After struggling late in season, Kotsar comes on strong

Sindarius Thornwell was trapped on the baseline, Florida Gators all over him, and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to spin his way out of this one. He’d have to find P.J. or Duane or Justin or Chris.

Instead he found the tallest target he could, one waving to him from the elbow. Maik Kotsar was right there, the 6-foot-10 rookie hard to miss, and Thornwell chest-passed the rock to him hoping he’d shoot.

Kotsar did, elevating that colossal frame straight up, arms extended, ball spinning gracefully off the tips just like he’d been taught. The Gamecocks needed a good shot with 1:55 to go and Florida not going away, and despite Kotsar not being a top scoring option, he was wide open.

The basket swished. USC led by four.

When a guy who’d struggled at the end of conference season made that shot in that moment, well, South Carolina knew the Final Four was meant to be.

“When I made the shot, I felt like it’s going to go in,” Kotsar rumbled. “So take the shot. Nothing more to it.”

Kotsar scored 12 against Florida, including four of the Gamecocks’ first six, and announced his presence when his team needed him most. He was a starter for nearly all of the season, but freshman wall or homesickness started to sap his production. Frank Martin switched Thornwell to power forward and backup guard Hassani Gravett to the two to compensate.

But Kotsar had picked it up in practice, returning to the form that won him the starting job, and he was back in the lineup as the Gamecocks began the NCAA Tournament. They needed him to be in there, doing whatever he could, and against Florida, Kotsar did all he could.

“We knew, I knew he was ready to play when the second possession of the game, he posted up and called my name and yelled my name, ‘Sin, give me the ball!’ ” Thornwell said. “And that’s when I knew Maik was ready to play and he was locked in and he made plays for us all night.”

Kotsar was slamming his body into the burly beef from Baylor and Florida all weekend, backing them toward the rim and finishing with the hook. He also showed off his jumper from the baseline and ability to mix it up with anybody who dared step into his lane.

He never played afraid in any game, but one could tell February was dragging on him. It’s never easy for foreign-born players to be isolated from family while playing in the States – most of their teammates get to see Mom and Dad whenever they want while he has to make do with a phone call.

Perhaps that’s why Kotsar played so reinvigorated – he said after the game that his family was coming to Phoenix to watch him in the Final Four. Knowing that he was that close to a reunion elevated his game.

“Coming in here, I was hoping that this would happen,” Kotsar said. “But did I think that? Definitely not. Just feels amazing.”

This story was originally published March 27, 2017 at 5:33 PM with the headline "After struggling late in season, Kotsar comes on strong."