Collecting Final Four rings only part of Thornwell and Dozier’s return to USC
Final Four rings in hand, the core of South Carolina’s 2016-17 basketball team was back in the media room at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday afternoon.
From left to right sat P.J. Dozier, Sindarius Thornwell, Duane Notice and Justin McKie. What sticks with them most from that magical run last March?
“Just coming back home after every game, after every win, and seeing how much support we have here in Columbia,” said Dozier, the point guard who scored 21 points in USC’s first round win against Marquette and added another 17 in the Elite Eight win over Florida. “It was amazing to see the fan base, to see the support. And it didn’t come out of nowhere. They were there the whole time, through thick and thin. We just appreciate that fan support that kept us going.”
Added Thornwell, the reigning SEC Player of the Year: “What P.J. said. It was the fans. The fans are the ones who kept us going. Coming back after we beat Duke, that was crazy. There’s still times that I go back and watch that video. It kept us going.”
A crowd of 14,995 not only watched the Gamecocks upset No. 10 Auburn, it witnessed Dozier, Thornwell, Notice and McKie honored as the centerpieces to the program’s annual “Legends Weekend.”
The foursome received its NCAA East Regional championship rings – and a standing ovation.
“A great opportunity for us to be back together as brothers, as family,” Notice said. “It would have been cool to receive it (when the rest of team did in November), but it’s cool we’re all here together to do it on this night.”
Thornwell has appeared in 49 games this season for the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 3.2 points. Dozier made his NBA debut for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 8. Notice played professionally in Poland. McKie is a graduate assistant coach on Frank Martin’s staff.
They first reunited at USC practice Friday. On Saturday, it was clear they made an impact on the current team as the Gamecocks emphatically snapped a six-game losing streak.
“We take pride in it,” Thornwell said. “We take pride in leaving a legacy. We’ve been with some of those guys in the locker room that’s in there right now. They’ve seen us put the work in, they’ve seen us lead. So we felt like they should know what to do.
“But we take pride in seeing the team develop and going in the right direction. That was the whole reason for us coming to practice with them yesterday, competing. We gave them a little confidence, just helping them learn and bringing some of that leadership to the team.”
Junior forward Chris Silva, who scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Auburn, called Friday’s session “probably the most competitive practice I’ve had all year.”
When it ended, Martin watched Dozier, Thornwell and Notice stick around for extra shots. Frank Booker and Justin Minaya eventually joined in.
“I pulled Justin over,” Martin said. “When I talk about leadership, we don’t have it. ‘Justin, come here. I just want you to understand when I talk about leadership, that’s what I’m talking about. That’s how good players play.’
“He kind of nodded his head and said, ‘For the first time all year, I understand what you’ve been talking about.’ That’s a powerful moment for him. I hope it helps our team.”
South Carolina (14-13, 5-9 SEC) hosts Georgia on Wednesday.
“We were just playing,” Thornwell said. “Playing, getting after it. It wasn’t really a speech or a lecture. Just playing basketball, showing them how to play, showing them how Coach wants you to play, just teaching them stuff.
“We went at them at the same time. It wasn’t really a rah-rah lecture.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2018 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Collecting Final Four rings only part of Thornwell and Dozier’s return to USC."