C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
--South Carolina hosted over 70 players yesterday for a one-day elite camp that included some prospects high up the Gamecocks' recruiting board, especially in the 2023 and 2024 classes. Originally, the camp was going to be small (about 30-40 guys) but it ultimately ended up being well over that and the Gamecocks were able to lay a few eyes on guys, and get a few back on campus before school really cranks up.
Here are a few notes from the camp:
--The lone commit so far in the 2022 class, Zachary Davis, was on hand and playing at the camp and looked pretty impressive in individual drills and again in some of the games later in the day. He's incredibly long and a true 6-foot-8 point guard who is an incredibly good passer and a really long defender on the perimeter with great defensive anticipation, something the staff liked during the recruitment process and he showcased it Saturday as well. Davis will need to gain some weight—he's incredibly lean at the moment—but just turned 17 at the beginning of August and there's plenty more for him to grow as well. The Gamecocks locked him up on an unofficial visit in June right after the first live period, which is something South Carolina feels incredibly lucky to do. There is a sentiment in the basketball offices Davis has top 100 player potential.
--Not really a coincidence, but Davis was paired with GG Jackson out of Ridge View, the best player in the state for the 2023 class and a top 25 player as well. The camp was Jackson's fifth trip to South Carolina since the beginning of June—two unofficial visits and three camps—and the Gamecocks are putting on a full court press for him. He spent some time during the camp between drills and stations talking with all of South Carolina's coaches and some of their players who were there to help run the camp.
In terms of exactly what Jackson showed in the camp, he looked like a top 25 player in the country. Jackson is insanely long and showed he can play a variety of positions. In games he'd play the wing and down in the paint but he'd also bring the ball up and initiate the offense. He's not necessarily a three-point shooter but he's shown the ability to make a few threes in games. He gets to the rim about as easy as anyone at the camp yesterday. South Carolina has certainly positioned themselves well as he enters his junior year, but there are a lot of schools hot on his trail with programs like North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke, NC State, among others.
--As for other standouts who South Carolina might amp up recruitment of after the camp, one name mentioned was 2023 wing Comeh Emuobor. The small forward was really good in drills and even in the games with a fantastic motor. He's aggressive and gets to the basket while also serving as a really good defender. This was his second trip down to campus after taking an unofficial visit in June. He's also taken an unofficial to both big Georgia schools (UGA and Georgia Tech) and plays his prep ball in North Carolina. Brian Steele is the assistant in charge of his recruitment right now.
--Another name to watch is 2024 guard Elijah Crawford out of Augusta Christian School. He's still very young but one of the better prospects in the state for his class and his AAU team won its division of the Peach Jam this summer. One more 2024 to watch is Kyle Green, who is originally from South Carolina (played at Blythewood) and will play this upcoming season for the Pace Academy in Georgia. He was really good even playing against guys older than him but he's someone South Carolina is very aware of and will recruit.
--Brandon Gardner was on campus again for the camp after announcing he was going to play this season for Word of God in North Carolina. He's been receptive to South Carolina is a really good wing player, another top 50 guy in the country. We've mentioned it before but Georgetown is a school pushing hard for him, he was pretty complimentary of Patrick Ewing after a visit up there, and has also seen Maryland. Former South Carolina assistant Bruce Shingler is up there now and has a part in his recruitment.
--The hope is to have some more on a few other 2022 guys the rest of this week. South Carolina also started classes this week and players will begin doing some on-court work at the start of next week before the preseason starts. They'll obviously be doing strength and conditioning work at the same time but will have a chance at about an hour a pop to do some walk-through style stuff to get an early feel for Martin's system.
Here are a few notes from the camp:
--The lone commit so far in the 2022 class, Zachary Davis, was on hand and playing at the camp and looked pretty impressive in individual drills and again in some of the games later in the day. He's incredibly long and a true 6-foot-8 point guard who is an incredibly good passer and a really long defender on the perimeter with great defensive anticipation, something the staff liked during the recruitment process and he showcased it Saturday as well. Davis will need to gain some weight—he's incredibly lean at the moment—but just turned 17 at the beginning of August and there's plenty more for him to grow as well. The Gamecocks locked him up on an unofficial visit in June right after the first live period, which is something South Carolina feels incredibly lucky to do. There is a sentiment in the basketball offices Davis has top 100 player potential.
--Not really a coincidence, but Davis was paired with GG Jackson out of Ridge View, the best player in the state for the 2023 class and a top 25 player as well. The camp was Jackson's fifth trip to South Carolina since the beginning of June—two unofficial visits and three camps—and the Gamecocks are putting on a full court press for him. He spent some time during the camp between drills and stations talking with all of South Carolina's coaches and some of their players who were there to help run the camp.
In terms of exactly what Jackson showed in the camp, he looked like a top 25 player in the country. Jackson is insanely long and showed he can play a variety of positions. In games he'd play the wing and down in the paint but he'd also bring the ball up and initiate the offense. He's not necessarily a three-point shooter but he's shown the ability to make a few threes in games. He gets to the rim about as easy as anyone at the camp yesterday. South Carolina has certainly positioned themselves well as he enters his junior year, but there are a lot of schools hot on his trail with programs like North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke, NC State, among others.
--As for other standouts who South Carolina might amp up recruitment of after the camp, one name mentioned was 2023 wing Comeh Emuobor. The small forward was really good in drills and even in the games with a fantastic motor. He's aggressive and gets to the basket while also serving as a really good defender. This was his second trip down to campus after taking an unofficial visit in June. He's also taken an unofficial to both big Georgia schools (UGA and Georgia Tech) and plays his prep ball in North Carolina. Brian Steele is the assistant in charge of his recruitment right now.
--Another name to watch is 2024 guard Elijah Crawford out of Augusta Christian School. He's still very young but one of the better prospects in the state for his class and his AAU team won its division of the Peach Jam this summer. One more 2024 to watch is Kyle Green, who is originally from South Carolina (played at Blythewood) and will play this upcoming season for the Pace Academy in Georgia. He was really good even playing against guys older than him but he's someone South Carolina is very aware of and will recruit.
--Brandon Gardner was on campus again for the camp after announcing he was going to play this season for Word of God in North Carolina. He's been receptive to South Carolina is a really good wing player, another top 50 guy in the country. We've mentioned it before but Georgetown is a school pushing hard for him, he was pretty complimentary of Patrick Ewing after a visit up there, and has also seen Maryland. Former South Carolina assistant Bruce Shingler is up there now and has a part in his recruitment.
--The hope is to have some more on a few other 2022 guys the rest of this week. South Carolina also started classes this week and players will begin doing some on-court work at the start of next week before the preseason starts. They'll obviously be doing strength and conditioning work at the same time but will have a chance at about an hour a pop to do some walk-through style stuff to get an early feel for Martin's system.
