Men's Basketball Season Preview

From Spurs & Feathers

South Carolina men’s basketball head coach Frank Martin is happy to put last year in the rearview mirror. Coming off a tough 6-15 year that saw Martin and other members of his staff overcome serious bouts with COVID-19, combined with several game cancellations and multiple players missing practice time due to contact tracing or quarantine, the Gamecocks coach is fired up about getting back to playing his brand of basketball. 

Keyshawn Bryant

“We lost our physicality in the last year and a half,” Martin said. “At the end of 2019-20, we started playing small. We didn’t defend and rebound and put up the same physicality that I like. Last year, we never played with any physicality. I think we’ve got that back.”

With nine newcomers to go along with six returning players, this season brings up its own set of challenges, but at least they are more familiar.

“My first year ever of head coaching at Kansas State I had nine freshmen,” Martin recalled. “That was hard. This year we’re fortunate to have some guys that have been through it and have been frontline players on winning college teams. They provide a leadership right away because of their experiences.

“They bring a certain attention to detail every day because they’ve been through it.”

As for the guys that have already been through it with Martin, the Gamecocks do return three of their top five scorers from last year with senior forward Keyshawn Bryant (14.4 ppg), redshirt junior guard Jermaine Couisnard (10.1 ppg), and junior forward Wildens Leveque (6.1 ppg/4.8 rpg), and he’s seen improvement from others as well.

“Keyshawn is a good player and has become a more mature young man,” Martin said. “He played well offensively last year. Now he has to play well offensively and defensively. His ball-handling improved, and we need him to take another step forward as a player. Through all his athleticism, he’s really a finesse player, and I want him to be more of a physical player. It will make him a better player.

“I’m really happy and excited with Wildens Leveque. He played his best basketball of the year in the last half dozen games last year. He played really well down the stretch. I challenged him because he is too good of a shot blocker to not be a presence around the rim. He can do that better. Part of the problem is that we were not very good defensively as a team, and that makes it harder to block shots. I think he’ll be better there. I’m really proud of Wildens. I think he’ll take a big step forward.

“Jermaine can’t lose faith in his ability to make shots, and I have to help him. He has to have a much better understanding of our offense. All the guys who have been ball-handlers for me, you see assists go up and turnovers go down. So, he needs to take a step forward there.

“Tre-Vaughn Minott (Soph., C) has completely changed his body. He can give us another physical presence around the rim. Ja’Von Benson (Soph., F) has grown up tremendously. He has so much natural ability. He just needed to mature to be better prepared to be a college athlete.”

“I like the personality of our team. I really do.”

With six players transferring in, Martin is not too concerned about them adapting to a new system.

“We’re really deep,” Martin said. “Erik Stevenson (Sr., G, Wichita St./Washington), Chico Carter (Jr., G, Murray St.), and James Reese (Gr., G, North Texas) are elite shooters. Reese and Chico bring a personality and a physicality. Both dreamt of playing at Carolina. It meant something to them. I’m happy that we made it happen. I made mistakes evaluating them coming out of high school, and I wasn’t going to make a mistake this time. They can both shoot the ball at a high clip, and they’re confident.

Wildens Leveque

“Erik Stevenson was a starting player and a double figure scorer on a (Wichita State) team that won 23 games the year COVID shut the rest of the season down. He could be the best shooter I’ve ever coached. He has that kind of potential.  James Reese was a starting two-guard on a North Texas team that won their league for two years. I’m excited.

“All of them, and my son, Brandon (Sr., F, USC Upstate), help bring a physicality that we need. There’s a maturity to them.

“A.J. Wilson (Gr., F, George Mason) was the Most Improved Player one year (2020) in the Atlantic-10. Now we have someone who is the closest thing we’ve had in a while to a Chris Silva, who can bring size and physicality. Josh Gray (Soph., F, LSU) has a lot of potential. He’s a seven-footer and can really run. He plays with physicality. He has a lot of potential. He can rebound, and he can block shots. I liked him a lot in high school.

“The thing with guys like A.J. Wilson, James Reese, my son, and Erik Stevenson; they all have a leadership quality and a passion for playing that is pretty neat.”

The Gamecocks also welcome in a trio of freshmen, and while it takes time to acclimate to the size, speed, and strength at this level, Martin likes what he sees.

“Devin Carter (G, Doral Academy) is really good and is wired to score. He is a shot-maker. I think Ta’Quan Woodley (F, Camden [N.J.] High School) has a chance to be special. He has a great heart, great mind, and great hands. Jacobi Wright (G, Legacy Early College) is your consummate point guard. He has great feel and is a great teammate. He is a natural leader and is a point guard, but he’s also 18-years old. Those guys will all get there, so it’s not a concern. It’s more of an unknown.”

Now that he and his team are healthy, Martin is reinvigorated for the start of the season.

“I’m just excited to get back to playing. I can’t wait to get out there and compete and have a team that plays more like all my teams have always played.

“I like the personality of our team. I really do. I’m excited I can do my job with the same enthusiasm and effort that I’ve always been able to, but I couldn’t do last year. It was a difficult year, but I feel great again.”