This Gamecock faces his old team Sunday. And like USC, he’s a work in progress
The words stuck with Frank Martin because he, of all coaches, knew what they meant.
Jair Bolden committed to play for South Carolina in June 2018. He was coming off a season at George Washington in which averaged over 11 points and three assists a game. It was a good showing, but it wasn’t his best.
At least that’s what his father, Joel, told Martin.
“The great thing about him is when I recruited him,” Martin said, “you know what he and his dad told me? ‘He hasn’t played as well as he’s capable since he’s played for Bob Hurley. He needs somebody to coach him.’”
Hurley is a legendary high school basketball coach in New Jersey. Leading with a fiery spirit that can compare with Martin’s style, Hurley won 26 state championships over a 45-year career. He guided numerous college players, including his son, Bobby, and Bolden. So when Bolden chose to leave GW after his sophomore year, he was seeking a return to a previous experience.
He found Martin.
“They’re definitely similar,” Bolden said. “They both demand the best out of you. They’re not going to settle for you not trying your best or you not playing hard. I think I need that as a player because sometimes if someone’s not pushing me, sometimes it’s human nature just to relax a little.
“But I think Coach Hurley did get the best out of me. And Coach Martin will get the best out of me as well.”
Bolden said that this past summer at the SC Pro-Am event, some four months before he played his first game in garnet and black. He’s since become Martin’s starting point guard for USC’s 4-3 start to the 2019-20 season.
Ahead of Bolden being reunited with his old team — the Gamecocks host George Washington (3-4) at 2 p.m. Sunday — Martin assessed Bolden’s progress.
The coach is still working to get the best out of him.
“I’m starting to get a better feel for Jair,” Martin said Friday. “But I think he’s playing better. His numbers probably look better when he was at GW, and that’s not a knock on GW, but I think he’s a more efficient player right now.”
Bolden is second on South Carolina in scoring (10.1 points per game) and leads the Gamecocks in 3-point field goal percentage (44%). He’s also one of seven new faces Martin is managing this season.
It’s impacting results, Martin said.
“This is the part that most folks don’t comprehend how it works,” Martin said. “It’s easy to say, ‘OK, I’m starting to figure out where Jair’s really good at, and where he’s the most productive. So let’s run some stuff to get him in those areas.’
“Well, the other four guys on the court have to understand the adjustments you’re making. And when you’re playing guys that are here for the first time, those adjustments don’t go as smoothly as they do when you got upperclassmen. And I don’t ever want to come across like I’m making excuses, it’s the roster I recruited, I put it together, so I got to manage it and help those guys execute whether they’re Maik Kotsar, four-year starter, or Trae Hannibal, who’s three months removed from high school.
“That’s my responsibility, but that’s the reality of what we’ve faced this early in the year. As the year goes on, we’ll be able to make some of those adjustments better. But when you’re playing NCAA tournament teams, which are the teams we’ve been playing, this early in the year that have intact rosters, it’s hard to make those game to game adjustments and be as productive as you want to be.”
The GW that Bolden faces Sunday isn’t the GW he left. The Colonials have a new coach — Jamion Christian — and only seven of Bolden’s former teammates.
NEXT
Who: George Washington at South Carolina
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Colonial Life Arena
TV: SEC Network Plus
