The offseason saw a mass exodus in production for the Gamecocks’ frontcourt with Laimonas Chatkevicius, Mindauguas Kacinas and Michael Carrera graduating. The trio anchored South Carolina in leadership, emotion and consistent production — all of them averaged double-digits in points. With their departures, coach Frank Martin needs to find immediate impact on his team or the Gamecocks’ potential to compete in the SEC, much less reach the Big Dance, will be slim.
All eyes will turn to the backcourt, which many predict will be one of the best in the SEC.
Sophomore PJ Dozier and seniors Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice will lead the guards in 2016-2017, and their contributions to the team will make or break the season. With such high profile players, there is a chance for this team to play well.
For one, Dozier was a five-star recruit and Thornwell was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. While they both have shown flashes of potential, they still aren’t complete players, particularly when it comes to shooting threes and making decisions. They averaged 30.3 percent clip combined behind the arc and contributed 167 turnovers together last season — over a third of the total team turnovers. Notice has complemented their styles of play, as he excels from long range. Throughout his Gamecock career, Notice has made 37.8 percent of his three-point attempts, nearly reaching the 40 percent mark last season.
But are those three, plus other role players like senior Justin McKie, junior college transfer Hassani Gravett and freshman Rakym Felder (depending on his status on the team after his arrest) coming off the bench, good enough to rank top in the SEC? Here’s a look of some of the other projected best backcourt competition around the conference.
Kentucky
Another year, another loaded backcourt for coach John Calipari. The Wildcats picked up the top shooting guard and No. 2 point guard in the 2016 recruiting class in Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox. Monk is a high-flying, freak-of-nature athlete who can also hit jumpers, and Fox will probably be the faster player on the court at any moment, prototypical of any Calipari guard. The Wildcats will have some returning players that will contribute as well. Sophomore Isaiah Briscoe decided to forgo the draft in order to work on his offensive game, and senior and fan favorite Dominique Hawkins will provide energy and shooting. Kentucky is the heavy favorite to reclaim their first-place in the SEC and deservedly so.
Georgia
One player one will lead the Bulldogs next year: J.J. Frazier. The senior last season led Georgia in points (16.9) and assists per game (4.4) and 3-point percentage (.386), while finishing seventh in the league in scoring. He really turned it on in the second half of the season, especially in the postseason, when he was named to the All-SEC Tournament team. To complement him, junior Juwan Parker will return after missing half of 2014-15 and all of 2015-16 to an Achilles injury, and coach Mark Fox will turn to him to help fill the void of Kenny Gaines, who was as senior last year. The Bulldogs added some depth with ESPN Top 100 freshman Tyree Crump, a dynamic point guard from Bainbridge, Georgia. With so much talent, Georgia is one of Kentucky's biggest threats in the backcourt as well as the SEC.
Arkansas
The Razorbacks are considered one of the dark horses in the SEC and will be led by their experienced guards. Redshirt senior Dusty Hannahs was eighth in the conference in points per game last year with 16.5 and will look to continue his success in 2016-2017. Hogs fans have waited a long time to see Anton Beard, formerly in ESPN’s Top 100 list and local prospect, bud into the complete player he was in high school, and he’s primed to do so in his third year in the program. Senior Manuale Watkins always brings it on the defensive side of the court and and is expected to take on a larger role in coach Mike Anderson’s offensive schemes. These three players, plus a few newcomers, have the potential to wreak havoc against opponents this season.