2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team

2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record17–16 (7–11 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaColonial Life Arena
Seasons
2017–18 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Auburn 13 5   .722 26 8   .765
No. 13 Tennessee 13 5   .722 26 9   .743
No. 23 Florida 11 7   .611 21 13   .618
No. 18 Kentucky 10 8   .556 26 11   .703
Missouri 10 8   .556 20 13   .606
Arkansas 10 8   .556 23 12   .657
Mississippi State 9 9   .500 25 12   .676
Texas A&M 9 9   .500 22 13   .629
Alabama 8 10   .444 20 16   .556
LSU 8 10   .444 18 15   .545
Georgia 7 11   .389 18 15   .545
South Carolina 7 11   .389 17 16   .515
Vanderbilt 6 12   .333 12 20   .375
Ole Miss 5 13   .278 12 20   .375
2018 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach, Frank Martin, was in his sixth season at South Carolina. The team played its home games at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 17–16, 7–11 in SEC play to finish in a tie for 11th place. They defeated Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC tournament before losing in the second round to Arkansas.

Previous season

The Gamecocks finished the 2016–17 season 26–11, 12–6 in SEC play to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament to Alabama.[1] They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 7 seed in the East region.[2] In the First Round, they defeated No. 10-seeded Marquette, the school's first NCAA Tournament win since 1974.[3] They then defeated No. 2-seeded Duke to earn a trip to the Sweet Sixteen.[4] In the Sweet Sixteen, they blew out No. 3 seed and No. 12-ranked Baylor by 20 points to earn a trip the Elite Eight.[5] In the Elite Eight, they defeated fellow SEC-member No. 4-seeded Florida to advance to the first Final Four in school history.[6] There the Gamecocks lost to the West Region's No. 1 seed, Gonzaga.[7] The 26 wins marked the most wins in school history.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Sindarius Thornwell 0 G 6'5" 211 Senior Lancaster, SC Graduated/2017 NBA draft
Rakym Felder 4 G 5'10" 210 Freshman Brooklyn, NY Suspended from the team due to an assault[8]
TeMarcus Blanton 5 G 6'5" 206 RS Sophomore Locust Grove, GA Retired from basketball due to a hip injury[9]
Duane Notice 10 G 6'2" 225 Senior Woodbridge, ON Graduated
Ran Tut 14 F 6'9" 210 Junior Melbourne, Australia Graduate transferred to Angelo State
PJ Dozier 15 G 6'6" 205 Sophomore Columbia, SC Declare for 2017 NBA draft
Justin McKie 20 G 6'4" 204 Senior Columbia, SC Graduated
Sedee Keita 24 F 6'9" 240 Freshman Philadelphia, PA Transferred to St. John's
Jarrell Holliman 31 F 6'7" 206 RS Junior Alpharretta, GA Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
John Ragin 34 G 6'2" 177 Sophomore Eastover, SC Walk-on; didn't return

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Frank Booker 5 G 6'4" 190 RS Senior Augusta, GA Transferred from Florida Atlantic. Will be eligible to play immediately since Booker graduated from Florida Atlantic.
Wesley Meyers 10 G 6'2" 186 RS Senior Brooklyn, NY Transferred from Maine. Will be eligible to play immediately since Meyers graduated from Maine.

2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
David Beatty
#32 SG
Philadelphia, PA Imhotep Institute Charter High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 14, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Ibrahim Doumbia
#32 PF
Miami, FL Miami Country Day School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sep 28, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Felipe Haase
#56 C
Los Angeles, CA Cathedral High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Nov 10, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Jason Cudd
C
Myrtle Beach, SC Socastee High School 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Sep 12, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPNN/A
Justin Minaya
SG
Old Tappan, NJ Northern Valley Regional High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) May 10, 2017 
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPNN/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 28   Rivals: 23  ESPN: 23
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "South Carolina 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  • "2017 South Carolina Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2016.

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2018)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jermaine Couisnard
SG
East Chicago, IN Montverde Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jan 27, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPNN/A
Alanzo Frink
PF
Roselle, NJ Roselle Catholic High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Apr 3, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   RivalsN/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPNN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2017–18 South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 David Beatty 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Imhotep Institute Charter HS Philadelphia, PA
G 1 Kory Holden 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 197 lb (89 kg) RS Jr J.B. Bennett
Delaware
Salisbury, MD
G 2 Hassani Gravett 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 187 lb (85 kg) RS Jr Alexander
Pensacola State College
Villa Rica, GA
G 5 Frank Booker Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 208 lb (94 kg) RS Sr Westside HS
Florida Atlantic
Augusta, GA
G 10 Justin Minaya 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Northern Valley Regional HS Old Tappan, NJ
F 12 Khadim Gueye 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 248 lb (112 kg) So Victory Rock Prep Dakar, Senegal
F 13 Felipe Haase 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 249 lb (113 kg) Fr Miami Christian School Osorno, Chile
F 14 Ibrahim Doumbia 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Miami Country Day School Miami, FL
G 15 Wesley Myers 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 193 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Boys and Girls HS
Maine
Brooklyn, NY
G 20 Tommy Corchiani (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Ravenscroft Raleigh, NC
F 21 Maik Kotsar 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So Sunrise Christian Academy Tallinn, Estonia
G 23 Evan Hinson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Deltona HS Deltona, FL
G 25 Christian Schmitt (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Mars Area HS Mars, PA
F 30 Chris Silva 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 223 lb (101 kg) Jr Roselle Catholic HS Libreville, Gabon
F 33 Jason Cudd 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Fr Socastee HS Myrtle Beach, SC
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 30, 2017*
7:00 pm
Erskine W 85–44 
 15  Silva   12  Haase   3  Gravett/Haase  Colonial Life Arena 
Columbia, SC
Nov 5, 2017*
2:00 pm, SECN+
Virginia Tech
Hoops 4 Hurricane Relief
L 67–86 
 15  Gravett   7  Haase   3  Gravett/Haase  Colonial Life Arena 
Columbia, SC
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at Wofford W 72–53  1–0
 13  Kotsar   10  Silva   4  Kotsar  Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (3,400)
Spartanburg, SC
Nov 13, 2017*
8:00 pm, SECN
Western Michigan
Puerto Rico Tip-Off non-bracket game
W 78–60  2–0
 15  Gravett   10  Silva   3  Haase  Colonial Life Arena (12,136)
Columbia, SC
Nov 16, 2017*
11:30 am, ESPN2
vs. Illinois State
Puerto Rico Tip-Off quarterfinals
L 65–69  2–1
 10  Booker/Gravett/Silva   9  Gravett   5  Gravett  HTC Center (700)
Conway, SC
Nov 17, 2017*
10:30 am, ESPNU
vs. UTEP
Puerto Rico Tip-Off consolation round
W 80–56  3–1
 15  Silva   7  Silva   9  Gravett  HTC Center (987)
Conway, SC
Nov 19, 2017*
2:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Western Michigan
Puerto Rico Tip-Off 5th place game
W 79–66  4–1
 14  Myers   5  Myers   6  Gravett  HTC Center (1,774)
Conway, SC
Nov 27, 2017*
7:00 pm, CBSSN
at FIU W 78–61  5–1
 26  Silva   10  Gravett/Silva   7  Gravett  FIU Arena (1,335)
Miami, FL
Nov 30, 2017*
9:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Temple
Under Armour Reunion
L 60–76  5–2
 14  Beatty   9  Silva   2  Beatty/Kotsar/Myers  Madison Square Garden (6,081)
New York, NY
Dec 2, 2017*
2:00 pm, SECN+
Massachusetts W 76–70  6–2
 17  Minaya   10  Haase   4  Gravett  Colonial Life Arena (10,832)
Columbia, SC
Dec 6, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN+
Wyoming W 80–64  7–2
 19  Silva   10  Silva   3  Haase/Myers  Colonial Life Arena (10,205)
Columbia, SC
Dec 9, 2017*
12:00 pm, SECN
Coastal Carolina W 80–78  8–2
 19  Booker   9  Silva   4  Gravett  Colonial Life Arena (11,734)
Columbia, SC
Dec 19, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPNU
at Clemson
Rivalry
L 48–64  8–3
 12  Silva   9  Silva   1  Gravett/Minaya  Littlejohn Coliseum (8,031)
Clemson, SC
Dec 27, 2017*
3:00 pm, SECN+
Limestone W 74–45  9–3
 17  Booker   8  Haase   6  Myers  Colonial Life Arena (11,305)
Columbia, SC
Dec 31, 2017
6:00 pm, ESPN2
at Ole Miss L 69–74  9–4
(0–1)
 21  Booker/Silva   13  Silva   5  Myers  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (5,849)
Oxford, MS
Jan 3, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN2
Missouri L 68–79  9–5
(0–2)
 18  Silva   5  Booker/Silva   2  Kotsar/Minaya/Myers  Colonial Life Arena (9,846)
Columbia, SC
Jan 6, 2018
6:45 pm, SECN
Vanderbilt W 71–60  10–5
(1–2)
 27  Silva   8  Silva   2  Haase  Colonial Life Arena (11,391)
Columbia, SC
Jan 9, 2018
7:00 pm, SECN
at Alabama L 62–76  10–6
(1–3)
 15  Myers   5  Kotsar/Minaya   2  Minaya/Myers  Coleman Coliseum (10,909)
Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 13, 2018
1:00 pm, SECN
at Georgia W 64–57  11–6
(2–3)
 17  Booker   9  Silva   4  Silva  Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Athens, GA
Jan 16, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 18 Kentucky W 76–68  12–6
(3–3)
 27  Silva   8  Silva   5  Gravett  Colonial Life Arena (16,200)
Columbia, SC
Jan 20, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 21 Tennessee L 63–70  12–7
(3–4)
 16  Minaya   5  Silva/Kotsar/Minaya   5  Kotsar  Colonial Life Arena (18,000)
Columbia, SC
Jan 24, 2018
7:00 pm, SECN
at No. 20 Florida W 77–72  13–7
(4–4)
 Myers  22   12  Silva   4  Kotsar/Myers  O'Connell Center (10,151)
Gainesville, FL
Jan 27, 2018*
12:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 14 Texas Tech
Big 12/SEC Challenge
L 63–70  13–8
 16  Silva   7  Kotsar   4  Myers  Colonial Life Arena (14,142)
Columbia, SC
Jan 31, 2018
8:30 pm, SECN
Mississippi State L 76–81  13–9
(4–5)
 23  Booker   6  Silva/Beatty   7  Gravett  Colonial Life Arena (11,042)
Columbia, SC
Feb 3, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN2
at Texas A&M L 60–83  13–10
(4–6)
 16  Minaya   8  Silva   4  Gravett  Reed Arena (10,504)
College Station, TX
Feb 6, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2
at Arkansas L 65–81  13–11
(4–7)
 12  Gravett   7  Gravett   4  Gravett/Minaya  Bud Walton Arena (14,956)
Fayetteville, AR
Feb 10, 2018
12:00 pm, CBS
Florida L 41–65  13–12
(4–8)
 17  Booker   5  Silva/Kotsar   2  Gravett/Minaya  Colonial Life Arena (14,629)
Columbia, SC
Feb 13, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 18 Tennessee L 67–70  13–13
(4–9)
 19  Booker   9  Silva   4  Gravett  Thompson–Boling Arena (13,126)
Knoxville, TN
Feb 17, 2018
3:30 pm, SECN
No. 10 Auburn W 84–75  14–13
(5–9)
 19  Booker   11  Silva   3  Gravett/Booker  Colonial Life Arena (14,995)
Columbia, SC
Feb 21, 2018
6:30 pm, SECN
Georgia W 66–57  15–13
(6–9)
 15  Silva/Myers   9  Kotsar   5  Gravett  Colonial Life Arena (11,529)
Columbia, SC
Feb 24, 2018
3:30 pm, SECN
at Mississippi State L 68–72  15–14
(6–10)
 19  Gravett   12  Silva   3  Gravett  Humphrey Coliseum (8,612)
Starkville, MS
Feb 28, 2018
6:30 pm, SECN
LSU W 83–74  16–14
(7–10)
 25  Booker   7  Myers   4  Myers/Gravett  Colonial Life Arena (11,269)
Columbia, SC
Mar 3, 2018
3:30 pm, SECN
at No. 14 Auburn L 70–79  16–15
(7–11)
 27  Booker   11  Silva   4  Booker/Haase  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
SEC tournament
Mar 7, 2018
9:30 pm, SECN
(11) vs. (14) Ole Miss
First round
W 85–84  17–15
 21  Silva/Booker   11  Silva   7  Gravett  Scottrade Center (8,190)
St. Louis, MO
Mar 8, 2018
9:30 pm, SECN
(11) vs. (6) Arkansas
Second round
L 64–69  17–16
 15  Silva/Kotsar   11  Silva   3  Beatty  Scottrade Center (11,752)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Alabama beats South Carolina 64–53 in SEC Tournament". NCAA Men's Basketball. March 10, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  2. ^ "They're in! Gamecocks make NCAA Tournament". thestate. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  3. ^ "NCAA tournament live updates: North Carolina to face Gonzaga in NCAA championship game". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  4. ^ Schonbrun, Zach; Glier, Ray (March 20, 2017). "South Carolina Upsets Second-Seeded Duke". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  5. ^ "South Carolina vs. Baylor – Game Recap – March 24, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  6. ^ "NCAA Tournament 2017: South Carolina holds off Florida, makes first Final Four". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  7. ^ Crouse, Karen (April 1, 2017). "Gonzaga Beats South Carolina in Final Four for Shot at Another First". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  8. ^ "South Carolina sophomore G Rakym Felder suspended indefinitely after second arrest". ESPN. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  9. ^ "S. Carolina's TeMarcus Blanton gives up basketball due to hip injury". ESPN. Retrieved August 31, 2017.