Friday Hoops Connection [/I]is a weekly discussion of basketball team and/or recruiting notes. Feel free to comment or ask any basketball related questions here in this thread.
Sunday Exhibition: The Gamecocks host USC Aiken in an exhibition game Sunday afternoon at 2:00. If you didn't get a chance to familiarize yourself with the new roster last weekend at the Tip Off Tailgate, then you will have another opportunity on Sunday. The game is free of charge. Look for the coaches to experiment with many different lineups to try to find out which combinations work well together. The Gamecocks traveled to Blacksburg last Sunday for a closed scrimmage against Virginia Tech, but this will be the first true game-like atmosphere for most of the freshmen.
2007 flashback: The youth of the 2013/2014 Gamecock roster has drawn comparisons to the 2007/2008 Wildcats team that Frank Martin took over in his first year as head coach at Kansas State. On paper, from a numbers standpoint, that appears to be accurate. For starters, both recruiting classes were comprised of seven scholarship freshmen. The Wildcat and Gamecock classes were both nationally regarded by analysts. The group of freshmen at Kansas State had two players that ended up going the prep school route, but they still made up one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. One of those seven freshmen was five-star Michael Beasley[/B] who everyone knew from the start was going to be a unique talent (think Jadeveon Clowney of basketball recruiting). Besides Beasley, the class had one other five-star, one four-star, and the rest threes. What ended up making that such a special class was the somewhat unexpected stardom of Jacob Pullen[/B]. Pullen was labeled a three-star, but obviously went on to blow expectations out of the water as he graduated as the schools all-time leading scorer. At South Carolina, the 2013 recruiting class was labeled as 28th overall; much lower obviously than the 2007 K-State class but still very respectable. The Gamecock's class consisted of two four-stars, four three-stars, and a two-star. There is no Michael Beasley in this class; a player that you look at and know from the get go is going to be a one-and-done, All-American player. There is talent though and high expectations for players like Sindarius Thornwell and Demetrius Henry. Thornwell should make an impact from game one. He is a slasher that loves to attack the basket from the perimeter. The only player that comes to mind over the past couple seasons that has attacked the basket consistently is Bruce Ellington. Henry in my opinion has a chance to have a great career at USC. The immediate question I have though is what will he be able to do early on as a freshman. Henry is thin and will need to add strength to his body before he takes on the paint in the SEC night-in night-out. This is something Henry has been working on since arriving at USC this summer. Aside from the two highest rated freshmen, seeing who will emerge from the other five young guys will determine how this 2013 class is remember several years from now. Guys like Duane Notice and Justin McKie have a chance down the road to become much better players than their high school rankings indicated.
Two official visitors expected in Columbia: Senior forward Dante Buford will wrap up his official visit slate this weekend with a trip to South Carolina. The one time Hillcrest H.S. (Simpsonville, SC) player is fresh off visits to Miami and Oklahoma. Both visits went well according to Buford's mentor; with neither one standing out above the other. Buford's mother, his mentor, and one of his former AAU coaches will join him in Columbia this evening. While in town, Buford will have the opportunity to take in the football game Saturday afternoon and the basketball exhibition Sunday. This won't be his first football game at USC this season. If you'll remember, Buford made a surprise trip down for the opener against UNC right before heading back to Jacksonville to start his senior year at Arlington Country Day. At this time, I don't think a commitment to the Gamecocks is out of the question this weekend. The Gamecocks have been in the game for a long time with Buford and showed him tons of attention this past July. The more likely scenario though from what I was told, is for Buford to return home Sunday to think about where things stand with all three schools and make his announcement public sometime next week.
Joining Buford in Columbia for his official visit will be Gamecock commit Marcus Stroman. The Keenan High four-star point guard has been on board with Coach Martin since July 2012 and will likely look to sway Buford to become his future college teammate.
Staley hosting a talented bunch: As we first noted last week, senior post player Jatarie White of Charlotte, N.C. will be in town this weekend for her official visit to USC. White took an official visit to UNC last weekend and has already made trips to Tennessee, Ohio State, and Texas. A decision is expected very soon. Joining White at USC for an official visit will be senior perimeter player Shakayla Thomas from Alabama. Columbia native A'ja Wilson of Heathwood Hall is also expected to be around campus this weekend for an unofficial visit and will attend the football game Saturday afternoon. Wilson is friends with fellow recruit Jatarie White. The two spent time together last weekend visiting UNC and will connect again this weekend in Columbia. Wilson says that they have talked several times about going to the same college but they are each going to look for the best fit for themselves.
BIANCA CUEVAS
More on future Lady Gamecock point guard: [/B]A week ago, Dawn Staley picked up a commitment from New York point guard Bianca Cuevas. I was able to catch up with her high school coach, Ron Kelly, this week. Coach Kelly is also her AAU coach and has been working with Bianca since she was in sixth grade. Here is what he had to say about her:
"Bianca is a great dynamic point guard; a scoring point guard. She has great shooting range. She can shoot consistently two feet behind the line. She's also very quick and can get by people in a hurry. Bianca is small but she plays bigger than someone who is five-foot-six. She has greatly matured this past year and a half and has learned to balance her academics and basketball well."
Tennessee, Syracuse, and Ole Miss were three other schools heavily in the mix. It came down to USC and Ole Miss. I asked Coach Kelly to talk more about narrowing down her recruitment and choosing the Gamecocks
"All of those schools showed Bianca that they wanted her. She trusted all those coaches. She decided to focus on South Carolina and Ole Miss and visited both schools. She chose South Carolina because she thought that was the best fit for her. She didn't know Coach Staley before this process but she got to know her and built a relationship with her."
This post was edited on 11/1 12:06 PM by Chris Clark
This post was edited on 11/1 12:15 PM by Chris Clark
Sunday Exhibition: The Gamecocks host USC Aiken in an exhibition game Sunday afternoon at 2:00. If you didn't get a chance to familiarize yourself with the new roster last weekend at the Tip Off Tailgate, then you will have another opportunity on Sunday. The game is free of charge. Look for the coaches to experiment with many different lineups to try to find out which combinations work well together. The Gamecocks traveled to Blacksburg last Sunday for a closed scrimmage against Virginia Tech, but this will be the first true game-like atmosphere for most of the freshmen.
2007 flashback: The youth of the 2013/2014 Gamecock roster has drawn comparisons to the 2007/2008 Wildcats team that Frank Martin took over in his first year as head coach at Kansas State. On paper, from a numbers standpoint, that appears to be accurate. For starters, both recruiting classes were comprised of seven scholarship freshmen. The Wildcat and Gamecock classes were both nationally regarded by analysts. The group of freshmen at Kansas State had two players that ended up going the prep school route, but they still made up one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. One of those seven freshmen was five-star Michael Beasley[/B] who everyone knew from the start was going to be a unique talent (think Jadeveon Clowney of basketball recruiting). Besides Beasley, the class had one other five-star, one four-star, and the rest threes. What ended up making that such a special class was the somewhat unexpected stardom of Jacob Pullen[/B]. Pullen was labeled a three-star, but obviously went on to blow expectations out of the water as he graduated as the schools all-time leading scorer. At South Carolina, the 2013 recruiting class was labeled as 28th overall; much lower obviously than the 2007 K-State class but still very respectable. The Gamecock's class consisted of two four-stars, four three-stars, and a two-star. There is no Michael Beasley in this class; a player that you look at and know from the get go is going to be a one-and-done, All-American player. There is talent though and high expectations for players like Sindarius Thornwell and Demetrius Henry. Thornwell should make an impact from game one. He is a slasher that loves to attack the basket from the perimeter. The only player that comes to mind over the past couple seasons that has attacked the basket consistently is Bruce Ellington. Henry in my opinion has a chance to have a great career at USC. The immediate question I have though is what will he be able to do early on as a freshman. Henry is thin and will need to add strength to his body before he takes on the paint in the SEC night-in night-out. This is something Henry has been working on since arriving at USC this summer. Aside from the two highest rated freshmen, seeing who will emerge from the other five young guys will determine how this 2013 class is remember several years from now. Guys like Duane Notice and Justin McKie have a chance down the road to become much better players than their high school rankings indicated.
Two official visitors expected in Columbia: Senior forward Dante Buford will wrap up his official visit slate this weekend with a trip to South Carolina. The one time Hillcrest H.S. (Simpsonville, SC) player is fresh off visits to Miami and Oklahoma. Both visits went well according to Buford's mentor; with neither one standing out above the other. Buford's mother, his mentor, and one of his former AAU coaches will join him in Columbia this evening. While in town, Buford will have the opportunity to take in the football game Saturday afternoon and the basketball exhibition Sunday. This won't be his first football game at USC this season. If you'll remember, Buford made a surprise trip down for the opener against UNC right before heading back to Jacksonville to start his senior year at Arlington Country Day. At this time, I don't think a commitment to the Gamecocks is out of the question this weekend. The Gamecocks have been in the game for a long time with Buford and showed him tons of attention this past July. The more likely scenario though from what I was told, is for Buford to return home Sunday to think about where things stand with all three schools and make his announcement public sometime next week.
Joining Buford in Columbia for his official visit will be Gamecock commit Marcus Stroman. The Keenan High four-star point guard has been on board with Coach Martin since July 2012 and will likely look to sway Buford to become his future college teammate.
Staley hosting a talented bunch: As we first noted last week, senior post player Jatarie White of Charlotte, N.C. will be in town this weekend for her official visit to USC. White took an official visit to UNC last weekend and has already made trips to Tennessee, Ohio State, and Texas. A decision is expected very soon. Joining White at USC for an official visit will be senior perimeter player Shakayla Thomas from Alabama. Columbia native A'ja Wilson of Heathwood Hall is also expected to be around campus this weekend for an unofficial visit and will attend the football game Saturday afternoon. Wilson is friends with fellow recruit Jatarie White. The two spent time together last weekend visiting UNC and will connect again this weekend in Columbia. Wilson says that they have talked several times about going to the same college but they are each going to look for the best fit for themselves.
BIANCA CUEVAS
More on future Lady Gamecock point guard: [/B]A week ago, Dawn Staley picked up a commitment from New York point guard Bianca Cuevas. I was able to catch up with her high school coach, Ron Kelly, this week. Coach Kelly is also her AAU coach and has been working with Bianca since she was in sixth grade. Here is what he had to say about her:
"Bianca is a great dynamic point guard; a scoring point guard. She has great shooting range. She can shoot consistently two feet behind the line. She's also very quick and can get by people in a hurry. Bianca is small but she plays bigger than someone who is five-foot-six. She has greatly matured this past year and a half and has learned to balance her academics and basketball well."
Tennessee, Syracuse, and Ole Miss were three other schools heavily in the mix. It came down to USC and Ole Miss. I asked Coach Kelly to talk more about narrowing down her recruitment and choosing the Gamecocks
"All of those schools showed Bianca that they wanted her. She trusted all those coaches. She decided to focus on South Carolina and Ole Miss and visited both schools. She chose South Carolina because she thought that was the best fit for her. She didn't know Coach Staley before this process but she got to know her and built a relationship with her."
This post was edited on 11/1 12:06 PM by Chris Clark
This post was edited on 11/1 12:15 PM by Chris Clark
