Gamecock Gala Awards: Male Scholar Athlete of the Year - Maik Kotsar

Maik Kotsar came a long way in his career at South Carolina, and he’s looking forward to making a difference for children in his native Estonia whenever his basketball playing days are done. The senior men’s basketball student-athlete has been named South Carolina’s Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. The award is given each year to a graduating senior with exceptional academic achievement, and athletics contribution is also considered.

“I was really excited when I found out,” Kotsar said. “Being awarded that type of honor means a lot. I was really excited and happy.

“One of the challenges for me academically was being able to learn in a different language and study in a different language in general,” Kotsar said. “I knew English pretty well in coming to school here, but that was still the biggest obstacle for me. Basketball was a little easier because a lot of the terms are global.”

Now that he is graduating, Kotsar hopes to play professional basketball, and whenever he hangs up the high tops, he looks forward to returning home to Estonia.

“I definitely want to work with Estonian kids, whether it’s with basketball or something else with education,” Kotsar said. “I just want to be able to help them.”
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Among his many academic honors, the finance major has been named to the President’s List, is a regular on the Athletics Director’s Honor Roll and has been named to the SEC Honor Roll all four years while maintaining a 3.2 grade point average. He is scheduled to earn his degree this spring, and while he is a hard worker with a good work ethic, he is also thankful to have had the resources at South Carolina’s Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center.

“I went to the Dodie a lot,” Kotsar said. “We had team study halls there. (Director of Academics) Rochelle Robinson worked with our team all throughout my four years here. She helped a lot. The other people at the Dodie helped a lot, too. The Dodie in general is a really helpful place for student-athletes.”

“What I’m going to miss the most is the camaraderie and the way everyone here is family.”

Kotsar has also enjoyed a lot of success on the court. A four-year starter with more than 1,000 points in his career, Kotsar helped the Gamecocks to 40 SEC wins as well as the 2017 Final Four. He earned Second Team All-SEC honors as a senior after leading the team in rebounds and ranking third on the team with 11.2 points per game. He also ranks second all-time in career starts (121) at South Carolina.

“The difference for me this year was my mental state,” Kotsar said. “I worked on that throughout last summer. I tried to be more confident as a player and a leader. Other guys encouraged me as well. From that confidence, I was able to have a good year.

“My relationship with (head coach) Frank (Martin) is really good. At all times, he really is trying to help you, whether it’s on or off the court.”

Looking back at his career, Kotsar has a lot of good memories of his time in the Garnet and Black.

“Obviously, the most vivid memory would be the Final Four,” Kotsar said. “That run was something special. Every year has been really memorable. Going into battle with my friends and my Gamecock family and doing it among such great fans was really a good time. What I’m going to miss the most is the camaraderie and the way everyone here is family. Everyone gets along with everyone and everyone tries to help everyone. That’s one thing that is so special about this place, and I’m going to miss that.

“If I could go back, I would tell my freshman self to just enjoy college, make the most out of it, and keep on working because one day it will pay off.”