Nov. 10, 2014

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – We are just four days from the start of the 2014-15 season on Monday, so we take a look at how both the number five and number four impact our record book in our Game Day Countdown feature.

Below are some notables about the number 5:
– Five Gamecocks have had their jersey number retired by the University in Grady Wallace (42), John Roche (11), Kevin Joyce (43), Alex English (22) and BJ McKie (3). The group scored a combined 8,857 career points, with McKie, English and Roche ranking first, second and third, respectively, in Carolina history in points scored. Wallace ranks 11th, and Joyce 15th.
– The Gamecocks recorded 80 or more points five times last season, posting a 5-0 mark in those contests.
– In his career, Gamecock great Devan Downey (2007-10) recorded 46 games with at least five assists, and 18 games with at least five steals. Downey ranks eighth in Carolina history with 420 career assists, and he ranks first all-time with 277 career steals. Downey is the last Gamecock to dish double-digit assists, as he did so vs. LSU on March 13, 2008, in the SEC Tournament with 11 helpers in the contest.
– Jack Gilloon played for the Gamecocks from 1975-78 and holds Carolina’s career assist average with 5.08 helpers per game. He holds the top-two assist marks for a single-game in Carolina history with 17 vs. Georgia Southern on Feb. 28, 1976, and 16 vs. Villanova just a few weeks earlier on Feb. 4, 1976.
– Brenton Williams (2011-14) finished his career ranked in several statistical categories, including in free throw percentage, where he ranks first all-time, having hit 88.5 (223-252) of his attempts. Williams had 21 games with at least five free throw attempts in his career, shooting a stellar 89 percent (138-155) in those games from the charity stripe.

Below are some notables about the number 4:
– Senior guard Tyrone Johnson returns to the court for Carolina this season after suffering an injury just three games into the 2014 SEC campaign. Johnson, who wears jersey number four, dished 3.4 assists per game last season before his injury, while adding 11.2 points per outing. Johnson, the lone senior on this year’s squad, scored 23 points in the Gamecocks’ 2014-15 exhibition game vs. Benedict on Oct. 26.
– Sam Muldrow (2007-11), who wore jersey number 44, is the Gamecocks’ all-time leader in blocked shots. Muldrow blocked 275 career shots, a 2.5 blocks per game average. During his career, which also saw him post just the second triple-double in Carolina history with 16 points, 14 rebounds and a career-high 10 blocks in an overtime victory over Vanderbilt on Jan. 8, 2011, Muldrow posted 31 games with at least four blocks.
– Then-freshman Sindarius Thornwell led all freshmen in the SEC with 4.0 assists per league game last season. He also led the freshmen class with 15.6 points per SEC game as well. Thornwell took over point guard duties after Tyrone Johnson suffered a foot injury during the Jan. 15 game at Texas A&M. Thornwell returns for the Gamecocks for his sophomore campaign this season.
– South Carolina has four on its roster that hail from the State of South Carolina in sophomore guard Sindarius Thornwell (Lancaster), rookie point guard Marcus Stroman (Columbia), sophomore guard Justin McKie (Columbia) and junior forward Brian Steele (Greenville).

South Carolina begins the 2014-15 season when it hosts North Florida on Friday, Nov. 14. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the contest will be broadcast on SEC Network +.