COLOMBIA, SC (AP) – South Carolina coach Frank Martin brings a new perspective to this season with Gamecocks.
Martin took COVID-19 during the spring, when the fear of the disease was growing and few people knew how to deal with it. But Martin’s isolation and recovery time led to a deeper assessment of when he and his players would return to the court.
And he couldn’t be more thrilled to see Gamecocks getting ready for this year’s virus-affected season.
“Excited about what this team can be and excited about the opportunities we have to play,” he said.
Martin, whose team was 18-13 last season before the virus ended the college postseason, vowed not to allow continuing concerns about the virus or the likelihood of canceling deferred games to “dampen my emotions, my enthusiasm for opportunity “of basketball.
Martin can have a lot to look forward to in his ninth season with the Gamecocks.
3-point scorer and sniper AJ Lawson returned to school for his junior season after exploring the NBA draft process. North Carolina transfer guard Seventh Woods is available and full of energy after being out last season. Striker Justin Minaya is healthy after a thumb injury that cost him the last nine games of the season.
It adds up, said assistant coach Chuck Martin, to a versatile and skilled squad.
“One of the things that can go unnoticed is how deep we are,” said Martin. “We have depth in all positions.”
Along with Lawson (13.4 average points last year) and Minaya, the Gamecocks return fast guard Jermaine Couisnard and long Keyshawn Bryant.
Couisnard took over as a point guard in the middle of the year and came to life during the Southeast Conference game, averaging 12.1 points and leading the team with 95 assists. Couisnard’s bankroll when time ran out led the Gamecocks to their central victory last season, a 81-78 victory over then No. 10 Kentucky.
Bryant missed the first eight games of last season due to an injury and was slow to recover. But the 1.80 meter junior with really long arms found his step during the SEC game and finished with an average of 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds.
“I’ve never really suffered an injury before,” said Bryant. “That was my first serious injury. Somehow, I recovered.”
Some other things to note during the South Carolina season:
SEVENTH HEAVEN
Columbia-raised Seventh Woods was moved back home last fall after three seasons with Tar Heels. Instead of immediately returning to the court, Woods and Martin agreed that he should take a season off. Woods said it did wonders for him in basketball and in life. Woods was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a rare muscle disease that attacks the muscles and can cause muscle breakdown and death. Woods says he’s healthy now and ready for his final season in college.
LAWSON SUMMER
AJ Lawson called it a “weird summer” of zooming in with NBA teams and struggling to find places to train due to the continuing pandemic. Lawson said that going back to school was the right choice for him, especially with the disease. “I feel that if I go back to school it would be a better decision, to improve and have more time,” he said.
MISSING MAIK
Gamecocks are without the leading rebound and neither the kick blocker Maik Kotsar, who ended his four seasons and was the last remnant of the South Carolina race in 2017 until the Final Four. The 6-10 Kotsar’s internal presence will go to Alanzo Frink, Wildens Levecque and Jalyn McCreary.
COVID QUESTIONS
When the team returned to campus for training this summer and fall, Martin started them in small groups to practice trying to limit isolation to as few people as possible if any tests were positive. Martin returned to full training last month, but understands that he, his team and the players must remain vigilant while the pandemic continues.
SCHEDULE
South Carolina starts playing the SEC in one of the most difficult ways possible – in reputable Kentucky on December 29. The most difficult period of the league’s 18 game season may be in the middle of last year, when the Gamecocks face Tennessee at home before the games in LSU and Missouri. South Carolina has yet to announce games outside the conference.
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