Clark’s Corner is a collection of my thoughts on Gamecock athletics and recruiting, statistics, historical perspectives, and even non-USC topics. I’ll also spotlight a local business or person from the Palmetto State that I find interesting.
Hope you enjoy the read…
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THE MONOLOGUE
- The feel around the program South Carolina’s 2019 recruiting class is that it’s on schedule to be a good one. There may not be massive star power thus far, but the staff could make some major hay this summer (camp season/new summer official visits) and during the football season, particularly with another strong campaign after last year’s nine-win season.
It is worth noting that the Gamecocks have a trio of four-star commitments in May, with another (QB Ryan Hilinski) already pegged for a bump to four-star status in the next round of rankings updates. That’s the fastest start during Muschamp’s time at South Carolina in terms of gaining four-star prospects. So if it feels like things are moving more slowly, that's not really the case. If you still feel that way, it may just heat up in the near future.
The staff took some early commitments from guys that perhaps did not have massive offer lists or star appeal, but are players that the staff really likes. For instance, USC feels that JUCO defensive line commitment Devontae Davis is one of the best prospects in the country. Keshawn Toney graded out higher during USC’s camp than other more highly-ranked and offered tight ends. Other programs have taken note, too. Alabama just offered DT commitment Jahkeem Green, a Sumter native. SEC programs like Auburn and Tennessee have chased OL commitment Jaylen Nichols (recruiting him as a DL) to no avail.
This summer will be a chance to take another step forward, or even land, some of the heavy hitter types with four (or even five) stars by their name, many of which are slated to be back on campus in June. You already know many of them, and you know we'll have the news covered at GamecockCentral.com. Buckle up.
- A leftover note I wanted to mention from last week’s NFL Draft: I’m really happy for Charlotte product and former USC commitment Jaire Alexander. I vividly remember covering Alexander’s recruitment in the 2015 class and having some folks in Charlotte rave about him to me. He camped with the Gamecocks during a summer session and was very impressive with his coverage ability and competitive edge. There were some other major programs that laughed at USC behind the scenes for taking Alexander. Ultimately, Alexander was one of the casualties of that “could have been” 2015 recruiting class for the Gamecocks and he flipped to Louisville prior to having a standout career and developing into a first-round pick. While the original commitment did not stick, Alexander let GamecockCentral.com break his commitment on camera during the process. He had an infectious personality and developed into one heck of a player; fun to see.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Will Muschamp inherited a three-win program when he arrived in Columbia and added six wins to that total in just two seasons. The last time that was done in that time span (or shorter) at USC was under Lou Holtz, when USC went from winless in 1999 to 8 wins in 2000.
When is the last time each SEC program had a six-win or greater turnaround in two years or less? Let's take a look:
Alabama- 2006-2008 (6-7 to 12-2) and 2007 (7-6) to 2009 (14-0)
Tennessee – 1988-1989 (5-6 to 11-1)
Auburn – 2012-2013 - 3-9 to 12-2
Arkansas – 2005 to 2006 – 4-7 to 10-4
Missouri – 2012- 2014 – 5-7 to 11-3
Vanderbilt -2010 to 2012- 2-10 to 9-4
Georgia – 2012 to 2012 – 6-7 to 12-2
Florida - 2013-2015 – 4-8 to 10-4
Ole Miss - 2011-2013 – 2-10 to 8-5
Mississippi State - 1979-1980- 3-8 to 9-3
Texas A&M – 1954-1956 – 1-9 to 9-0-1
Kentucky – 2004-2006 – 2-9 to 8-5
LSU - 1999-2001 – 3-8 to 10-3
OPENING THE HISTORY BOOKS
This game uncovered by our friends at GamecockArchives.com: 8 years ago on Wednesday represented one of the wildest baseball games in USC history. The Gamecocks won a slugfest against Alabama by a final score of 20-15.
South Carolina had 25 hits in the contest, with 8 Gamecocks tallying multi-hit performances. Jackie Bradley Jr. homered and Christian Walker had two hits and three runs scored. The underrated Brady Thomas was three for three at the plate with a homer, four RBIs, and four runs scored. Kyle Enders had five hits in the game.
Interestingly, Ray Tanner was battling vertigo prior to the game and was a game time decision as to whether or not he would even be in the dugout for the contest. Then associate head coach Chad Holbrook filled in at the post-game presser. After the win, he spoke of how good South Carolina’s bullpen had been all season, singling out Matt Price, Ethan Carter, and another guy that would eventually turn out to play a bigger role than anyone anticipated.
Michael Roth.
BUY OR SELL?
This was prompted by a question on The Insiders Forum from one of our subscribers earlier in the week, asking where the Gamecocks stacked up in the SEC in terms of roster talent?
So I’ll ask myself here: Is South Carolina’s roster now in the top half of the conference?
I’ll buy that. It’s somewhat amazing because when Will Muschamp arrived, the roster was in the back half, near the bottom, when factoring in experience plus talent. Take nothing away from what Kirby Smart’s done at Georgia, but he inherited a loaded roster in Athens; Muschamp’s situation was quite the opposite. There was a lot of work to be done in terms of development and recruiting. Going into year three of the Muschamp era in Columbia, there’s more talent and more experience and I think the Gamecocks are in that top half.
The two most talented teams in the conference, in my opinion, are Alabama and Georgia, the two programs that played for the national title last season. I’d put Auburn in the top five. Texas A&M and LSU still have a lot of talent. Is South Carolina next, or right there with them ? I’d say so. The Gamecocks have some experience and talent across the offense, certainly a group that should be more productive this season than it has in years one and two. Guys like Jake Bentley, Deebo Samuel, Bryan Edwards, Shi Smith, Zack Bailey, Donell Stanley, Rico Dowdle, Ty’Son Williams, and other guys are legitimate talents. Some of them have all-conference potential, or better. Defensively, USC has some guys that could be really good – or already are - like Javon Kinlaw, Bryson Allen-Williams, Rashad Fenton, Keisean Nixon, TJ Brunson, DJ Wonnum, and some other youngsters with high-level potential.
With Muschamp-era recruits on defense clearing out of Gainesville the past few seasons and Tennessee’s slippage, USC seems to be in better shape than those two at this time. Kentucky, despite being a thorn in USC’s side lately, and Vanderbilt’s rosters don’t appear to be as strong. I’d put USC ahead of Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss in the West as well.
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
Covering recruiting, there’s always an element of excitement to stumble upon a prospect that’s gone under the radar in terms of ranking and college interest.
For me, that still pares in comparison to uncovering a local gem of a restaurant that serves up high quality dishes.
That deliciousness pictured above is a jerk chicken sub prepared by Fire and Spice in Irmo. That’s white meat jerk chicken, bacon, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, and habanero ranch dressing on a sub roll. Behind it is some jalapeno cole slaw. It’s even better than it sounds or looks, trust me.
As soon as I stepped out of the car and approached the door, the smell hit me. This place has a versatile menu, everything from traditional barbeque plates and classic sandwiches like cheesesteak and Cubans to Korean meat and plantains. The workers were plenty friendly and made recommendations. The menu was overwhelming because everything sounded so good; guess that means I’ll just have to go back often so I can sample everything.
Check out Fire and Spice at 7971 Woodroow Street in Irmo, open from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
LINKAGE
Those that read this column are going to find out, if you have not already in installment two, that I’m going to link some non-football stuff from the ranks of sports like soccer as well as NBA. Avert your eyes if it scares you…
- The Kawhi Leonard situation in San Antonio is weird. Here’s a well-reported story from ESPN’s team on the dynamics going on there:
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23366667/inside-tension-kawhi-leonard-spurs
- I enjoyed this take on the NFL Draft by analyst Rob Rang, a guy I’ve interviewed in the past to get his scouting reports on players:
- Here’s one of the dumbest baseball box scores you’ll ever see. Oswego State defeated St. John Fisher by a score of 34-12 on Tuesday. That included a SEVENTEEN RUN third inning by Oswego State.
http://oswegolakers.com/boxscore.aspx?id=8546&path=baseball
- For any Braves fans such as myself, you surely enjoyed Mike Soroka’s debut the other day. The best part was the Mets’ Asdrubal Cabrera flailing at three straight two-seamers in route to a quick strikeout:
Here’s a detailed read and breakdown of the youngster’s first outing:
http://www.pitcherlist.com/gif-breakdown-analyzing-mike-sorokas-mlb-debut-in-18-gifs/
- The video I’m about to show is over seven years old, but I give no cares. I saw it recently and it’s worth a link. Hans Zimmer, for those that do not know, is an absolute genius when it comes to sound tracks. The list is too long to compile of great ones he’s done, but The Lion King and Interstellar ought to give you a decent idea.
He also worked on The Dark Knight and was responsible for, among other pieces of brilliance, that brutally dissonant sound you hear anytime Heath Ledger’s Joker character was engaging in his antics.
I wish I could do anything as well as this dude does music. Here’s Zimmer showing how he came up with it.
THE CLOSEOUT
Bob Knight’s been in the news some lately with ESPN’s release of the “Last Days of Knight” 30 for 30 documentary series last month.
That called to mind one of my favorite stories that I wanted to share with readers. Several years back, my wife and I were preparing to head to Colonial Life Arena to take in a South Carolina basketball game as spectators. At the time, Knight was working as an analyst for ESPN broadcasts of games and was due to call the contest.
My wife, a former all-region basketball player in high school, had been given Knight’s autobiography (Knight: My Story) by her father some time back. Once she found out Knight was going to be at the broadcast table, she came up with a crazy idea
“I’m going to get him to sign the book,” she told me.
My response: “Huh? When? And how?”
There was no real resolution as to how it would happen, but once my wife has her mind set on something it’s happening. So off we went to the arena, her with book in tow, and we took our seats in the lower bowl area, the broadcast table many rows below us. As we watched the game, my wife plotted. To my dismay, her strategy was going to be to simply walk down to the broadcast table during a break in the action, tap Knight on the shoulder, and ask him to sign his book. Bob Knight, a man known for throwing chairs and yelling and cursing and getting a little rough at times with former players. A million scenarios ran through my head including what I would do if Bob Knight was mean to my wife, or if we were kicked out of the game for, you know, approaching the broadcasters during a game.
That break in the action came and my wife got up with her book and began to walk down the stairs. As she got closer to the table, security folks perked up a bit but she was able to reach Knight first and tap him on the shoulder. From my perch, I could see he looked a little befuddled. He didn’t look happy, which is pretty much par for the course for him. He asked my wife’s name, signed the book, and it was all over before security folks even figured out what the heck was going on. As she made her way back up the stairs, fans were staring at her and she had a big smile on her face.
I still can’t believe she did that.
Hope you enjoy the read…
****
THE MONOLOGUE
- The feel around the program South Carolina’s 2019 recruiting class is that it’s on schedule to be a good one. There may not be massive star power thus far, but the staff could make some major hay this summer (camp season/new summer official visits) and during the football season, particularly with another strong campaign after last year’s nine-win season.
It is worth noting that the Gamecocks have a trio of four-star commitments in May, with another (QB Ryan Hilinski) already pegged for a bump to four-star status in the next round of rankings updates. That’s the fastest start during Muschamp’s time at South Carolina in terms of gaining four-star prospects. So if it feels like things are moving more slowly, that's not really the case. If you still feel that way, it may just heat up in the near future.
The staff took some early commitments from guys that perhaps did not have massive offer lists or star appeal, but are players that the staff really likes. For instance, USC feels that JUCO defensive line commitment Devontae Davis is one of the best prospects in the country. Keshawn Toney graded out higher during USC’s camp than other more highly-ranked and offered tight ends. Other programs have taken note, too. Alabama just offered DT commitment Jahkeem Green, a Sumter native. SEC programs like Auburn and Tennessee have chased OL commitment Jaylen Nichols (recruiting him as a DL) to no avail.
This summer will be a chance to take another step forward, or even land, some of the heavy hitter types with four (or even five) stars by their name, many of which are slated to be back on campus in June. You already know many of them, and you know we'll have the news covered at GamecockCentral.com. Buckle up.
- A leftover note I wanted to mention from last week’s NFL Draft: I’m really happy for Charlotte product and former USC commitment Jaire Alexander. I vividly remember covering Alexander’s recruitment in the 2015 class and having some folks in Charlotte rave about him to me. He camped with the Gamecocks during a summer session and was very impressive with his coverage ability and competitive edge. There were some other major programs that laughed at USC behind the scenes for taking Alexander. Ultimately, Alexander was one of the casualties of that “could have been” 2015 recruiting class for the Gamecocks and he flipped to Louisville prior to having a standout career and developing into a first-round pick. While the original commitment did not stick, Alexander let GamecockCentral.com break his commitment on camera during the process. He had an infectious personality and developed into one heck of a player; fun to see.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Will Muschamp inherited a three-win program when he arrived in Columbia and added six wins to that total in just two seasons. The last time that was done in that time span (or shorter) at USC was under Lou Holtz, when USC went from winless in 1999 to 8 wins in 2000.
When is the last time each SEC program had a six-win or greater turnaround in two years or less? Let's take a look:
Alabama- 2006-2008 (6-7 to 12-2) and 2007 (7-6) to 2009 (14-0)
Tennessee – 1988-1989 (5-6 to 11-1)
Auburn – 2012-2013 - 3-9 to 12-2
Arkansas – 2005 to 2006 – 4-7 to 10-4
Missouri – 2012- 2014 – 5-7 to 11-3
Vanderbilt -2010 to 2012- 2-10 to 9-4
Georgia – 2012 to 2012 – 6-7 to 12-2
Florida - 2013-2015 – 4-8 to 10-4
Ole Miss - 2011-2013 – 2-10 to 8-5
Mississippi State - 1979-1980- 3-8 to 9-3
Texas A&M – 1954-1956 – 1-9 to 9-0-1
Kentucky – 2004-2006 – 2-9 to 8-5
LSU - 1999-2001 – 3-8 to 10-3
OPENING THE HISTORY BOOKS
This game uncovered by our friends at GamecockArchives.com: 8 years ago on Wednesday represented one of the wildest baseball games in USC history. The Gamecocks won a slugfest against Alabama by a final score of 20-15.
South Carolina had 25 hits in the contest, with 8 Gamecocks tallying multi-hit performances. Jackie Bradley Jr. homered and Christian Walker had two hits and three runs scored. The underrated Brady Thomas was three for three at the plate with a homer, four RBIs, and four runs scored. Kyle Enders had five hits in the game.
Interestingly, Ray Tanner was battling vertigo prior to the game and was a game time decision as to whether or not he would even be in the dugout for the contest. Then associate head coach Chad Holbrook filled in at the post-game presser. After the win, he spoke of how good South Carolina’s bullpen had been all season, singling out Matt Price, Ethan Carter, and another guy that would eventually turn out to play a bigger role than anyone anticipated.
Michael Roth.
BUY OR SELL?
This was prompted by a question on The Insiders Forum from one of our subscribers earlier in the week, asking where the Gamecocks stacked up in the SEC in terms of roster talent?
So I’ll ask myself here: Is South Carolina’s roster now in the top half of the conference?
I’ll buy that. It’s somewhat amazing because when Will Muschamp arrived, the roster was in the back half, near the bottom, when factoring in experience plus talent. Take nothing away from what Kirby Smart’s done at Georgia, but he inherited a loaded roster in Athens; Muschamp’s situation was quite the opposite. There was a lot of work to be done in terms of development and recruiting. Going into year three of the Muschamp era in Columbia, there’s more talent and more experience and I think the Gamecocks are in that top half.
The two most talented teams in the conference, in my opinion, are Alabama and Georgia, the two programs that played for the national title last season. I’d put Auburn in the top five. Texas A&M and LSU still have a lot of talent. Is South Carolina next, or right there with them ? I’d say so. The Gamecocks have some experience and talent across the offense, certainly a group that should be more productive this season than it has in years one and two. Guys like Jake Bentley, Deebo Samuel, Bryan Edwards, Shi Smith, Zack Bailey, Donell Stanley, Rico Dowdle, Ty’Son Williams, and other guys are legitimate talents. Some of them have all-conference potential, or better. Defensively, USC has some guys that could be really good – or already are - like Javon Kinlaw, Bryson Allen-Williams, Rashad Fenton, Keisean Nixon, TJ Brunson, DJ Wonnum, and some other youngsters with high-level potential.
With Muschamp-era recruits on defense clearing out of Gainesville the past few seasons and Tennessee’s slippage, USC seems to be in better shape than those two at this time. Kentucky, despite being a thorn in USC’s side lately, and Vanderbilt’s rosters don’t appear to be as strong. I’d put USC ahead of Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss in the West as well.
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
Covering recruiting, there’s always an element of excitement to stumble upon a prospect that’s gone under the radar in terms of ranking and college interest.
For me, that still pares in comparison to uncovering a local gem of a restaurant that serves up high quality dishes.
That deliciousness pictured above is a jerk chicken sub prepared by Fire and Spice in Irmo. That’s white meat jerk chicken, bacon, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, and habanero ranch dressing on a sub roll. Behind it is some jalapeno cole slaw. It’s even better than it sounds or looks, trust me.
As soon as I stepped out of the car and approached the door, the smell hit me. This place has a versatile menu, everything from traditional barbeque plates and classic sandwiches like cheesesteak and Cubans to Korean meat and plantains. The workers were plenty friendly and made recommendations. The menu was overwhelming because everything sounded so good; guess that means I’ll just have to go back often so I can sample everything.
Check out Fire and Spice at 7971 Woodroow Street in Irmo, open from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
LINKAGE
Those that read this column are going to find out, if you have not already in installment two, that I’m going to link some non-football stuff from the ranks of sports like soccer as well as NBA. Avert your eyes if it scares you…
- The Kawhi Leonard situation in San Antonio is weird. Here’s a well-reported story from ESPN’s team on the dynamics going on there:
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23366667/inside-tension-kawhi-leonard-spurs
- I enjoyed this take on the NFL Draft by analyst Rob Rang, a guy I’ve interviewed in the past to get his scouting reports on players:
- Here’s one of the dumbest baseball box scores you’ll ever see. Oswego State defeated St. John Fisher by a score of 34-12 on Tuesday. That included a SEVENTEEN RUN third inning by Oswego State.
http://oswegolakers.com/boxscore.aspx?id=8546&path=baseball
- For any Braves fans such as myself, you surely enjoyed Mike Soroka’s debut the other day. The best part was the Mets’ Asdrubal Cabrera flailing at three straight two-seamers in route to a quick strikeout:
Here’s a detailed read and breakdown of the youngster’s first outing:
http://www.pitcherlist.com/gif-breakdown-analyzing-mike-sorokas-mlb-debut-in-18-gifs/
- The video I’m about to show is over seven years old, but I give no cares. I saw it recently and it’s worth a link. Hans Zimmer, for those that do not know, is an absolute genius when it comes to sound tracks. The list is too long to compile of great ones he’s done, but The Lion King and Interstellar ought to give you a decent idea.
He also worked on The Dark Knight and was responsible for, among other pieces of brilliance, that brutally dissonant sound you hear anytime Heath Ledger’s Joker character was engaging in his antics.
I wish I could do anything as well as this dude does music. Here’s Zimmer showing how he came up with it.
THE CLOSEOUT
Bob Knight’s been in the news some lately with ESPN’s release of the “Last Days of Knight” 30 for 30 documentary series last month.
That called to mind one of my favorite stories that I wanted to share with readers. Several years back, my wife and I were preparing to head to Colonial Life Arena to take in a South Carolina basketball game as spectators. At the time, Knight was working as an analyst for ESPN broadcasts of games and was due to call the contest.
My wife, a former all-region basketball player in high school, had been given Knight’s autobiography (Knight: My Story) by her father some time back. Once she found out Knight was going to be at the broadcast table, she came up with a crazy idea
“I’m going to get him to sign the book,” she told me.
My response: “Huh? When? And how?”
There was no real resolution as to how it would happen, but once my wife has her mind set on something it’s happening. So off we went to the arena, her with book in tow, and we took our seats in the lower bowl area, the broadcast table many rows below us. As we watched the game, my wife plotted. To my dismay, her strategy was going to be to simply walk down to the broadcast table during a break in the action, tap Knight on the shoulder, and ask him to sign his book. Bob Knight, a man known for throwing chairs and yelling and cursing and getting a little rough at times with former players. A million scenarios ran through my head including what I would do if Bob Knight was mean to my wife, or if we were kicked out of the game for, you know, approaching the broadcasters during a game.
That break in the action came and my wife got up with her book and began to walk down the stairs. As she got closer to the table, security folks perked up a bit but she was able to reach Knight first and tap him on the shoulder. From my perch, I could see he looked a little befuddled. He didn’t look happy, which is pretty much par for the course for him. He asked my wife’s name, signed the book, and it was all over before security folks even figured out what the heck was going on. As she made her way back up the stairs, fans were staring at her and she had a big smile on her face.
I still can’t believe she did that.
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