Frank Martin not talking Rakym Felder ... not yet, at least

South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin declined to discuss the situation around Gamecocks guard Rakym Felder, who was suspended in the summer and is currently not in school.

“I love that kid,” Martin said. “He’s not on our team. I’m not going to speak about him.

“The day that you see him on our roster, I’ll be more than happy to speak to you about him.”

After the situation came to light, Martin said there was a chance Felder could rejoin the team, but it would take work.

Felder was suspended in mid-August after a July 13 arrest that according to police reports started with the Brooklyn, N.Y., native spitting on a woman, which started a “large brawl.” The charges have since been dropped.

At the time of the suspension, Martin promised to “continue to help Rakym grow as a young man even though basketball is not part of our relationship right now.”

Felder averaged 5.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game as a freshman in 2016-17, helping USC to the Final Four. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native posted nine double-figure scoring games in 2016-17, including a 15-point performance in Carolina’s upset of No. 2 seed Duke in the NCAA tournament.

The Gamecocks were counting on him to take a larger role this upcoming season with the departure of guards Sindarius Thornwell, P.J. Dozier, Duane Notice and Justin McKie.

This was Felder’s second suspension from the team. He also was arrested Oct. 23, 2016, after knocking one victim unconscious and assaulting a Columbia police officer after being tased, according to an incident report from the Columbia Police Department.

This story was originally published October 5, 2017 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Frank Martin not talking Rakym Felder ... not yet, at least."