Freshman David Beatty brings Philly toughness to Gamecocks

The backcourt isn’t barren, but last year’s backups have to accelerate into starting roles. South Carolina’s East Regional championship team lost its three starting guards and a senior backup, who combined for nearly 68 percent of its scoring.

Rakym Felder, Hassani Gravett and Kory Holden have been with the Gamecocks for a year and will be counted on to fill the gaping void left by Sindarius Thornwell, Duane Notice, Justin McKie and P.J. Dozier. Their experience is invaluable.

Freshman David Beatty doesn’t have their experience – but he plans to make up for it with an array of skills that will have him challenging for a starting role when he steps foot on campus.

“It’s very exciting to know the spotlight is going to be on us,” Beatty said Monday. “I want to repeat the tournament run and make all the fans happy next year.”

Beatty (pronounced BEET-ee) is the highest-rated player in the Gamecocks’ four-man recruiting class, a four-star guard rated 32^nd at his position nationwide. The 6-foot-3 shooter from Philadelphia chose USC over Connecticut, Georgetown, Indiana, Maryland, UCLA and Virginia.

The “lifetime two-guard” could start right away, with Felder at the point and Holden on the other wing, Chris Silva and Maik Kotsar in the middle. He’s due to enroll by July 1 – he doesn’t graduate high school until June 16 – but Beatty will be able to get to Columbia, play pickup in the S.C. Pro-Am and get a crash course in Frank Martin Basketball 101 before official practice begins.

That begins with defense, the kind of in-your-face aggression that had opponents sweating watching film last year. Beatty’s not concerned about elevating his game in that department.

“That’s not going to be a big deal,” he said. “I take pride in my defense. I’ve played for defense-first coaches all my life.”

That, combined with the Philly background, has Martin excited.

“David brings that mentality, that Sindarius has, that Rah Felder has. It’s an aggressive toughness,” Martin said. “Everyone thinks of tough as guys wanting to fight. It’s not about fighting, it’s about standing up to adversity and not backing up a step. That’s kind of the way David’s cut.”

Beatty closed his high-school career at Imhotep Charter with 19 points in a state championship win.

Since, Beatty has been working out, playing pickup, finishing his schoolwork and discussing his plans for USC. Holden, a rising junior who can play this year after sitting out last year after transferring, has already been in contact, telling Beatty what to expect and how to handle it.

Beatty anticipates a short learning curve. He wants to be an immediate answer to what the Gamecocks seek.

“I’m going to try to take on a couple of those roles, scoring, defending … see what he wants me to be,” Beatty said. “Be a point guard when they need me to be, be a scorer when they need me to be. Have that mentality of being a playmaker.”

Martin is no stranger to starting freshmen, if they earn it. Perhaps Beatty can be the latest to do so. The USC coach mentioned how Thornwell and Felder began their collegiate careers – each struggled early, before turning midseason flashes into consistently strong play at the end. He sees that in Beatty.

“They’ve got to figure it out,” Martin said. “I think David is going to have moments early his freshman year where he’s going to, maybe, not play as well as he wants or I want him to. He’s going to have moments where we all see that talent and that bravado, and, as he and I both understand each other and manage college basketball for him, I think by the end of the year you’re going to see a closer product of who he’s going to be.”

This story was originally published May 2, 2017 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Freshman David Beatty brings Philly toughness to Gamecocks."