Practice begins with three seniors taking leadership roles

Frank Martin was pleased to see he didn’t have to instruct his three seniors on the importance of leadership.

Sindarius Thornwell, Duane Notice and Justin McKie had already started.

“You can’t ask people to lead who have no interest in leading,” Martin said Tuesday as he talked about the beginning of practice. “You either lead or follow, but if you choose to do neither, you don’t complain. Guys have to figure out whether they want to lead or want to follow.”

The trio’s taking of the reins started when they got to South Carolina. All knew they were eventually going to take the spot vacated by Martin’s first batch of recruits – Laimonas Chatkevicius, Mindaugas Kacinas and Michael Carrera.

Their time has arrived. They got a crash course in it on a summer trip to Costa Rica, where they helped coach the Gamecocks’ newcomers. It continued through pickup games and individual instruction during the first month of school.

With the first exhibition game little more that a month away, all three are ready to wrap their arms around the team and get it to take that next step.

“He came to us and told us we’re going to need his help with the younger guys and showing them the way to do things,” Thornwell said. “Our focus is on keeping the younger guys up. Our job is to help them with the process.”

The three guards are the team’s most experienced players and, at least early in the season, will be counted on as its top scorers. Thornwell and Notice are career 1,000-point players and will have to be the go-to guys while USC’s youngsters in the post learn.

McKie’s hoping to stay healthy and be a vital contributor this year, although he was already dealing with a sprained ankle during the first week of practice.

The team is relatively healthy. TeMarcus Blanton is continuing to redefine his game after a hip injury, but is in terrific spirits. Freshman Sedee Keita broke a bone in his wrist over the summer that’s continuing to heal, but it’s not expected to keep him out for a long period of time.

Strategically, it seems as if Notice will have to step back into the starting lineup after winning SEC Sixth Man of the Year last season. With so much unknown in the Gamecocks’ frontcourt, USC will depend on its guards with the aim of being balanced by the end of the season.

Which they hope will end in the NCAA Tournament, the goal that narrowly eluded them last year.

“I think that we still have the potential to make the tournament,” Thornwell said. “It’s a different type of team.”

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 6:10 PM.