Oct. 15, 2015

South Carolina head men’s basketball coach Frank Martin enters his fourth season leading the Gamecocks this fall, and excitement for Carolina basketball is at an all-time high in Columbia. Martin’s team welcomes seven newcomers to the roster for the campaign ahead, and the squad will look to tackle a challenging schedule. It will see them travel to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam, an away matchup with intrastate rival Clemson and a neutral-site matchup against perennial basketball powerhouse St. John’s, before the Gamecocks embark on the 2016 SEC campaign.

Martin’s squad is comprised of eight returning letterwinners, including four returning starters. With a roster foundation that features four seniors and three juniors, Martin’s team has experience and understands the rigors of not only the non-conference season, but also what lies ahead in the SEC season this winter.

GUARD PLAY

The Gamecocks return at least 72 percent of their stats in every major category from last season. In returning four of its top five scorers, the Gamecocks will see 78.7 percent of their scoring output, 78.7 percent of made field goals and 83.3 percent of made 3-point field goals back on the court for 2015-16. Leading that pack are the top two returning scorers in junior guards Duane Notice (11.7 ppg) and Sindarius Thornwell (11.1).

Notice emerged as a consistent threat from 3-point range as a sophomore, ranking eighth in the SEC with 61 made 3s on the season, and he also contributed 2.7 assists per game. While hampered by sore knees much of last season, Thornwell continued to pose an offensive threat for the Gamecocks with his 11.1 points per game. His rebounding (4.9 rpg) and steals (1.3 spg) were also key components for the Carolina defense. The duo is joined by junior guard Justin McKie and sophomore point guard Marcus Stroman in the backcourt. Each played significant minutes for the Gamecocks last season, and Martin is excited to have that level of experience returning.

Duane Notice

“For the first time since I’ve been here, we have a group of guards that have been together for a while,” Martin said. “In Duane Notice, Sindarius Thornwell, Marcus Stroman and Justin McKie, you have a quartet of guys that have all played major minutes and dealt with losing together, have dealt with winning together and are fully prepared in the understanding of what we want and the challenges that the other teams and the season bring. Their experience, leadership and guidance are what is going to allow newcomers to adapt and be allowed to grow at a normal rate.”

Notice, Thornwell and Stroman combined for 249 of Carolina’s 437 assists last season. Stroman battled a late-season throat infection that sidelined him for five games, but the sophomore enters this season back at full speed and looks to fill the point guard position left by the graduation of Tyrone Johnson. Also of note is the anticipated debut of redshirt-freshman TeMarcus Blanton. Blanton suffered a hip injury during last fall’s preseason camp, with a severity that isn’t often seen in basketball. Without a definite time frame for return, Blanton worked tirelessly in the training room with athletic trainer Mark Rodger, and is fully cleared for the 2015-16 campaign.

INSIDE PLAY

Carolina returns 75.4 percent of rebounding, including an important 87.6 percent of its offensive rebounding, from a year ago. The senior trio of Michael Carrera, Laimonas Chatkevicius and Mindaugas Kacinas return as the team’s top three rebounders, led by Carrera’s 5.7 per contest. Chatkevicius added a career high 5.2 per game and Kacinas 5.1 per outing, including a team best 2.3 offensive boards per game. The group, along with senior guard Brian Steele, comprise Martin’s first senior class in Columbia. Under the guidance of their coaching staff, the posts and Steele have honed their games in every aspect, whether it’s on the court or in the weight room, which will give the Gamecocks an extra edge in the paint that can be the difference in a game. Martin looks to the veterans to mentor the newcomers this season at the position.

“On the front line we have three guys who started off undersized, height-wise and physically, in Michael Carrera, Laimonas Chatkevicius and Mindaugas Kacinas,” Martin commented. “They have stayed the course and battled, and now we have three guys who are going into their senior season and have an unbelievable understanding of expectations, of responsibility and they have fully invested in what it takes to win and to represent our uniform. Their ability to defend, rebound and fight for our culture every day will allow the crop of young guys to understand the daily approach that’s needed to be able to sustain success.

Michael Carrera

“Freshmen Eric Cobb, Raymond Doby and Chris Silva, while they are all extremely talented and bring a personality and a talent and size that we need, it’s that daily work ethic that they’ll learn from these three seniors that will also help them grow as players.”

While Carrera, Chatkevicius and Kacinas can rebound and defend, they can also provide double-figure scoring and pose an offensive threat for opponents. Carrera averaged 7.1 points per game last season, but finished the campaign recording double-figures in four of the final five contests, including back-to-back 14-point outputs versus Arkansas and Tennessee. He was also instrumental in the Carolina victory over Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament, scoring just shy of a season high with 16 points, six rebounds and three steals versus the Rebels. Chatkevicius saw his scoring average nearly double from the previous season, scoring 8.6 points per game, which included a career high 13 double-figure scoring outings. He also averaged 1.3 blocks per game, which ranked eighth in the SEC. While Kacinas pulled down at least six rebounds in 10 games, he also posted five double-figure scoring performances as a junior.

NEWCOMERS

Joining the group of returners is a strong and highly-touted rookie class led by McDonald’s All-American PJ Dozier, and Silva, one of the top-ranked inside players in the country. Also joining the squad are guards Jamall Gregory and John Ragin, the aforementioned forwards Cobb and Doby and transfer Jarrell Holliman. Dozier, a lengthy and tall point guard, averaged 19 points and six assists per game during his senior season of high school. Silva and Gregory are noted as athletic players who can change games with their explosive moves to the basket and Cobb and Doby bring a size element to the court that the Gamecocks haven’t seen of late.

“Our coaching staff is extremely excited about this year’s group of freshmen. We have added unbelievable size, athleticism and basketball ability to an established group of players. At the guard position you have PJ Dozier, Jamall Gregory and John Ragin, that all bring athleticism, toughness and skill. In PJ, you’re adding a component that is unique in a 6’7″ player that can play point guard.

“On the front line, we have always been the skinny team the last couple years, and now with the addition of Raymond Doby and Eric Cobb, we have become bigger, from a strength and size component. They both bring a toughness and an approach that is very consistent with what Mindaugas, Michael and Laimonas have created. In Chris Silva, we have added something that we haven’t had in my time here, which is a 6’9″ player with unbelievable athleticism that brings that dynamic to go along with the other guys in the front line. Also, Jarrell Holliman is a transfer that played at the Division II level, and he is an older, mature personality that will help us in numerous ways that probably won’t show up in stat sheets.”

SCHEDULE

Another challenging schedule awaits the Gamecocks, keeping with Martin’s goal of preparing his team for the rigors of the SEC campaign with one of the top non-conference schedules in the country. Carolina travels to a destination tournament for the third-straight season, competing in the Paradise Jam in late November in the U.S. Virgin Islands. An away matchup with Clemson and a neutral site meeting with St. John’s highlight December, and the Gamecocks welcome Memphis to Colonial Life Arena in early January. Norfolk State, Western Carolina and Drexel also travel to Columbia this season in non-conference action.

“The schedule is once again challenging, and continues to challenge the mettle of our team to prepare us for conference play. We as a staff want our guys to be challenged so we have to live on daily preparation. That is the only way that you can survive a conference such as the SEC. Our goal to compete for an SEC Championship remains the most important part of what we are trying to accomplish as a program.”

Southeastern Conference play will begin for the Gamecocks at Auburn on Jan. 5. Carolina will face Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Missouri and Alabama in home-and-home series this season. Vanderbilt, Florida, and Kentucky will also travel to Columbia in league play.