Comments on the men’s basketball opener

[Neanderthal]

Gray has gotten bigger. He is a huge guy. Not a great scorer but he fills up space and is aggressive.
Brown made an impact. Some were doubting months ago. But it’s early.
GG is fun to watch. He has a good sense of where the rebound is coming off the glass.
We missed a lot of open looks - but it’s early. Did a lot of good things - action, spacing, pretty good decisions for opener (except getting beat back for a layup late after a missed FT).
SC State is better than in years past. They shot the long ball well.

It was an enjoyable game to watch. At no time did I want to turn the channel.

 

[king ward]

It's going to be a tough year. I expect this coach will do well going forward, however.

 

[Uncle Money]

Free Throw shooting still bad. Defense needs work. Chico Carter was, in a nice way, awful…but we enjoyed the lack of yelling by the coaches and the team played hard and will improve over time. A good first win.

 

[cockymark]

As good as the SEC has gotten in basketball ...it is going to be a long year.....just not enough quality players.

 

[Gamecockben1979]

My only comment is enjoy this win and the few we get before Christmas. Once 2023 hits I don’t see this team winning more than two conference games at best. We probably wouldn’t win the MEAC. SC State was a disaster hiring a new coach in July. We were a 23 point favorite and won by one possession.

 

[DeeDave]

The defense, especially up top, kept trying to guard the player instead of the passing lanes - and kept getting beat.

Seems easy to correct, but the defense has a long way to go.

I expect Clemson to out discipline us and get an easy win. We aren't very disciplined yet.

 

[bernie1312]

We will see? But this team will grow and improve. We can be content about this and sit back and enjoy the progress.

 

[Squaredcock]

As good as the SEC has gotten in basketball ...it is going to be a long year.....just not enough quality players.

Agree.

 

[DeeDave]

We don't have that 6'10" banger that can step out and hit the 15 foot jumpers consistently.

We don't appear to be very athletic inside at all.

Gray could be decent inside against weaker teams but he's challenged severely by skilled inside players.

 

[ToddFlanders]

I'm not surprised with this one - with so many new faces (and the best player being a true freshman), chemistry will take a little time to develop. And you can really only do that playing games as you see what you can really expect out of a teammate in a real game.

Not expecting too much out of this group this year though. Hopefully GG sees value in staying one more year and we can stack some talent around him through the portal.

 

[FCB 2013 treble]

South Carolina played four true freshmen last night so Coach Paris looking at the future. Jacobi Wright had a career high of 14 points while at South Carolina. Good to see Coach Paris coaching Gray each time Gray came to the bench. Coach Paris believes this will be a different team by the middle of the season.

 

[Thirdcatgy]

Definitely all one big experiment this season. W-Ls aside - all you can really hope for is to see the team improve during the year.

 

[king ward]

As good as the SEC has gotten in basketball ...it is going to be a long year.....just not enough quality players.

I'm not sure how good that is. The league has had years recently where it really didn't distinguish itself in the Dance - particularly last year - but not limited to then. However, there is a lot of athleticism in the league and I'm not sure we can hold up under it.

 

[adcoop]

We don't have that 6'10" banger that can step out and hit the 15 foot jumpers consistently.

We don't appear to be very athletic inside at all.

Gray could be decent inside against weaker teams but he's challenged severely by skilled inside players.

Who does? This is not the NBA. You might have 1 maybe 2 of those in all of college basketball. We have some work to do, but we have some pieces. It's all about skill development with GG. Has all the athletic tools and has a good sense for the game. It's only one game, but enjoy him guys. He probably won't be here in 6 months. I like Davis a lot. Long, can handle the ball. Brown is undersized, but experienced and is a battler inside. I have two areas of concern for this team. Can we get any type of consistent production out of Gray or will we have to go small with Jackson and Brown manning the 4/5. The other concern is the two position. Didn't get much out of Carter or Meechie (he had issues with an ankle and cramps during the game). No, this team won't be Kentucky, Tennessee or Arkansas. However, are you guys saying we can't beat Georgia, Missouri, Ole Miss, Vandy or even LSU? I disagree with that. Those teams are not that strong and are very beatable. The conference as a whole won't be as strong as last year IMO. The conference is more top heavy this year with Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and maybe Auburn could surprise as they have experience in the backcourt.

 

[adcoop]

I'm not surprised with this one - with so many new faces (and the best player being a true freshman), chemistry will take a little time to develop. And you can really only do that playing games as you see what you can really expect out of a teammate in a real game.

Not expecting too much out of this group this year though. Hopefully GG sees value in staying one more year and we can stack some talent around him through the portal.

I think it is a pipedream with Jackson staying. He would have to underperform big time. He is squarely on the NBA's radar and most scouts see him easily within the top ten prospects in college basketball. If he ends the year that highly regarded, he's gone.

 

[Neanderthal]

are you guys saying we can't beat Georgia, Missouri, Ole Miss, Vandy or even LSU? I disagree with that. Those teams are not that strong and are very beatable.

I ain’t saying that. We should be able to play with those teams. Georgia and LSU are in the same boat we are in - new staff with precious little time to get it going for this season.

Wasn’t that many months ago a lot of dissenters were wondering if our staff could even put together a roster. I think the staff did a creditable job with the time frame and circumstances with which they were working.

 

[ToddFlanders]

I think it is a pipedream with Jackson staying. He would have to underperform big time. He is squarely on the NBA's radar and most scouts see him easily within the top ten prospects in college basketball. If he ends the year that highly regarded, he's gone.

Probably, but I could still see it happening with the right mix of NIL money and draft evaluations that say he could be a lottery pick with another season to work on his body, outside shot, underneath game, etc.

There’s a kid at nc state that came back for some of those reasons - and he was projected as a first-rounder, but not a lottery pick.

 

[Gamechamp]

The way SC State was hitting their 3's, we might have lost this game last year. I think k it was good that State didn't lay down, and made a game of it. Too close for comfort at the end, but a lot of good teaching moments for Paris.

 

[adcoop]

The way SC State was hitting their 3's, we might have lost this game last year. I think k it was good that State didn't lay down, and made a game of it. Too close for comfort at the end, but a lot of good teaching moments for Paris.

It was the type of game Martin dropped every November. State was not only hitting wide open 3’s, but the Edwards kid was hitting off the dribble 3’s like he was Steph Curry or something. We would build a lead of 12-15 and they would wipe it out with a barrage of 3’s. I would give our kids a C+ for an opener. If we had played poorly, we would have gone down last night.

 

[Cock-a-Doo]

It was the type of game Martin dropped every November.

This x 1,000,000

 

[tngamecock#]

This x 1,000,000

Yep. When it got tight, he would have screamed so much it would make us tighter and we would lose it.

 

[TAV31]

Up by 14 when Meechie went down with his injury. We never recovered. Based on Lamont's comments leading up to the season, he will have a PG that will lead the team in every way. The injury caught everyone off guard. It was a hell of a learning tool for this team. State played well and we we had some injuries already before the game. Then lost the centerpiece during the game. Getting the victory despite all those issues was a great start.
Beat Clemson Friday and the season will already be a success. It's that simple for this year.

 

[DeeDave]

Who does? This is not the NBA. You might have 1 maybe 2 of those in all of college basketball. We have some work to do, but we have some pieces. It's all about skill development with GG. Has all the athletic tools and has a good sense for the game. It's only one game, but enjoy him guys. He probably won't be here in 6 months. I like Davis a lot. Long, can handle the ball. Brown is undersized, but experienced and is a battler inside. I have two areas of concern for this team. Can we get any type of consistent production out of Gray or will we have to go small with Jackson and Brown manning the 4/5. The other concern is the two position. Didn't get much out of Carter or Meechie (he had issues with an ankle and cramps during the game). No, this team won't be Kentucky, Tennessee or Arkansas. However, are you guys saying we can't beat Georgia, Missouri, Ole Miss, Vandy or even LSU? I disagree with that. Those teams are not that strong and are very beatable. The conference as a whole won't be as strong as last year IMO. The conference is more top heavy this year with Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and maybe Auburn could surprise as they have experience in the backcourt.

Tennessee seems to have some every year. Auburn seems to have some every year.

 

[DeeDave]

Up by 14 when Meechie went down with his injury. We never recovered. Based on Lamont's comments leading up to the season, he will have a PG that will lead the team in every way. The injury caught everyone off guard. It was a hell of a learning tool for this team. State played well and we we had some injuries already before the game. Then lost the centerpiece during the game. Getting the victory despite all those issues was a great start.
Beat Clemson Friday and the season will already be a success. It's that simple for this year.

I will say State shot the lights out from 3, some were contested fairly well. that is always an equalizer.

it's 1 game and I am happy with the win.

 

[adcoop]

Tennessee seems to have some every year. Auburn seems to have some every year.

Auburn had them last year and they spent a good deal of the year #1 in the country. They have a guy transferring in from Morehead State this year and the jury is still out on him. Tennessee had big bodies, but they weren't a threat that you had to build your game plan around. Kentucky always has a big body, but Tshiebwe is more of an aggressive rebounder than skilled guy that wants to step out to 15-18 feet. Most of the guys that you refer to are in the NBA and probably only played college ball for one year if they did that. Frankly, the post play with American players has waned over the course of the past 10-15. I usually defend the current game and the young player. However, all American are being taught now is to shoot threes, set picks, and rim run for lobs. That's why most of the successful bigs in the NBA have some form of international routes. Anthony Davis is about the only American big left and he is getting killed right now by average international bigs like Ivica Zubac.

 

[adcoop]

Probably, but I could still see it happening with the right mix of NIL money and draft evaluations that say he could be a lottery pick with another season to work on his body, outside shot, underneath game, etc.

There’s a kid at nc state that came back for some of those reasons - and he was projected as a first-rounder, but not a lottery pick.

Most projections for Jackson are that he is in the top 5-6 prospects right now. Most people don't realize the Top 10 picks of the NBA in most years recently are guys that played one year. If you are a smart recruiter on the college level, you are already recruiting Jackson's replacement. I guess we remain hopeful because we are not used to getting a guy like this. PJ was a five star, but he was considered to be in the Top 25 in his class. That's usually a guy they may need 2 years at least to move on to the next level. You could even argue that PJ could have used some additional time in college. Jackson would have been the top guy for the upcoming 23 class. Those guys don't come back unless they have a very disappointing season like an Emoni Bates or something.

 

[mikeypen]

Funny. We almost lose to SC State and everyone here is praising the job of the new coach and how great he is and how he is going to lead us to the promised land. At least there is no more mean talk on the sidelines, right? But the FB coach, takes us to a bowl game his first and second year, after the shambles the program was left in, and all you see is threads about "fire Beamer" .I dont know, just doesn't add up for me. I thought the BB team looked horrible the other night. Scattered, unorganized and no real plan. But the season is young, and in my book, the mark of a good coach is how much better the team is at the end of the year. Double standard? Seems, maybe.

 

[adcoop]

Funny. We almost lose to SC State and everyone here is praising the job of the new coach and how great he is and how he is going to lead us to the promised land. At least there is no more mean talk on the sidelines, right? But the FB coach, takes us to a bowl game his first and second year, after the shambles the program was left in, and all you see is threads about "fire Beamer" .I dont know, just doesn't add up for me. I thought the BB team looked horrible the other night. Scattered, unorganized and no real plan. But the season is young, and in my book, the mark of a good coach is how much better the team is at the end of the year. Double standard? Seems, maybe.

Power 5 programs lose to low level D1 programs all the time in basketball. At least we didn't lose. Can you say that for Louisville? Can you say that for Florida State. Could you even say that for our program against Coastal Carolina last year? Or Stetson a couple years ago? or Stony Brook about 3 years ago. Your post indicates that you are in your feelings about Martin being let go. However what plan were you looking for. We don't have the most talented team as our new coach had little time to put a roster together. However, we were effective in getting the ball into the post with Brown. We got the ball into the middle of State's defense when they played zone. We showed some promise in the draw and kick game and our freshman starter showed a surprisingly good stroke from 3 point range. No, it may have not been Hoosier-like in execution, but it wasn't bad either. Additionally, most of us are not expecting much this year. We just want to get as many wins as we can and show improvement throughout the season. We got the win. That's better than the alternative and blasting a group for being unorganized in their very first game is a bit much.

 

[mikeypen]

Power 5 programs lose to low level D1 programs all the time in basketball. At least we didn't lose. Can you say that for Louisville? Can you say that for Florida State. Could you even say that for our program against Coastal Carolina last year? Or Stetson a couple years ago? or Stony Brook about 3 years ago. Your post indicates that you are in your feelings about Martin being let go. However what plan were you looking for. We don't have the most talented team as our new coach had little time to put a roster together. However, we were effective in getting the ball into the post with Brown. We got the ball into the middle of State's defense when they played zone. We showed some promise in the draw and kick game and our freshman starter showed a surprisingly good stroke from 3 point range. No, it may have not been Hoosier-like in execution, but it wasn't bad either. Additionally, most of us are not expecting much this year. We just want to get as many wins as we can and show improvement throughout the season. We got the win. That's better than the alternative and blasting a group for being unorganized in their very first game is a bit much.

No, actually my feelings weren't hurt by what happened with Martin. He did that to himself. You can't scream at 19 yr olds in front of a television audience, and have that be a good thing. I just see a HUGE double standard and I was pointing that out. And maybe the team will get better as the year goes on. Be honest about it. Would you be making all of the excuses for the way the team looked if Martin was terrorizing the sidelines this year?

 

[Neanderthal]

Auburn had them last year and they spent a good deal of the year #1 in the country. They have a guy transferring in from Morehead State this year and the jury is still out on him. Tennessee had big bodies, but they weren't a threat that you had to build your game plan around. Kentucky always has a big body, but Tshiebwe is more of an aggressive rebounder than skilled guy that wants to step out to 15-18 feet. Most of the guys that you refer to are in the NBA and probably only played college ball for one year if they did that. Frankly, the post play with American players has waned over the course of the past 10-15. I usually defend the current game and the young player. However, all American are being taught now is to shoot threes, set picks, and rim run for lobs. That's why most of the successful bigs in the NBA have some form of international routes. Anthony Davis is about the only American big left and he is getting killed right now by average international bigs like Ivica Zubac.

I love the back-to-the-basket low post game. The physical battle inside, the footwork, etc. I loved watching Kofi Cockburn with the Illini last year and he went I drafted, I believe. Zubac gave Davis fits last night. I haven’t seen Karl Anthony Towns because they are never on TV in this region (I’m on the cable).

I’m pulling for the coach because he is a Gamecock now and many folks were saying he can’t put together a roster when so many transferred out. But it does go both ways - I am and always have pulled for Beamer just as hard.

 

[Neanderthal]

I liked FM but got tired of the screaming and the failure to build on the Final four run. Was at the game in G’ville when we beat Duke and that was fantastic and got my hopes up.

I agree that Dozier would have benefitted from another year in college and hope he catches in somewhere even if it’s out of the country like Dwight Howard now.

 

[vidaliagamecock]

Gray has gotten bigger. He is a huge guy. Not a great scorer but he fills up space and is aggressive.
Brown made an impact. Some were doubting months ago. But it’s early.
GG is fun to watch. He has a good sense of where the rebound is coming off the glass.
We missed a lot of open looks - but it’s early. Did a lot of good things - action, spacing, pretty good decisions for opener (except getting beat back for a layup late after a missed FT).
SC State is better than in years past. They shot the long ball well.

It was an enjoyable game to watch. At no time did I want to turn the channel.

It is frustrating that the first time we get the bluest of blue chip recruits, we'll only get a year of him, and his supporting cast doesn't look the part of a contender.

 

[adcoop]

No, actually my feelings weren't hurt by what happened with Martin. He did that to himself. You can't scream at 19 yr olds in front of a television audience, and have that be a good thing. I just see a HUGE double standard and I was pointing that out. And maybe the team will get better as the year goes on. Be honest about it. Would you be making all of the excuses for the way the team looked if Martin was terrorizing the sidelines this year?

No excuses. Just an opening game evaluation that admittedly has a low bar. Right now there is no standard for the team. We are starting over and just want to win as many games as you can while improving along the way. I don't see it as a double standard because Martin would have been yelling at the kids "AND" we would have probably lost the game. Winners can yell all the want. What got Martin fired was trying to be hard-a** while being a loser. Those two paths don't mix. He got a decade and it was just time to give somebody else a chance.

 

[adcoop]

I love the back-to-the-basket low post game. The physical battle inside, the footwork, etc. I loved watching Kofi Cockburn with the Illini last year and he went I drafted, I believe. Zubac gave Davis fits last night. I haven’t seen Karl Anthony Towns because they are never on TV in this region (I’m on the cable).

I’m pulling for the coach because he is a Gamecock now and many folks were saying he can’t put together a roster when so many transferred out. But it does go both ways - I am and always have pulled for Beamer just as hard.

Kofi Cockburn is a prime example of what I am talking about. The kid goes undrafted after 3 years of college and being All Big 10 at least twice. His style of play is just not appreciated in the modern game. He would never get the ball in an NBA game unless he set a pick and ran to the rim for a lob. Most guards don't want a low post type big anymore because he is considered to be in the way of driving lanes. You would be surprised how many guards don't know how to properly throw a low post entry. That is the downside of our game right now. Now the athleticism, training, and shooting is on another level. However, it would be nice to have a good mix of both.

 

[tngamecock#]

It is frustrating that the first time we get the bluest of blue chip recruits, we'll only get a year of him, and his supporting cast doesn't look the part of a contender.

So you're dogging a bunch of new guys after one game which they won (and SC State shot lights out from 3 land to make it that way). His supporting cast looks better than 9 out of 10 Martin recruiting classes.

 

[tngamecock#]

No, actually my feelings weren't hurt by what happened with Martin. He did that to himself. You can't scream at 19 yr olds in front of a television audience, and have that be a good thing. I just see a HUGE double standard and I was pointing that out. And maybe the team will get better as the year goes on. Be honest about it. Would you be making all of the excuses for the way the team looked if Martin was terrorizing the sidelines this year?

When I heard his "you're an f'n disgrace" yell at one of our players as he called timeout and the player was near him at the bench......I was done. I know Martin cares about people, but the jekyll/hyde stuff only goes so far. You can't continue to dog cuss me in front of thousands, kill my confidence, and belittle me on Saturday, then tell me how much you care on Monday. Hope UMass gets to see his son play as much as we did😕

 

[Neanderthal]

You ought to hear Pitino.

 

[cockymark]

Martin would have LOST that game!