C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
--Starts talking about Rakym Felder. Said it "breaks his soul" that he's not playing at South Carolina. Said he was up front about what was expected of Felder and what was "non-negotiable" moving forward. Said free-time decision making is a problem. Said he "made some poor decisions that put me in a spot that I couldn't trust moving forward."
Said Felder has a great personality and spirit. Made Felder pay his way through school and get a job. "He ended up making a poor decision...You better make mistakes, understand and move on from that mistake and learn from that mistake."
Said he can deal with mistakes but when they become problems is when he can't help a player.
--He's talked with Chris Silva and Brian Bowen every day. Silva's going to workout for Milwaukee Wednesday and Brooklyn on Tuesday. He's also worked out for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Said he's hoping to get into the combine if someone currently invited drops out and doesn't attend. "Hopefully a door opens up for him."
--"If all options were equal, he'd be a Gamecock next year." Said there's an unknown right now with the NCAA. Said after the combine there'd be a "more informed option as to the NBA option and then after the combine make a decision. Said he's not trying to force the NCAA into a decision.
His mom's said this is the happiest Bowen's been in a long time.
--Said transfers make the spring tricky for recruiting. Now springs have to be filled with trying to find pieces for a recruiting class after transfers. It'd be "a little more sane" if he only had to deal with players and the draft process.
--Asked about transfers in college basketball, starts listing off players he's had at South Carolina that didn't transfer. "It's not a basketball problem...it's a societal problem. You got to manage it. What are we going to do, cry and whine?...It's a part of the dynamic."
--Asked about what's different about this offseason and said he's more on schedule than last year. With the Final Four, it put him about four weeks behind in recruiting. This year is a little different. Said he feels they're in a "real good place" and there could be more coming this week in terms of recruiting news.
--On the three signees:
Jermaine Cousinard: Really likes this signing and thinks he could play the one and two spots and isn't concerned about outside perceptions.
TJ Moss: Recruited him early on and didn't think he could be a point guard. When he transferred to Findlay Prep he developed and made the transition to a true point guard that can facilitate. Both he and Cousinard have a passion for basketball and have an "edge" about them.
Alanzo Frink: "I love big guys." Said he's not into playing small ball, saying you win at the rim when you can score there. Said he's got the best hands of any big they've had at South Carolina. "As he continues to get better, he's going to be a real, real good player."
--Asked about this year's team, he said the guys that played the bulk of the minutes last year are coming back which is big for this year's team. "We're that close. I know it doesn't seem that way. We were that close, we weren't good enough early in the year."
--Asked about the Michael Jordan and LeBron James debate, said he likes to "instigate" and stir the pot against coaches and former players. "I think people that try to compare the two are out of their minds."
--When recruiting, Frank Martin likes to go and talk to players' teachers and coaches. Still thinks a player's true colors are in a high school season.
Said Felder has a great personality and spirit. Made Felder pay his way through school and get a job. "He ended up making a poor decision...You better make mistakes, understand and move on from that mistake and learn from that mistake."
Said he can deal with mistakes but when they become problems is when he can't help a player.
--He's talked with Chris Silva and Brian Bowen every day. Silva's going to workout for Milwaukee Wednesday and Brooklyn on Tuesday. He's also worked out for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Said he's hoping to get into the combine if someone currently invited drops out and doesn't attend. "Hopefully a door opens up for him."
--"If all options were equal, he'd be a Gamecock next year." Said there's an unknown right now with the NCAA. Said after the combine there'd be a "more informed option as to the NBA option and then after the combine make a decision. Said he's not trying to force the NCAA into a decision.
His mom's said this is the happiest Bowen's been in a long time.
--Said transfers make the spring tricky for recruiting. Now springs have to be filled with trying to find pieces for a recruiting class after transfers. It'd be "a little more sane" if he only had to deal with players and the draft process.
--Asked about transfers in college basketball, starts listing off players he's had at South Carolina that didn't transfer. "It's not a basketball problem...it's a societal problem. You got to manage it. What are we going to do, cry and whine?...It's a part of the dynamic."
--Asked about what's different about this offseason and said he's more on schedule than last year. With the Final Four, it put him about four weeks behind in recruiting. This year is a little different. Said he feels they're in a "real good place" and there could be more coming this week in terms of recruiting news.
--On the three signees:
Jermaine Cousinard: Really likes this signing and thinks he could play the one and two spots and isn't concerned about outside perceptions.
TJ Moss: Recruited him early on and didn't think he could be a point guard. When he transferred to Findlay Prep he developed and made the transition to a true point guard that can facilitate. Both he and Cousinard have a passion for basketball and have an "edge" about them.
Alanzo Frink: "I love big guys." Said he's not into playing small ball, saying you win at the rim when you can score there. Said he's got the best hands of any big they've had at South Carolina. "As he continues to get better, he's going to be a real, real good player."
--Asked about this year's team, he said the guys that played the bulk of the minutes last year are coming back which is big for this year's team. "We're that close. I know it doesn't seem that way. We were that close, we weren't good enough early in the year."
--Asked about the Michael Jordan and LeBron James debate, said he likes to "instigate" and stir the pot against coaches and former players. "I think people that try to compare the two are out of their minds."
--When recruiting, Frank Martin likes to go and talk to players' teachers and coaches. Still thinks a player's true colors are in a high school season.
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