There aren’t many basketballs at a Major League Baseball spring training venue, but that hasn’t stopped Justin Minaya to stay in shape at the beginning of the off-season.
When the South Carolina men’s basketball season ended abruptly in March due to concerns about COVID-19, the son of New York Mets assistant general manager Omar Minaya went to Florida to be his family.
“When it all happened for the first time in March, it was kind of crazy,” said Minaya. “My family was in Port St. Luice because my dad was there for spring training with the Mets. I went down there and it was a little easier for me to train because there are good facilities there. It was a good place to be, in Florida, for quite a while. My family was there and one of my best friends was with me. Was good.”
Minaya returned to campus during the summer, when the Mets went north and are now in the middle of their fourth pre-season camp with the Gamecocks. The junior redshirt played 22 games last season and missed part of the conference due to hand surgery. He averaged 7.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.6 steals in 29.8 minutes per game. 26% three-point pitcher and 66% free-throw pitcher last year, Minaya is pleased with his off-season progress in those areas of the game. He has always been a stronger defender and rebound for the head coach Frank Martin.
“My strength for the season is my ability to kick the ball and my ability to defend and hit,” said Minaya. “I just want to be able to play dribbling better. I can definitely improve this. My free-throw shot and my three-point percentage were not where I wanted them to be last year.
“I’m really excited for the season. My teammates and I have been waiting for this for a long time. Playing again will be a lot of fun. “
Over her three-year career at Columbia, Minaya started 56 of 59 games and averaged 27.8 minutes, 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
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More information from Minaya on pre-season media availability is available below. If you are accessing this Proving Grounds Plan message board story, click on the link below to read the full article.