The South Carolina Gamecocks had a very good year but, unfortunately, weren't able to culminate it with an NCAA Tournament invitation. Selfishly, I still think the human-element side of the selection committee would've been enough to get USC in. In fairness, the Gamecocks could've helped themselves by finishing the season in a stronger fashion. I understand the concrete facts when it comes to the schedule and RPI. There's no way around it. I get it but I also think this team would've passed the eye test.
This team started out on fire and surprised a lot of people, including many in the Gamecock Nation. Even with the success of the basketball team, many fans still possessed a wait-and-see mindset. I guess that's fair with the limited success the program has had. I was excited about the fact that the team became relevant in the SEC. It was fun listening to other coaches and players talk about this team with such respect. They all talked about how hard this team played and how physical it played. Those are some high praises. This team finally became relevant.
The flip side to being relevant and near the top of the conference is that you now get the best effort of every opponent. I reference the Kentucky game and how they came to Columbia with a different focus. Their focus normally centered around coming into the CLA and getting a blowout win before heading back to Lexington. This year was different. They saw it as a test and wanted to send a message that they were still the Kentucky Wildcats. This was evidenced by John Calipari and his intensity early on that, consequently, got him ejected.
Michael Carrera surprised everyone, including his coaches, by coming out and being the Gamecocks' most consistent offensive threat. His effort on both ends were second to none. Sin Thornwell is who he is. He'll never be a YouTube sensation. He's simply a basketball player specializing in nothing but very good in every area. He's a winner. Duane Notice had a very good year. Confidence is everything and I think it's even more important when a coach shows confidence in a player the way Frank Martin did for Notice. Each player needs something different and Notice is a player who needs constant encouragement from the coach. Former Gamecock Melvin Watson was that way.
Frank Martin admitted that he lost confidence in his freshmen late in the season, particularly Chris Silva and PJ Dozier. Coaches sometimes get frustrated with freshmen and I get it, but South Carolina doesn't win a lot of the early games minus Dozier and Silva. I watched every second of every game of the Gamecocks this year. While I'm not at practice every day, I have a pretty good understanding of what's going on with a team, South Carolina in particular.
I get asked all of the time in Columbia about Dozier. What's wrong with him? Wasn't he a McDonald's All American? Why doesn't he play that much? I wish I could answer all of those questions. What I will say is that Dozier had offers to play at every school in the country to include Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Syracuse, Michigan, Kansas, etc. Yes, we're talking about the best programs in the country. His talents attracted NBA scouts to every South Carolina game this year. That hasn't happened here in a long time.
Frank even admitted that he and PJ were still figuring each other out and I think that impacted the way he coached him this year. Selfishly, I would've liked to have seen Dozier play through some of the mistakes in November and December because it develops you for January, February and March. This is important because Dozier can do things from a play-making standpoint that no other player can offer on this team.
South Carolina is a team that really struggles to score and, very respectfully said, there's not another player on the team that can offer anything remotely close to that skill set. He has the ability to make the game easier for his teammates.
I really believe that playing through mistakes helps in development of players. In sports, it's all about the next play without playing with one eye on the bench. Whether you're a freshman or senior, it's very difficult to play like that. Frank had an unusually quick trigger with PJ. There's no doubt that Dozier lost his confidence and consequently didn't develop the way he needed to.
I just hope that Frank and Dozier can find a middle ground because, nicely said, South Carolina isn't Duke, UNC, Kansas or Kentucky where it can afford to sit a McDonald's All American. USC has only had four in its history. Dozier admitted that this season was an eye opener and he has a better understanding that will result in a lot of hours in the gym this summer.
I thought the Missouri game was the turning point for South Carolina. They were 21-5 after that game. I really believe the pressure of getting into the NCAA Tournament impacted everything about the team after the loss to the Tigers.
Subsequently, not only did Frank change the starting lineup by removing Dozier and inserting Notice, but he changed the rotation to not include the two freshmen (Dozier, Silva). When the move was made, that concerned me because I thought the rotation that included them was very successful. It produced 21 wins.
The new lineup logged a lot of minutes and ultimately succumbed to fatigue. The team finished 3-3 after the lineup and rotation change. Frank went from playing eight guys consistently to playing six. Very difficult to do late in the season.
I think the way they finished the season was more devastating than the schedule when it came to not getting into the NCAA Tournament. Obviously, not playing with Carrera impacted the team but the team just was not the same after the Missouri loss and it showed in their play to include body language.
This year's team trended in the opposite direction for a Frank Martin-coached team. His teams normally finish strong down the stretch. It was totally different this year and, fair or unfair, I can't help but go back to the Missouri game.
In closing, the program is in a great place and will again be a relevant team in the SEC next year. They will undoubtedly miss the seniors but they have rising seniors ready to step in to satisfy that void. Silva and Dozier have to be huge next year to supplement Notice and Thornwell. It starts this summer, and from what these young men are saying, they're ready to get in the gym and get better.
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