South Carolina will not have Frank Martin on the court on Saturday night against LSU, but the absence of the head coach is not serving as an excuse for the players, says the coach Bruce Shingler.
Gamecocks’ five-year assistant coach praised his players for how they are dealing with what is another obstacle in their path this season. The program is leaving the third period of paused activity due to the COVID-19 protocols.
“They’re all excited, ‘Bruce, we help you. Let’s do it, ‘”said Shingler on Friday. “Their spirits improve my spirits, given the circumstances. The virus affects everyone when you talk about your leader being down and now you have to take your place. We have to control our emotions, but these guys are excited by me and help me to flow through practice ”.
Shingler mentioned juniors Justin Minaya and AJ Lawson and second year Jermaine Couisnard as prominent vocal leaders in practice since the team returned from quarantine. He was unable to provide a final count of available players for Saturday, but reported 12 to 13 players trained on Thursday.
Martin was not on the premises while recovering from his second positive COVID-19 test in nine months, but his presence is still felt.
“Frank is not there physically, but his voice is still there because our culture is the way it is,” said Shingler. “It’s another day at the office. I told the guys that you can approach me as a substitute teacher or me as the next man. These guys respect me as a coach, they respect our team. There is training in the building. Our guys are focused on attention to detail. They are ready to play. “
Martin joined Shingler on the conference call with local reporters and was asked if there was any idea of ending the season entirely, as only five games have been played since the season began on November 28. He heeded his players’ desire to keep the season going, regardless of the difficulty.
“As long as our players want to play, it is my responsibility to help guide them to the finish line,” said Martin. “The reason we did this to start is because the players wanted to play. Our guys want to play. They sacrificed tremendously to find a way to play. As long as they want to play, it is our duty to keep a healthy mind, keep peace and faith in the right place and help them align and play as many games as possible. “
Tip against the Tigers (9-2, 4-1) is set for 8:30 pm on the SEC Network.