South Carolina basketball adds a great talented man.
Early Friday morning, Frank Martin and the South Carolina basketball team added the commitment of pivot Tre-Vaughn Minott, who played for the National Preparatory Association in Canada and the NBA Academy in Mexico. The National Prep Association is the same program that produced Gamecock guard AJ Lawson.
South Carolina’s technical assistant, Chuck Martin, was his primary recruiter.
Minott chose Gameocks over an offer from Providence. He was also attracting great interest from the State of Arizona, Butler, Clemson and New Mexico.
Originally scheduled to be part of the 2020 class, Minott opted to reclassify to the 2021 class. The big man plans to apply for the spring semester and will be eligible to play immediately after arriving on campus. This means that it will be available to Gamecocks this season, as the team navigates the conference schedule.
As the new freshman Patrick Iriel decided to leave the program in August, Minott can go to the scholarship immediately. He will also not lose a year of playing time due to the removal of NCAA eligibility restrictions in the midst of the COVID pandemic.
Gamecocks currently have only one real center on the list in Wildens Leveque, although strikers Jalyn McCreary, Alanzo Frink and Ja’von Benson also occupy the spot. Leveque arrived strong in his second season, averaging 5.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He’s been great at cleaning offensive glass and giving Gamecocks second-chance opportunities, but South Carolina will definitely get the extra depth.
It is not yet known how much Minott will take into consideration this year, but he could become an important contributor to Frank Martin in the future.