When Sindarius Thornwell came to South Carolina as the No. 39 recruit in the nation, expectations for him were high. He was the top player in South Carolina, a four-star recruit and Frank Martin had convinced him to stay home to join the Gamecock family.
And right away, Thornwell performed.
In his freshman year at South Carolina, Thornwell started all 34 games. He was a centerpiece of the offense in this first season, as he averaged 13.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He ended up being selected to the SEC All-Freshman team.
But the next season he would struggle.
Thornwell’s sophomore year saw his production decrease. His three point percentage went down by 13 percent from his standout freshman year and he averaged two points less per game.
His junior year saw him rebound to production similar to his freshman year, and behind his play and Michael Carrera’s, South Carolina was able to post the most wins in a season to that date in program history. Yet it was the following season in which Thornwell became the player that many hoped he’d be when he signed out of high school.
In Thornwell’s senior season, the South Carolina team became his team. And under his leadership, the Gamecocks made a Cinderella run to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. Thornwell brought home the SEC Player of the Year award as he averaged 21.4 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game. For his play over the course of the year, CBS selected him to their first team All-American team.
Thornwell finished his career at South Carolina third all-time in career points. He finished third in career three-pointers made, fourth in steals, first in games started and ninth in assists.