In grad transfer Tre Campbell, has South Carolina found its point guard answer?

Tre Campbell was once a fringe top-100 recruit who had scholarship offers from the likes of Maryland, Xavier and Pittsburgh. When the four-star prospect picked Georgetown on May 8, 2013, he said, "I feel like I can make an impact there."

Five years later – to the day – Campbell announced his transfer to South Carolina. The Washington, D.C., native comes in with less buzz now, considering his career college stat line of 3.7 points per game, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

So what’s to make of the oldest addition to Frank Martin’s 2018 recruiting class?

Campbell will soon graduate from Georgetown, making him immediately eligible for the Gamecocks next season. That’s the first thing to note about Tuesday’s news: Carolina is getting an experienced point guard who can play right away.

Martin, throughout the course of last season, wasn’t shy in voicing his concern about Carolina’s lack of consistency at point guard. Hassani Gravett, a natural two-guard, and Wes Myers, a late grad transfer from Maine, tried, but there was no denying the Gamecocks missed both P.J. Dozier and Rakym Felder at the position.

The nation’s 161st-rated offense – down 70 spots from the year before – could have used an effective conductor.

T.J. Moss, an ESPN-rated four star PG from Memphis, and Campbell have since committed.

Campbell appeared in 84 games with the Hoyas, starting one of them. He averaged just under 21 minutes a game as a sophomore, good for sixth-most on the team.

He chose USC – over interest from Oklahoma State, Boise State and others – because of an opportunity to increase his court time, said Sean McAloon, Campbell's high school coach at St. John's College High.

“Obviously, you want to win,” McAloon said, “but, I told him, at the same time you’re going to want to play. You’re going to want to be at a place that’s going to have a good culture.

“If it’s going to be one of those things where you’re just a part of this three-guard rotation and you’re going to get 20 minutes, 15 minutes a night, you already did that.”

Campbell made first-team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference as a senior at St. John’s. He averaged 12.2 points for a squad that went 24-4 held a top 50 national ranking.

“For me,” McAloon said, “he was extremely fast in the open floor. Could really push the ball and wasn’t afraid to pick somebody up and defend him full-court. He could shoot the heck out of it. He was extremely confident and he played as such.

“I think he was hoping to find a way to get back to that, and the South Carolina staff did a good job of showing him what they needed and what they wanted. They obviously made him feel comfortable.”

But why couldn't the St. John's days be reproduced at Georgetown?

“It’s a slower pace,” McAloon said of the Princeton-style offense run by former Hoyas coach John Thompson III. “The way they play really didn’t accentuate his skills.

“Tre, like any other kid in D.C., loved Georgetown. Like, it was Georgetown. He had a couple big games here and there. He was the sixth, seventh man as a freshman, was pretty much a part-time starter as sophomore. He had some big games, but it probably wasn’t the best fit in terms of the way it played out.

“I never saw his game the way I saw it when he played for me, which was being able to get in the open floor and go create for himself or for others. It just wasn’t built like that. So the hope is that he can get back to what made him successful.”

Campbell sat out this past season while he rehabbed from a right knee injury. Back to full health, Campbell has pinned to the top of his Twitter page a workout video with the caption: “I remember everything they said.”

South Carolina seems like it’s getting a motivated addition to the backcourt.

“I’m excited for him to figure out who he is,” McAloon said. “Hopefully he can go in there with a clean slate and go get it done.”

This story was originally published May 8, 2018 at 10:23 PM with the headline "In grad transfer Tre Campbell, has South Carolina found its point guard answer?."