get a better education and continue his basketball career. Along with the standard cha l lenge s t hat come w it h mov i ng to a new place, Silva had to focus on relearning the game under American rules. “Honest ly, I was just worr ying about getting better and work ing out e ver y day a nd get t i ng bet ter, a nd ever y t h i ng ju st ca me a long, a nd I fol lowed t he proce s s,” Silva said. W hile Silva was foc u si ng on t he g a me, scouts were focusing on him. ESPN ranked Silva No. 80 in their top 100, while 247sports.com said he was a four star recruit. He received offers from a nu mber of f lag sh ip programs, including Georgetow n and Seton Hall. U lt i mately, he committed to the Gamecocks. This meant moving from home once again. However, for Silva, the decision was simple. “Coming here, it was just another trip for me
that I had to make to get closer to my goal, that’s it,” the sophomore said. Freshman year m e a nt a n o t h e r s e t o f adjustments: a new place, a new system, a new set of coaches and a new level of play. As he adapted to all of these changes, Silva also noticed a change in himself. “A lot of learning,” Silva sa id of t he t r a n sit ion. “Going from a boy to a man because I knew that I grew up from last year to this year a lot.” Last year’s season was a mix of highs and lows for Silva. He averaged about 13 m i nut e s p er g a me , with an average of almost five rebounds per game and a total of 28 blocks. He was also one of f ive players suspended i n March in connection to a BB pellet gun incident. The Gamecocks would go on to lose in the second rou nd of t he N I T to Georgia Tech. Si lva sa id t he tea m i s d e t e r m i n e d t o “g o further” and avoid losses similar to t hose of last season. The offseason has given him the chance to widen his range of skills a s wel l a s i mprove h is shooting and free throws. “I want to give ever ything for our basketball to win everything,” he said. File photo: Josh Warner / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Chris Silva averaged 5.4 points per game as a freshman. He started in six games and played in 32.
PJ Dozier ready to take the reins, shine in sophomore season Abe Danaher
@ABEDANAHER
A f ter a year where ex pectat ions were high and his struggles to meet t hem were e v ident , s ophomore guard PJ Dozier hopes to turn the page on last season and be the player that everyone expected him to be as a five-star r e c r u it out of h i g h school. Dozier’s struggles as a freshman are welldoc u mented. H is 90 turnovers led the team last season — a statistic t hat becomes even more staggering when recognizing that five other players saw more court time than him. Of the six players who played t he most last season, Dozier’s field goal percentage was the worst. Fra n k M a r t i n wa s blunt on the struggles that Dozier experienced freshman year. “He was, like, tired of treading water in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and had not seen land in six weeks,” he said. Yet Martin was quick to follow up his analogy of Dozier’s struggles with what the Columbia nat ive has done to i mprove h i m self for this upcoming season, and what Mart in has done to help his you n g g u a rd a long. Then in a nonchalant, almost matter of fact m a n ne r, he m a d e a bold statement: “He’s got star written all over him.” Doz ier p er son a l ly refer s to la st yea r s’ st r uggles as “lack of p r o d u c t i v i t y,” b u t accepts the blame for
t hem. He was qu ick to shut dow n coach Martin being faulted for anything negative he experienced last season, and bot h of t hem shared how they believe that their relationship has grown due to the struggles of last season and t hat t hey expect everyone to be better off because of what they have since learned. W hen reminded of the praise given to him by Martin just weeks p r i o r, a s m a l l g r i n appeared on Dozier’s face. “ Wel l t hat ’s g reat news to hear,” Dozier sa id ver y l ightheartedly. “It’s always good to hear your head coach give you such a great compliment.” Te a m m a t e J o h n R ag i n, who played against Dozier in pract ice all of last season, spoke to t he changes he has seen in Dozier. “ H e ’s d e f i n i t e l y shooting the ball a lot better, and I think he’s tak ing more control, l i ke a poi nt g ua rd should do, he’s taking more cont rol of t he game when he’s on the court,” Ragin said. Gamecock fans will look to see if the supposed future star of their team will finally live up to the hype that has su r rou nded h i m since his high school playing days. They hope to see the emergence of the PJ Dozier they expected to see last year, the player who came in as the No. 4 point guard in his class, and the No. 19 overall player. South Carolina fans hope that their star has arrived.
SEC ASSIST TO TURNOVER RATIO W hen rem inded of the praise given to him by coach Mart in just weeks prior, a small grin appeared on Dozier’s face. “Well that’s great news,” sa id Dozier ver y l ightheartedly. “It’s good to hear your head coach give such a great compliment.”
3.8 Tyler Ulis // Kentucky 3.8 3.6 Jabril Durham // Arkansas 3.0 Anthony Collins // Texas A&M 2.8 I.J. Ready // Mississippi State 2.6 J.J. Frazier // Georgia 2.3 Chris Chiozza // Florida 2.3 Tim Quarterman // LSU 1.9 Wade Baldwin IV // Vanderbilt 1.79 Kareem Canty // Auburn 1.7 Justin Coleman // Alabama 1.5 Terrence Phillips // Missouri 1.4 Kevin Punter // Tennessee 1.1 Stefan Moody // Ole Miss 0.8 PJ Dozier // South Carolina File photo: Kendra Little / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Thursday, November 3, 2016 11B
Walk-ons: The unknown members of the Gamecocks Abe Danaher @ABEDANAHER
Courtesy of South Carolina Athletics
JOHN RAGIN, EASTOVER, SC GUARD
Courtesy of South Carolina Athletics
JARRELL HOLLIMAN ALPHARETTA, GA FORWARD
WALK-ONS STATS 2015-2016 SEASON After a year where expectations were high and his struggles to meet them were evident,
17 TOTAL MINUTES OF PLAYING TIME
2
3
TOTAL SHOTS
COMBINED POINTS
In the midst of obscurity on every team sits the walk-ons. These players rarely enter the game, and if they do, it’s once half the fans have left, the media stories have been written and the game is all but over. Yet these players, t hough u nk now n to most a nd lack i ng t he on-cou r t production that we have come to define athletes and teams by, are as integral members as any to this South Carolina men’s basketball team. I recently went to WilliamsBrice Stadium to conduct inter views with individual basketball players. W hile walking in, I was stopped by a security guard and asked to name t he players I was interviewing. I started rattling off the names, starting first with PJ Dozier, and slowly sliding down my list until I hit the names of two of the walk-ons: Jarrell Holliman and John Ragin. At fi rst, the security guard nodded at the mention of key players, saying that she knew them. Yet with Holliman, a look of confusion slid across her face and I was asked, “You mean the football player?” For Ragin, the name rang zero bells. Recognition and accolades simply do not come w it h
t he roles t hat R ag i n a nd Holliman have taken on this team. Ragin attempted to frame his role as a walk-on to me. He said his job was to “make s u re e ver yone is get t i ng better every day and compete hard against everyone.” Holl ima n made su re to follow this answer up with a more emotionally-focused description, saying their role was to “bring an uplifting spirit every time [they] come into the gym.” I n all 34 ga mes t hat South Carolina played last season, Holliman and Ragin c ombi ned to pl ay for 17 minutes. Ragin accounts for two of South Carolina’s 2,583 points, and one of their 1,371 rebounds. Holliman was left empty-handed. D o z ier, t he s t a r p oi nt guard and a five-star recruit, was quick to point out their importance, though, when their names were brought up. “The vibe when those two are in t he locker room is great,” Dozier said through a smile. “They put it aside, them being walk-ons, you forget about all that. They help us in practice, off the c ou r t , a ny t h i n g t h at we need or anything that we are lacking, they are there to pick us up.” Ye t f o r H o l l i m a n a n d
R a g i n , b e i n g a w a l k- o n doesn’t mean that focus isn’t required on the court itself. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t still striving to become better players, or still working on their game. Hol l i m a n rea l i z ed la st year the number of veterans that his team had in their f rontcou r t . Even more i mp or t a nt l y, t hou g h , he realized that they were soon g oi n g t o b e g r ad u at i n g, and thus set out to do what he could about it. He made sure to learn the offensive and defensive systems being implemented, so that when this season came around he would be able to help ease the transition from veterans to freshman, and also maybe play himself. “Yeah, I hope so,” Holliman said when asked about whether he plans on getting playing time this season. “I’m working towards getting on the court as much as possible.” T he r ole of a w a l k- on is simple: K now your role, and fill it to the fullest. Be it providing energy, leadership or a competitive challenge, Ragin and Holliman have chosen to help t his Sout h Carolina men’s team in the least glamorous, but most respectable, way possible.
COLUMN
Success to come behind Martin’s lead
Josh Warner / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Lee Wardlaw @TDG_SPORTS
Heading into his fifth season as South Carolina’s head coach, Frank Martin has seen improvement from his team each and every season. This trend should only continue for the South Carolina men’s basketball
TRANSFERSPAGE9B those stats to continue this season in Colu mbia. There is only one basketball to share among the whole team, and neither Davis nor Gray will be the primary threat on this team. No, the Gamecocks return a few fi rst-team conference players of FRONTCOURTPAGE8B The dif f icult task in defending t he Wildcats’ f rontcourt is t hat most of t heir players are eit her freshmen or sophomores. Derek Willis is the lone senior and leads a group of six players who are at least 6-foot-9. Bam Adebayo was a fi rst team ALL-SEC selection and solidifies Kentucky’s place atop the conference. Texas A&M The Aggies had the best front court in the SEC a season ago and look to be just as dominant this year. Tyler Davis returns for Texas A&M and is
program this season due to the expert leadership of its head coach. P r o g r e s s w a s s low i n Fr a n k Martin’s first two seasons, but this was largely due to the fact that former coach Darrin Horn left Martin with neither fan support in the stands nor talent on the court. However, t he past t wo seasons have been their own who will also command the ball. Junior forward A’ja Wilson, who is a reigning f irst team alleverything (really, SEC Player of the Year, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, All-SEC First Team, etc.) will be back along with partner in crime A laina Coates. Coates is a senior forward and another All-SEC fi rst-teamer. touted by many as the best big man in the SEC. The preseason All-SEC first team selection is a decent scorer and led the Aggies in rebounds per game last year. Backing up Davis is center Tonny Trocha-Morelos, who has the ability to expand the floor and knock down outside jumpers. The Aggies also have depth in the frontcourt with forwards Tavario Miller, a likely starter at the power for ward posit ion, and f reshman Robert Williams. Billy Kennedy’s tea m w ill look to bu ild arou nd Davis to again have one of the most dominant frontcourts in the SEC.
different. In 2014-15, the Gamecocks ex perienced t heir f irst w in ning sea son i n h a l f a dec ade, wh i le providing a strong performance in both the non-conference schedule and in the conference tournament. In 2015-16, South Carolina started 15-0 and finished 25-9. That’s the most wins in school history since
1969. That mark would’ve been even sweeter if they hadn’t been left in the lurch by the NCAA Tournament selection committee this past March — they would’ve qualified for the Big Dance for the first time since 2004. So, doe s t hat mea n t hey c a n
Together, “they’re like the two best post players in t he nat ion,” Gray said. Both Davis and Gray know their role on this team. “When you have the post players that we have, that’s what you want to do,” Davis said about running the offense through the post. But she also wants it to be known that BACKCOURTPAGE8B will turn to him to help fill the void of Kenny Gaines, who was as senior last year. The Bulldogs added some depth with ESPN Top 100 freshman Tyree Crump, a dynamic point guard from Bainbridge, Georgia. With so much talent, Georgia is one of Kentucky’s biggest threats in the backcourt as well as the SEC. Arkansas The Razorbacks are considered one of the dark horses in the SEC and will be led by their experienced guards. Redshirt senior Dusty Hannahs was eighth in the conference in points per
SEEMARTINPAGE13B “the guards are going to be ready to knock down shots and make plays as well.” T he G a meco c k s lo st Ti f f a ny Mitchell, Khadijah Sessions, Tina Roy and Asia Dozier from last year’s back court, but it is possible that with the additions of Kaela Davis and Allisha Gray, the Gamecocks actually upgraded in terms of talent. game last year with 16.5 and will look to continue his success in 2016-2017. Hogs fans have waited a long time to see Anton Beard, formerly in ESPN’s Top 100 list and local prospect, bud into the complete player he was in high school, and he’s primed to do so in his third year in the program. Senior Manuale Wat k ins always brings it on the defensive side of the court and and is expected to take on a larger role in coach Mike Anderson’s of fensive schemes. T hese t h ree players, plus a few newcomers, have the potential to wreak havoc against opponents this season.
Thursday, November 3, 2016 13B
Rounding up the SEC: Players poised to perform this season Breakout star: Quinndary Weatherspoon — Mississippi State With each game he scored double-digits in freshman year, eventually totaling 20 on the season, the buzz continued to grow around this emerging star. Now, after a breakout performance in Mississippi State’s exhibition tour in Italy, Weatherspoon seems ready for to emerge on the national stage. With the ability to score efficiently from all over the court, Weatherspoon looks poised to be one of the top players in the SEC.
Courtesy of Tribune News Service
Abe Danaher and Sarah Stone
Courtesy of Tribune News Service
@TDG_SPORTS
Top Freshman: De’Aaron Fox — Kentucky Replacing Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray, both of whom declared for the NBA draft after last season, will not be an easy task. But Fox has the scoring and playmaking ability to make their departures much easier for Kentucky fans. Fox has not only the vision and speed to play point, but also the shot-making ability and length to play off-ball. Look for this freshman to make a name for himself on a star-studded Kentucky team. Top Freshman: Aaliyah Wilson — Arkansas Wilson, the top recruit to any SEC school outside South Carolina, has the ability to make an immediate impact for the Razorbacks. This McDonald’s All-American has the athleticism and ball-handling ability to adapt quickly to the change in the speed of the game between high school and college. She will look to play up-tempo and punish teams in transitions en route to a solid year for the freshman.
WILSONPAGE12B Wilson said. Wilson won’t be alone in leading the Gamecocks, and she won’t have to look
MARTINPAGE11B improve further? If that’s going to happen, Martin will need to address more than a few personnel losses. Three seniors have left the roster, including La imonas Chat kev icius, M ichael Carrera a nd M indaugas K acinas. Carrera’s departure will hurt the most, as he was both the highest scorer and rebounder. Add that to the fact that Marcus Stroman, Jamall Gregor y, Raymond Doby and Eric Cobb will not be returning to the team, and there are some holes on the roster. However, there’s still plenty of reason
Courtesy of Tribune News Service
Breakout star: Evelyn Akhator — Kentucky Senior Evelyn Akhator returns to Kentucky for her second year as a Wildcat after winning a national championship with Chipola College as a sophomore. Last season, the forward won SEC Player of the Week and was named to the All-SEC Second Team. Expect her to continue to make a strong impact on defense this season, especially in rebounding and blocks.
Star Returner: J.J. Frazier — Georgia After fi nishing seventh in the SEC in points per game last season and eighth in assists, Frazier returns as one of the most dynamic players in the conference. With the ability to score almost at will and still keep his teammates involved, Frazier looks to carry his Bulldog team in the coming season. Expect him to put up gaudy numbers night in and night out as he puts himself in the discussion for SEC Player of the Year honors. Star Returner: Victoria Vivians — Mississippi State Last season, Vivians came away with a number of honors, including SEC All-Tournament Team and both the AP and Coaches’ All-SEC First Team. The forward made her impact as a scorer, averaging the second-most points per game in the conference and reached the 1000-point career mark. Look for Vivians to make a similar impact this season as she takes the national stage playing for team ranked tenth in the nation in the preseason.
outside the frontcourt to find another talented veteran in Alaina Coates. The post duo, coupled with transfers Kaela Davis and Allisha Gray, is the main reason South Carolina is regarded as one
of the best four teams in the country, or even No. 3 in the Coaches Poll. The Gamecocks spent the majority of last season as the nation’s No. 2 team, but Wilson thinks the squad can be
even stronger this year. When asked if South Carolina should be title favorites, her answer was simple: “Most definitely. That’s the plan.” “But I’m super biased,” Wilson added.
for optimism, despite the fact that the Gamecocks were picked to finish eighth in the conference during SEC Basketball Media Days this fall. That optimism is best expressed by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette writer Jimmy Carter, who wrote, “Frank Martin is one of the better coaches in the SEC and will get the most out of his team.” The Gamecocks return talent, but they’ll need to develop the depth chart if they want to return to the height of 2015-16. There are three reasons for fans to be optimistic about Martin’s ability to lead
this program. First, Martin can turn around a program pretty quickly. South Carolina was obviously a rebuilding project, but he took Kansas State to the tournament on his first year of the job. Second, Martin can make something out of nothing. Martin recruited the 43rd and 33rd nationally ranked classes in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and only three out of ten prospects are still with the program. Still, he was able been to piece together a winning season in 2015. Last but not least, there’s hope for immediate optimism in Columbia, especially after a promising 2015-2016
season. Martin is a hell of a coach and has the university and fan base on his side. However, the long-term future of this program rests in the hands of how well he can recruit. Will Martin continue to pull in mid-tier recruiting classes, or can he raise the bar with a top 20 recruiting class, and compete with national powers for four- and five-star players? If the track record of Frank Martin is any hint toward the future of this program, success and improvement await South Carolina in the coming years.
14B Thursday, November 3, 2016
Madison MacDonald / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL Drew Mueller @TDG_SPORTS
Kamila Melko / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Pete Helms @PETEHELMSIZBOSS
Stock up: SEC non-conference competition One of the big knocks on the SEC last season was that their nonconference scheduling was very poor, which showed when only three teams entered into the NCA A Tournament last season. To remedy that, the conference has hired former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese to be Special Advisor to the Commissioner. Essentially, his role is to improve the conference’s quality, starting with nonconference scheduling, and he’s doing just that. South Carolina is a direct victim of such poor scheduling last season. Many speculate the reason why the Gamecocks were on the last four out of the NCAA Tournament was because of their deflated nonconference opponents. This year, they already have improved by scheduling Michigan at home, Syracuse in Barclays Center in Brooklyn and Seton Hall in Madison Square Garden. Kentuck y has probably the most dif f icult non-conference schedule not only in the SEC, but also in the nation. They play powerhouse teams such as Michigan State, North Carolina, Louisville and Kansas as well as UCLA and Arizona State. Other notable non-conference games include Georgia at Clemson, Florida at Duke and Arizona at Texas A&M. Ben Howland One of the best ways to win in college basketball is to have the top talent in the nation, and for the second straight season, Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland has gathered a top-20 recruiting class. Howland is trying to turn around a program that in 2013 had to have an assistant coach practice with the team because they only had seven scholarship players available. Thirteen out of the 15 players on Howland’s team are underclassman, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sophomore g uard Qu i n ndar y Weatherspoon surprised some teams last year. He scored double digits in 20 games and has improved on that during the Bulldogs’ preseason tour in Italy, scoring 29 and 34 points in two of the games and averaged 23.3 points through all four games. Highly recruited out of high school, sophomore Joe Strugg is coming off a redshirt last season and could be a solid forward. Past t hem, t his year’s incoming class is loaded, with four players in the ESPN Top-100. Mario Kegler and Schnider Heard will come in and make an immediate impact at small forward and center, positions that Howland
desperately needed some depth at. Even though the talk is that Mississippi State is a year away from really being in contention for the SEC, they have the talent to win some games they should not, all thanks to Howland’s tactics. Stock down: Florida’s program What was once a nationally feared program under Billy Donovan struggled to compete in a weak SEC last season. They went a meager 21-15 overall and 9-9 in the SEC, and did not perform well in the post-season, losing in the third round of the SEC Tournament to Texas A&M and in the quarterfinals of the NIT to George Washington. Part of the problem could be attributed to poor recruiting by head coach Mike White and his staff. Before him, Florida always raked in top recruits. Now, the Gators have to rely on transfers as they only have three three-star freshmen coming in and failed to even crack the top 50 in recruiting this year. While College of Charleston transfer Canyon Barr y is expected to beef up their offense, he’s still not the caliber of player Florida followers are accustomed to and is a short-term potential solution to a long-term problem. T he G ator s do h ave a st ud i n sophomore guard KeVaughn Allen, but he will not be enough to lead this team. It looks like Florida will miss out on the Big Dance again, and Mike White’s job will be on the hot seat. Riley LaChance and Luke Kornet Both of these players haven’t nearly lived up to the hype. Last year, they were supposed to anchor a Vanderbilt team who was supposed to challenge Kentucky for the SEC championship with a potent offense and scrappy defense. However, the ‘Dores not only lost to a less talented team in the SEC Tournament in their first game, but they also were embarrassed by Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament play-in game. LaChance, now a junior, was deadly from three-pointers his freshman year, racking up four SEC Freshman of the Week honors as well as being on the SEC All-Freshman Team. Last year, he couldn’t get anything going as teams figured out how one-sided his game was, being benched halfway through the season. Kornet was supposed to dominate the inside on defense and stretch the floor on offense; however, he was almost not an impact on offense, only averaging 8.9 points a game last year as a junior. While Kornet has been tabbed as Preseason Second Team A ll-SEC, both he and LaChance will most likely struggle with an increased talent level in the conference as well as adapting to a new head coach in Bryce Drew.
Stock up: Diamond DeShields DeShields came to Tennessee with a lot of expectations. In 2014, she was named an A ll-ACC player during her freshman year at the University of North Carolina, where she broke numerous ACC records and was the only underclassman to be a part of the John R. Wooden Top-15 list. Her first year at Tennessee wasn’t necessarily a disappointment, considering she was the team’s leading scorer, but she did not earn All-SEC honors. This year, however, she was one of the five players that media members selected to the Preseason All-SEC team. Per usual, expectations are high for DeShields and the Volunteers. The junior has a chance to prove that her freshman season wasn’t just an outlier and that she really is one of the best players in the country. Caliya Robinson Robinson is one of t he players Georgia head coach Joni Taylor needs to step up if the Bulldogs hope to maintain success in the SEC. In her freshman season, the 6-foot-3 forward was third in the conference in blocks and was selected as a member of the SEC All-Freshman team. She will be a full-time starter this season, and with her size and skill, she has the potential to become a star in 2016. Alaina Coates A’ja Wilson is the Gamecock that gets most of the attention from the media, but Dawn Staley went out of her way to mention Coates during SEC Media Days. As Staley put it, “Don’t forget about our beast now … we’re expecting big things from her.” The senior center from Irmo received votes for Preseason SEC Player of the Year after coming off an impressive junior year where she led the conference in field goal percentage and rebounds on her way to an All-SEC fi rst team season. Wilson and Coates are going to be the star players on the Gamecocks’ highly-talented roster. Competition in the SEC The SEC is qu ick ly becom i ng the premier conference for college women’s basketball. The conference is long removed from the days when it was Tennessee and everyone else. Now, South Carolina has emerged as one of the top programs in the country, and teams like Mississippi State, Kentucky and Texas A&M are consistently ranked in the top 20. This year, the SEC has six teams ranked in the preseason poll and had three other
teams receive votes. Last year, five teams were ranked and three others were receiving votes. While this is not a dramatic increase, this is a trend that has steadily been moving more and more in the SEC’s favor. Texas A&M has won a national championship since joining the SEC and many feel that Staley’s Gamecocks have a chance to do the same this year. The more publicity and the more winning the conference experiences, the better the competition gets. This is a trend that is hard to see not continuing for years to come. Stock Down: Georgia Bulldogs The Bulldogs f inished last year surprisingly well in Joni Taylor’s first season as the head coach. They fi nished sixth in the conference with a record of 21-10, while going 9-7 in SEC play. Things will be more difficult for the Bulldogs this year, as they are going to have to replace their top three scorers from last year. There is young talent mixed with some older, more experienced players, but the media is not confident in the Bulldogs this season. They were picked to finish 10th in the league this year. Texas A&M Much like the Bulldogs, the Texas A&M Aggies are going to be replacing several players from last year’s team. They have to find a way to replace Courtney Walker and Jordan Jones, who led the SEC in points per game and assists per game, respectively. Those two helped the Aggies finish third in the SEC with a 22-10 (11-5 in SEC) record. Head coach Gary Blair has long since established himself as one of the best coaches in women’s college basketball, but replacing five seniors, including two great players like Walker and Jones, is a tough task for any coach. Jessica Jackson Jackson had a spectacular junior sea son where she aver aged 16 .4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game from the forward position. Her performance was good enough to war ra nt a f irst team A ll-SEC selection. This coming season may be difficult for Jackson and the rest of her Razorback teammates. Media members gave DeShields the nod over Jackson for the Preseason All-SEC team, which serves as a bit of a red flag. Arkansas was voted to finish 11th in the SEC, so Jackson may not be able to have the type of breakout season she is capable of having due to being surrounded by what many believe will be a below-average team.
Madison MacDonald / THE DAILY GAMECOCK