Frank Martin addresses South Carolina's offseason transfers
Speaking in the hometown of the most decorated player he’s had as South Carolina’s coach, Frank Martin made sure to mention Sindarius Thornwell on Monday evening.
“We’re going to run a program under the same guidelines we asked Michael Carrera, Sindarius, P.J. (Dozier), Duane (Notice), Mindaugas (Kacinas), take your pick,” Martin said before speaking at a “Spurs Up” tour stop. “We’re going to run a program where they’re going to be asked to follow the same protocol as all those other guys were following.”
Thornwell, the 2016-17 SEC player of the year and centerpiece to USC’s Final Four run, finished his rookie season with the Los Angeles Clippers last Wednesday. Five days later, his alma mater announced that freshman guard David Beatty had been granted his release, becoming the third Gamecock to transfer since the end of the 2017-18 season.
Beatty, a former four-star recruit out of Philadelphia, joins Khadim Gueye and Ibrahim Famouke Doumbia as recent Carolina departures.
“I don’t want to force people to stay in our program that don’t want to share the same kind of views and responsibilities that all of us that have been there, the ones that have come through and help build, that they created,” Martin said. “I’m the caretaker. Sindarius, Mike, all those guys, they came in, they created the personality of our program. Now I’m the caretaker. I make sure that we keep building from there.”
Beatty’s transfer gives the Gamecocks two open scholarships to fill out the 2018 recruiting class. Memphis point guard T.J. Moss committed to USC on Sunday, joining fellow incoming freshman guard Jermiane Couisnard and forward Alanzo Frink.
“Some guys want quicker results,” Martin said. “They got to make decisions that’s what’s best for them.”
VerbalCommits.com – as of Monday evening – reports 482 players transferring in Division I basketball this offseason. That number was 884 last year, including two from South Carolina – Ran Tut and Sedee Keita.
“There’s nothing wrong with transferring, but that should be your last alternative,” Martin said. “That means that you should exhaust every opportunity to make it work.”
Felder update
South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin doesn’t have a definite timeframe for the next big step toward Rakym Felder’s return.
But he dropped a little hint.
“I’ve had him doing all kinds of stuff, which I’m going to speak about pretty soon,” Martin said Monday at a Spurs Up Tour event. “I wanted to let him get through the semester before I kind of make public some of the things that we asked him to do.”
It’s part of Felder’s journey back from the incident last summer that ended with him off the team in fall semester. He had been suspended twice in his first year on campus, but showed promise as a freshman USC's Final Four team.
Bowen update
Speaking seven months before opening night of the 2018-19 season, South Carolina men's basketball coach Frank Martin said "there's no rush" in getting his potential best player eligible.
McDonald's All-American and five-star forward Brian Bowen, the former Louisville recruit wrapped up at the heart of the FBI's probe into college basketball, enrolled at USC in January. He still must be reinstated by the NCAA to play in games for the Gamecocks next season.
"It's a sensitive deal," Martin said before a "Spurs Up" tour stop. "Brian understood the situation he's in, we understood the situation.
"There's no rush. We're not trying to hit the fast forward button on that. Brian and his family want things done right. We want things done right."
This story was originally published April 16, 2018 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Frank Martin addresses South Carolina's offseason transfers."