March 19, 2010

South Carolina head men’s basketball coach Darrin Horn met with members of the media on Friday afternoon to discuss the 2009-10 hoops campaign and his thoughts on next season. Video will be available on www.GamecocksOnline.com late Friday afternoon.

POSTSEASON NOTES
Carolina Quick Hits
– South Carolina concluded its season with an overall record of 15-16.
– The Gamecocks had two wins over top-25 opponents in No. 1/1 Kentucky (Jan. 26) and No. 13/19 Vanderbilt (3/6).
– South Carolina was the only team in the league to defeat both Kentucky and Vanderbilt in SEC play.
– Senior guard Devan Downey concluded the 2009-10 campaign with 699 points, just one point shy of becoming only the third player in South Carolina history to record 700 points in a season.
– Downey became the all-time leader in steals at South Carolina when he collected three steals vs. Alabama on March 3. Downey finished his Carolina career with 277 steals.
– Downey scored 20 or more points 19 times in 2009-10, and tallied 30 or more six times, including in five SEC contests.
– Downey (22.5 ppg) finished the season leading the team and the SEC in scoring in overall games. He led or shared the team lead in scoring 25 times. He ranks fifth in the nation in points per game (March 14 NCAA stats).
– Downey’s 2.7 steals per game lead the league and rank third in the nation.
– The backcourt duo of Downey and Raley-Ross averaged 33.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 3.8 steals per contest in overall games this season.
– South Carolina’s 6.1 blocked shots per game rank third in the SEC and 11th in the nation. Carolina’s 188 blocks this season rank as the third-most in a single-season in Gamecock history behind the 1973 squad (203 blocks) and the 2006 team (189).
– Junior forward Sam Muldrow paced the Gamecocks with 3.1 blocks per game, second in the SEC and 10th in the nation. His 97 blocks during the 2009-10 campaign are the third-most in a single season in Carolina history and the most since Brandon Wallace had 86 blocks during the 2006-07 campaign. Only Danny Traylor during the 1971-72 (122) and the 1972-73 (113) seasons had more in a single season.
– The Gamecocks concluded the 2009-10 campaign with an 11-5 record at Colonial Life Arena.
– South Carolina concluded the season with a 2-9 record in away games, with wins coming in its SEC opener at Auburn on Jan. 9 and its SEC finale at Vanderbilt on March 6.
– South Carolina played four neutral site games this season, holding a 2-2 record in those contests. Three matchups came at the Charleston Classic in late November, as Carolina defeated LaSalle and USF before falling to Miami (Fla.) in the tournament final. Carolina suffered a season-ending loss to Alabama in the first round of the SEC Tournament on March 11.
– The Gamecocks concluded their 19th season of competition in the Southeastern Conference with a 6-10 record. Carolina owns an all-time mark of 122-182 (.401) all-time record in SEC play.
– Following the 2010 SEC campaign, Darrin Horn-led teams are 73-37 (.664) all-time in league play. Horn led Carolina to a 10-6 record in SEC action during his first year in Columbia.

SEC Season Wrapup
– South Carolina concluded the 2010 SEC season with a 6-10 record. It marked the 10th time that the Gamecocks have collected at least six wins in league play.
– South Carolina has collected 16 victories over the course of the last two SEC seasons. It marks the highest total in back-to-back league campaigns since the combination of the 1997 and 1998 seasons (26) and is the third highest total ever in back-to-back SEC seasons (1996+97, 23 wins; 1997+98, 26 wins).

Postseason Honors
– Two individual Gamecocks were honored with SEC coaches postseason awards, while Devan Downey earned AP All-SEC honors.

Coaches Awards
First Team: Devan Downey
All-Defensive Team: Devan Downey, Sam Muldrow

Associated Press Awards
First Team: Devan Downey

Downey’s selection marks his third-consecutive selection to the coaches All-SEC First Team, marking the first time a South Carolina player has been named to the first team in three consecutive seasons. His selection to the AP squad marked the third-straight season Downey has been a first-team choice by the media. His appointment to the squad marks just the second time a South Carolina player has been named to the AP first team in three seasons (BJ McKie).

Downey concluded his career in the Garnet and Black with 1,901 points, including 699 during the 2009-10 campaign. He became South Carolina’s first-ever SEC scoring champion this season, posting an impressive 26.2 points per game in league play. Downey scored 20 or more points 19 times this season, and tallied 30 or more six times, including in five SEC contests. Downey concludes his career in the Garnet and Black No. 4 on the all-time scoring list (1,901), first in field goals attempted (1,634), in steals (277) and steals per game (3.0).

Muldrow, one of the top shot blockers in South Carolina history, earned his first-career All-SEC honor with selection to the All-Defensive Team. Muldrow ranks second in the league and 10th in the nation with 3.1 blocks per game. He also provided 10.4 points per game – his first-career double-figure point average to conclude the season – a team-best 6.3 rebounds per contest and 0.9 steals per outing.

Star Watch
– Senior point guard Devan Downey was the star on both ends of the court during his time at South Carolina. Downey ranks among the best in Gamecock history in several categories. The South Carolina native ranks fourth all-time in points (1,901) and 3-point field goals attempted (496), third in scoring (20.2), field goals made (675) and 3-point field goals made (172), while he ranks first in field goals attempted (1,634), steal average (3.0) and steals (277). This in just three seasons (94 games) in the Garnet and Black.
– Downey concludes his career ranked 11th in NCAA history in career steals with 342 (2.7 per game).
– Downey produced one of the top offensive performances in a single season in Carolina history in 2009-10, finishing his senior campaign one point shy of 700 for the year. Only two players in South Carolina history have scored over 700 points in a season – Zam Fredrick Sr. (781, 1981) and Grady Wallace (906, 1957). n In league play, Downey accounted for 39% (419/1081) of South Carolina’s scoring in 2010.

By The Numbers
– 14 – Freshman forward Lakeem Jackson collected a season-best 14 rebounds in Carolina’s SEC Tournament contest vs. Alabama, including an impressive 10 on the offensive glass. It marked the most rebounds by a freshman since Mike Holmes collected 16 vs. NC State competing at the Old Spice Classic on Nov. 23, 2007.
– 237 – Senior guard Devan Downey made 237 field goals this season, the fifth-highest total in a single-season in Carolina history.
– 10 – South Carolina’s 10 3-point field goal attempts vs. Alabama in the SEC Tournament marked a season low, while its three made 3s was its second-lowest total of the season (2 vs. USF).
– -5.1 – South Carolina’s rebounding margin of -5.1 marked the third-lowest rebounding margin by any Gamecock team in the program’s history.
– 34 – South Carolina’s 34 3-point field goals attempted in the Charleston Classic Final vs. Miami was the third-most attempts from beyond the arc in a single-game in Carolina history.
– 5 – Junior forward Sam Muldrow blocked five shots vs. Alabama in the SEC Tournament. It was his highest block total since blocking five Kentucky shots in South Carolina’s upset win over the top-ranked Wildcats in late January. Muldrow blocked at least three shots in 20 games this season, including five games with five or more blocks.

Downey’s Additional Postseason Honors
– Devan Downey was selected as a fourth-team All-American by Sporting News … Downey was named to the USBWA All-District (III) Team and the NABC All-District (21) squad.

Freshmen Making A Mark
– This season’s freshman class of Lakeem Jackson, Ramon Galloway and Stephen Spinella made an immediate impact for the Gamecocks. Below are some key points on the freshman class.

– Jackson started every game except Senior Night … For the season, he averaged 7.2 points per game and was second on the team with 5.0 rebounds per outing … 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in SEC play … He posted double-figure points eight times this season, including hitting the mark in four of the last eight games … Averaged 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game over last eight games … Led/shared the team lead in rebounding eight times, assists eight times and steals seven times.

– Galloway played in every game with six starts on the year … Contributed 7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game … 6.4 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in SEC play … Tallied 12 double-figure scoring games, most recently collecting 14 points vs. Alabama in the SEC Tournament … Tallied 21 points vs. Alabama on March 3, marking the first 20-point game by a freshman since Dominique Archie tallied 21 points vs. Vanderbilt on Feb. 26, 2007.

– Spinella was a key role player for South Carolina … Provided 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds per game in overall games … Top game of the season came in 80-71 victory on the road at Auburn, posting seven points in 13 minutes … Was key in 78-77 Carolina win over Georgia on Jan. 30, posting six points, including back-to-back 3s to pull Carolina within two points of Georgia at the half … One of the top defenders on the team.

Trend Setting
Gamecock trends under Darrin Horn …
– South Carolina is 16-6 when collecting at least 10 steals in a contest.
– The Gamecocks collected at least 10 steals nine times in 2009-10 – most recently vs. Alabama on March 3.
– Carolina is 16-4 when scoring at least 80 points.
– South Carolina scored at least 80 points six times in 2009-10. Carolina’s output of 97 points vs. Jacksonville marked its highest point total of the season.
– The Gamecocks are 13-6 when blocking at least seven shots in a game.
– South Carolina registered at least seven blocks 12 times in 2009-10, collecting a 9-3 record in those contests. To compare, the Gamecocks blocked at least seven shots just seven times in 31 games in 2008-09.
– South Carolina is 24-6 when holding its opponents to under 45% shooting from the field.
– The Gamecocks held opponents under 45% in 13 contestsin 2009-10, most recently holding Alabama to just 39.3% from the field on March 11 in the SEC Tournament.
– Carolina is 15-3 when out-rebounding its opponent.
– South Carolina was 8-0 in 2009-10 when out-rebounding its opponent. The Gamecocks out-rebounded then-No. 1 Kentucky 44-40 on Jan. 26 and No. 13/19 Vanderbilt 33-28 on March 6.
– Carolina is 18-16 when committing 12 or fewer turnovers.
– South Carolina was 7-12 in 2009-10 when committing 12 or fewer turnovers.

Downey Named Cousy Award Finalist
– Devan Downey was named one of 11 finalists for the 2010 Bob Cousy Award, presented annually to college basketball’s top point guard, as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Feb. 5. The original list of 73 candidates from Division I, II and III was cut to 20 last month and to the final 11 on last month. The award is named after Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic great Bob Cousy. Downey was also named a finalist for the honor during the 2007-08 season.

Downey Named Naismith Midseason Top 30
– Devan Downey was named one of the Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30 players on Feb. 24. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T is the most prestigious national basketball award and is given annually to the men’s college basketball player of the year.

Downey’s 30-Point Games
– Devan Downey scored at least 30 points in five SEC games this season, and finished with a league-best 26.2 points per game. Downey scored 30 or more points in more games (5) this SEC season, more than any player in Carolina’s SEC history in a career. BJ McKie and Tre’ Kelley each scored 30 or more points twice in their careers and are the only other two players with more than one 30-point SEC contest.

Downey concludes his career in the Garnet and Black with six 30+ SEC games in his career (one last season – 33 at Florida) – the combined total of all other Gamecock players with 30-point games in Carolina’s 19-year history in the SEC.

30-Point SEC Games (By Points Scored)
36, Devan Downey at Florida (2010)
36, Tre Kelley at Kentucky (2007)
35, Devan Downey vs. Vanderbilt (2010)
35, Larry Davis vs. LSU (1996)
33, Devan Downey vs. Georgia (2010)
33, Devan Downey at Auburn (2010)
33, Devan Downey at Florida (2009)
32, Tre Kelley vs. Vanderbilt (2007)
31, BJ McKie vs. Kentucky (1999)
31, BJ McKie vs. Florida (1998)
30, Devan Downey vs. Kentucky (2010)
30, Carlos Powell vs. Ole Miss (2005)

Gamecocks Win Rebounding Battle With LSU
– South Carolina out-rebounded LSU 38-32 in its victory on Jan. 13, marking the first time that the Gamecocks had out-rebounded an SEC opponent at home since holding a 33-30 edge on the boards in a 66-60 win over Arkansas on Jan. 24, 2007. A span of 23 SEC home matchups. Brandon Wallace collected a floor-best 13 rebounds in that contest.

Did You Know?
– A Gamecock opponent has hit at least one 3 in every game since Alabama went 0-for-10 from beyond the arc in a 52-51 Crimson Tide win at Carolina Coliseum on Feb. 13, 2002.

Key Stat
– In 2009-10, South Carolina was 6-0 in games in which it hit at least 50% from the field. The Gamecocks were 5-2 when connecting on at least 40% of their attempts from beyond the arc.

To Compare
– In games it won, South Carolina held its opponents to just 28.9 percent (64-221) from beyond the arc. To compare, in Carolina losses, opponents hit 39.7 percent (95-239) of their 3-point attempts.

Consecutive 3-Pointers Made
– South Carolina has made at least one 3-pointer in 266 straight games dating back to an 0-of-19 performance from beyond the arc in a 64-57 loss to Mississippi State on March 2, 2002.

Did You Know – Take Two?
– South Carolina has not allowed an opponent to score 100 points since allowing Vanderbilt to surpass the century mark in a 107-97 Commodore victory on Feb. 17, 1996 – a span of 457 games.