Final Four stars lead best of 2010s: Here’s our USC men’s basketball all-decade team
In terms of crowning achievement, there’s never been a decade quite like the 2010s for South Carolina men’s basketball.
The Gamecocks in one magical March broke their long NCAA Tournament winless streak and advanced to their only Final Four in school history.
Frank Martin in his garnet jacket flashing four fingers. Sindarius Thornwell on the same stage gripping the East Regional trophy. These are the defining images of the past 10 years, both coming after USC beat Florida on March 26, 2017.
Of the 11 full decades Carolina has participated in men’s basketball, the 2010s rank sixth in winning percentage — around .520 — but it’ll always be among the most memorable.
The Darrin Horn era ended in 2012, giving way to Martin and his rebuild of what was one of the worst Power 5 programs at *the time. In 2015-16, the Gamecocks tied a school record for wins (25) and appeared in the NIT. They broke that record the next season and came up five points short of playing for the national championship.
As South Carolina moves forward into the 2020s, Martin is still trying to recapture some of that glory. The 2010s wasn’t always as inspiring as that two-week run in March 2017, but it produced enough players that fans won’t forget anytime soon. What follows is our South Carolina all-decade team.
Note: This starts with the 2010-11 season, which eliminates Devan Downey, whose electrifying career ended in 2009-10.
Starting five
Guard: Duane Notice (2013-17)
Before A.J. Lawson came around, Notice was the first recruiting gem Martin scored from Canada. No one has played more games in a South Carolina uniform than the Toronto native. He was the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year as a junior and he finished his career with 1,409 points and hit 219 3s — second most all-time — but it’s Notice’s defense that made him a staple of Martin’s teams.
He hounded ball-handlers starting at the half-court line and epitomized the gritty man-to-man style his coach continues to preach. The Gamecocks were third nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency Notice’s senior season.
Guard: PJ Dozier (2015-17)
The biggest South Carolina recruiting win of the decade came Nov. 12, 2014, when Dozier committed to the Gamecocks over Louisville. A Columbia native, Spring Valley grad and USC legacy, Dozier is one of four McDonald’s All-Americans to ever play for the Gamecocks — Brian Bowen signed in January 2018, but was never eligible before leaving — and was the first to do so since Rolando Howell 15 years earlier.
The lanky point guard saved the best ball of his two-year career for the end when he averaged 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists over five NCAA Tournament games. South Carolina went 51-20 with Dozier on the team.
Guard: Sindarius Thornwell (2013-17)
Perhaps the only player on this list who makes USC’s any-decade team, Thornwell finished his career third all-time in scoring, ninth in assists, 10th in rebounds and first in starts and minutes player. He’s the only Gamecock to be drafted in the decade, going 48th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks (and later traded to the Los Angeles Clippers).
But most importantly, the 2016-17 SEC Player of the Year — the only Gamecock with that title — was the face of the Final Four run. Thornwell carried Carolina to wins over Marquette, Duke, Baylor and Florida by averaging 26 points and eight rebounds.
Forward: Chris Silva (2015-19)
“Frank Jr.” is what Mississippi State coach Ben Howland referred to Silva as before the big man’s junior season. That’s both a compliment and a nod to how much Silva — a 6-foot-9, 234-pounder from Gabon, Africa — was an extension of Martin, a Miami native.
Playing with a motor that never stopped, Silva twice earned All-SEC after Thornwell, Dozier and Notice left and put him in charge of Martin’s program. The 2017-18 SEC Defensive Player of the Year finished his career 10th in scoring, sixth in rebounds and blocked shots and third in made free throws.
He’s the USC flag barrier this NBA season with the Miami Heat.
Forward: Michael Carrera (2012-16)
A member of Martin’s first recruiting class at South Carolina, Carrera started 95 of the 122 games he played in as a Gamecock. His toughness helped Carolina go from 14 wins to 25 wins in four years.
“We’ve built this program on his courage from day one, his passion from day one,” Martin said near the end of Carrera’s career. “As he’s grown as a player, as he’s grown as a person, we’ve become a better basketball team.”
The 6-5, 212-pounder from Venezuela made first-team All-SEC as a senior. He left USC with over 1,100 points and 800 rebounds.
Bench
G A.J. Lawson — The sixth man of this group, Lawson is second to Thornwell for most points by a Gamecock freshman in the decade.
F Sam Muldrow — The 2010-11 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Muldrow is No. 1 in Carolina history with 275 blocked shots.
G Hassani Gravett — A reserve on the Final Four team, Gravett blossomed as a deadly shooter by the time his career ended and took SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2018-19.
