Updates to follow from today's 2 p.m. availability. Updates will be in this post, so all you have to do is refresh.
Frank Martin up first.
--He's the happiest he's been in his coaching career and said they're in a really good place right now. Said they have a "vibe in our workouts right now I'm really enjoying."
--Identified shooting as a "must" in recruiting and they have some shot makers on this roster, he said.
--James Reese is fully admitted to campus. Josh Gray will arrive on campus tomorrow. Ta'Quan Woodley is a qualifier and should be cleared to arrive on campus sometime this week then report.
--They have full team meetings now and are able to kind of get back to a pre-COVID world. The way he manages typically doesn't "fit" what they were able to do with pandemic protocols last year.
--AJ Wilson is "even better than I thought." He sprained a foot and was out for a little over a week but is back working out today.
--Just excited to function now in "what we like to call normal." He's a people person and he doesn't change. Last year he got away from that because of the environment. It's fun now to be around people and do his job the way he prefers it.
--Asked about Brandon Martin, joked that Bruce Shingler started the recruitment process and "gets up and leaves and leaves me to deal with it" completely joking. Said Brandon always wanted to play for his dad and Frank mentioned he might not have been ready for that. He never coached his kids growing up. Brandon's "grown up a lot" at his time at USC Upstate. Said Dave Dickerson did a phenomenal job with him at Upstate. Anya had to sign off on it because it's a "family deal." He said having him here is "awesome." Said at the end of last year there was doubt and wanted to bring in his son because it gives someone he can trust at the end of the day. That was important to bring into the locker room.
--Bringing back guys like Keyshawn Bryant and Jermaine Couisnard is "awesome" and mixing them in with returners like Wildens Leveque and Tre-Vaughn Minott. Said it gives some of the newcomers a voice to follow. He mentions they've hit the reset button from a trust perspective and build trust.
--Said it's big to get both Bryant and Couisnard back from an on-court standpoint. Couisnard was one of the five best freshmen in the league two last year. Bryant obviously has the wow factor. Martin mentioned both guys played big minutes on a team that couldn't put things together last year so they need to improve from there. Leveque played well down the stretch and carried that into the offseason. He might be the "strongest guy on the team right now." Said he's excited to have those guys back and "turn them loose."
--Physically he didn't feel really good until after the season ended. He progressed starting February but from an energy perspective until after the season. He got hit with arthritis and couldn't even hold a basketball but now he's back working out. Said he had to have some tough talks with the administration and it's the "first time I've had a bad season." Said he thought the conversation would come if they had a bad year this year. Once those conversations were over and realized the administration wanted him he felt reinvigorated. He's physically good, he's as strong as he's been in a while and enjoying life. Said he never thought about giving up coaching. The people at South Carolina tell him the truth and that's all he wants.
--Asked about NLI, said it's complicated. He's been a big advocate for NLI since Jacob Pullen in 2010 at Kansas State. Said everyone should have the opportunity to profit off that. Said he thinks the NCAA "dropped the ball" on not being proactive for the NLI stuff. Said the current landscape is crazy right now and it's "buck wild." Said he's all for people making money but the university and as a coach can't be involved. Said now he and the staff will have to manage a new set of dynamics in the locker room and with parents.
--Asked more about trust, said the guys who are returning trust him and he trusts them. Said the enthusiasm from the new players is there to build trust. Said it's supposed to be like this in July and hope it continues as the season starts. He's excited to go into this season with this group of guys. Said the transfers that came in came because they wanted to play for this staff and like the way South Carolina plays basketball. The doubt is "nowhere around me anymore." Said it was last year for the first time in his time at South Carolina. Doubted his abilities, doubted his team and said he learned the hard lesson and never will do that again.
"There's a fun vibe we have right now among the guys on our team."
--Asked about AJ Lawson, said his junior season was his most complete year and he really took a step forward. He's a really good person and Martin's really happy for him. He earned his way into the combine and hopes he earns a draft pick. He said worst-case scenario it looks like he'll get a two-way contract. Martin always thought he'd be a 10-12 year pro. He has size, athleticism, a good shot and is pretty good defensively.
--This team has a powerful competitive energy in workouts and said he might have to pull guys off of each other at moments this year because there are some demanding guys on this team. There's a lot of that. The competitive energy is a "healthy thing." It keeps guys grounded and allows the staff to do their jobs. Competitive guys are all about winning and not concerned about numbers or popularity. Said these guys are genuinely excited to put a South Carolina jersey on and thinks that puts them in a good place.
--Josh Gray is "every bit of 7-feet tall." Said he can be as good a runner as they have on the team and he's competitive at the rim, which is something they lacked last year offensively and defensively. Gray brings some physicality at the rim with the ability to run. Offensively, he was really raw in high school. If "he's willing to come in and work, he's going to get an opportunity to play. If he commits to that work, I think the ceiling is nowhere near where anyone can touch." Said no one's really never taught him to play in the low post and they're going to focus on that but he can do some things in the pick and roll game. He'll feel that stuff out next week as they will get to spend time together.
Chuck Martin up next.
--The portal was a different animal this offseason with the one-time transfer and gives programs a chance to go get college-level guys. He was excited to be able to explore those opportunities.
--Josh Gray is big and has a ton of potential. Said there aren't many people walking the earth as big as him.
--Tre-Vaughn Minott had a critical spring and summer. He looks "phenomenal" from a body perspective. Said he's been impressed with the body transformation and seeing his confidence level growing on the court during offseason workouts. His potential is "tremendous" and he's shown flashes of that during his short time on campus.
--Last year it was tough to develop chemistry and synergy because of COVID protocols. They couldn't spend time or interact with players like in previous years and couldn't create the typical bond they try to create. This summer they have a chance to do it. It's a "fun group to be around" this year.
--He's feeling "great" after COVID wiped him out some last year after testing positive from it.
--Asked about how some the transfers and freshmen looked, said they're a fun group. The transfer group has shown the ability to be capable and why they've been on successful teams. The young guys, Jacobi Wright and Devin Carter, are more than good enough. Said the smartest thing they did was get those guys in the boat early before their stock blew up.
--Said he thinks they're in a good spot in the 2022 and 2023 classes and are recruiting the right guys in that class. They're involved with the right guys and now it's about landing them.
--Chico Carter Jr. is a "relentless worker" during the recruitment process and was meticulous in his preparation when Martin was watching him play in high school. Playing collegiate seasons certainly helps prepare him for a place like South Carolina. It's different than a Murray State but it helps the transition.
Brian Steele up now.
--Said the process was pretty quick in terms of the process. Said he was approached the day Bruce Shingler left by Frank Martin and 72 hours later they were really rolling.
--Frank Martin "means the world" to him. Said he's always believed in him and that means a lot to him. Spending a lot of time around Martin, loyalty is preached and he lives by that. Martin's always had Steele's back and it's an "old school value." Martin's gone so far out of his way to help him and his teammates.
--Steele said being here right now as an assistant it's "Cloud Nine every day." Said he came out every day in an arena with a lot of history to practice. Said coaching is a journey and it's difficult but said even having an office here is special and even more so the fact he's at South Carolina. Said the be rewarded so quickly is awesome and he lights up every day coming into work.
--Said he's still young in the industry but being around guys like Chuck Martin and Will Bailey from an assistant-perspective is insanely helpful. Said he's an intense coach and an energetic coach and that permeates to the team and people in the facility.
--Still TBD on what position group he's going to help with. Feels comfortable working with the guards and he has some experience working with the bigs too. They'll know more as the season approaches.
--In terms of what he's looking for in a player, mentions toughness and wanting guys who want to work. Size, length and skill are priorities for him and this program. Guys that want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Said this is a program. Response recruiting has been really good. Said some of his former teammates in high school are high school or AAU coaches.
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