Gamecocks Host Columbia International In Exhibition Wednesday

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s basketball team will host Columbia International on Wednesday night in an exhibition contest at Colonial Life Arena.  Tip time for the free admission matchup is set for 7 p.m.  There will not be an audio or video stream of Wednesday’s exhibition contest.

Children are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes to the game versus the Rams for trick-or-treating with Cocky on the concourse at halftime (clear plastic bags for candy collection will be provided).  Also, any children that wear their costume to the exhibition will receive two free tickets to the men’s basketball regular-season opener set for Nov. 6 versus North Alabama at Colonial Life Arena. 
 
** Note regarding costumes: no masks or props will be permitted inside Colonial Life Arena.  If bringing your own trick-or-treat bag, please make sure it adheres to the Arena’s clear bag policy.

PARKING INFORMATION
Parking will be available for Wednesday’s exhibition for $10 in the Discovery Garage, as well as in Lot B.  Additionally, season parking passes for Lots A and B will be honored.
 
NOTES TO KNOW
> South Carolina enters its 112^th season of varsity basketball in 2019-20, and is led by eighth-year head coach Frank Martin.  Martin, the 2017 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year, owns a 246-160 record in his 12 seasons as a head coach, and a 129-106 record as he begins his eighth season at Carolina.
> Joining Martin on the sidelines is a veteran staff, including assistant coaches Perry Clark (seventh season), Chuck Martin (third season) and Bruce Shingler (fourth season), director of basketball operations Andy Assaley (eighth season) and strength and conditioning coach Scott Greenawalt (eighth season), and several support staff members.
> South Carolina returns a core group from last season’s squad, while welcoming seven newcomers to Columbia, including five freshmen – Trey Anderson, Jalyn McCreary, Trae Hannibal, Wildens Leveque and Mike Green, transfer Seventh Woods (North Carolina/not eligible this season due to NCAA transfer rules) and graduate transfer Micaiah Henry (Tennessee Tech/immediately eligible).
> Carolina’s top returning scorer, and 2019 SEC All-Freshman Team honoree, is sophomore guard AJ Lawson, who scored 13.4 points per outing last season, while dishing 2.9 assists per game.  Over the summer, Lawson competed for Team Canada at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Greece, leading the Canadians with 16.7 points per outing, including an event-high 31 points vs. Senegal.
> The Gamecocks lost two starters to injury early last season in sophomore guard Justin Minaya (missed final 27 games of the season) and rookie guard TJ Moss (missed 25 games last season); the duo have both fully recovered and are back on the court for the Garnet and Black.
> R-junior guard Jair Bolden, who was unable to play last season due to NCAA transfer rules (transferred in the summer of 2018 after playing two seasons at George Washington), will bring veteran leadership and proven scoring ability to the court this season for Carolina, as the Brooklyn, N.Y., native averaged 11.2 points per game as a sophomore for the Colonials, while also pacing the team with 98 assists on the season.
> In non-conference play, Carolina will host five-straight matchups to start the campaign, before traveling to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge, where matchups against Wichita State, and either West Virginia or Northern Iowa await.  In December, the Gamecocks host George Washington, before a matchup at UMass, followed by a home contest against Houston and consecutive road games at Clemson and Virginia.
> In SEC action, the Gamecocks open league play on Jan. 7 at Colonial Life Arena against No. 6/6 Florida, while also hosting No. 2/2 Kentucky, No. 22/24 LSU, and No. -/25 Tennessee in conference play (rankings listed are preseason).
> Carolina recently announced it will add throwback uniforms to its lineup for game attire this upcoming season.  Fans can get their first glimpse of the throwback uniforms when the Gamecocks host Houston on Dec. 8 at Colonial Life Arena.
> The Gamecocks return 43.9 percent of its scoring from a year ago, 48.3 percent of its made field goals, and 45.7 percent of its rebounding, following the graduation of All-SEC forward Chris Silva, who led the Gamecocks with 15.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and 150 made field goals last season.
> Three who started the majority of the SEC campaign return for the Gamecocks, including sophomore guard AJ Lawson (14.0 points per league game), sophomore forward Keyshawn Bryant (8.8 ppg) and senior forward Maik Kotsar (5.9 ppg).
> Eight Gamecocks were honored last spring for their outstanding work in the classroom with SEC All-Academic accolades, and senior forward Maik Kotsar was named to the NABC Honors Court, as well.
 
QUOTABLE
Coach Martin on offseason and summer workouts …
“It’s by far the most productive summer we’ve had since we’ve been here. Our roster was in place, the comradery amongst our players, because the majority of them were on the team last year, there’s a respect and a unity there to help the first-year guys. What they did in the weight room, the work ethic of this team’s real good, there’s an enthusiasm for work with this team. We’re no different than every other team across the country in any sport. We’ve had a couple of guys that like the game day but didn’t like the work that it takes to be good on game day. And right now, we’ve got a team where they all enjoy the work. They push each other, they’re competitive.”
 
PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Sophomore guard AJ Lawson was named one of 20 watch list members for the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award.  It was announced in mid-October by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.  A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.  Lawson is Carolina’s top returning scorer after averaging 13.4 points per game during his rookie campaign a year ago, en route to SEC All-Freshman Team accolades.  The Toronto, Canada, native, posted 18 double-figure scoring games last season, and had eight games with five or more assists, while leading or sharing the team lead in scoring 12 times.  Lawson had six contests with 20 or more points, including a season high 25 points vs. Coastal Carolina. 
 
8K CAMPAIGN IN THE COMMUNITY
The Gamecock men’s basketball team held its sixth annual 8K Campaign over the summer in the greater Columbia community.  The goal of the campaign is to reach 8,000 fans with outreach events during the summer months.  In 2019, the Gamecocks visited the Dorn VA Medical Center, spent time with Habitat for Humanity, the YMCA, the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department, while also visiting Sowing Seeds, the Harvest Hope Food Bank and Transitions. 

UP NEXT
South Carolina will host North Alabama in the season opener next Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Colonial Life Arena.  Tip time is set for 7 p.m. ET, with the matchup set for broadcast on SEC Network+ and on the Gamecock IMG Sports Network.