Where Frank Martin could turn next in USC’s ongoing search for point guard
South Carolina could have a new player handling the bulk of its point guard minutes Wednesday against No. 10 Kentucky — and it’s mostly because Jermaine Couisnard represents to Frank Martin everything that position’s been lacking this season.
“Personality, fearlessness, aggression,” the USC coach said of his redshirt freshman.
The Gamecocks (8-7, 0-2 SEC) have started both Jair Bolden and A.J. Lawson at point guard in 2019-20, producing a few highs, but some very recent lows. Next up could be Couisnard, a 6-foot-4, 211-pounder from outside Chicago who might not fit the ideal profile for a point guard, but he’s got the intangibles to potentially give the team a boost from that position.
Martin on Monday compared Couisnard’s approach to what Sindarius Thornwell gave the Gamecocks as a freshman.
“He’s a guy that when he’s played point it’s to go get a shot, not run a team,” Martin said. “But he’s probably got the best understanding of what I want and the loudest voice and the most aggressive game of all our guards.
“So that option’s on the table right now.”
USC’s on a three-game losing streak and in dire need of a spark. Couisnard, who missed the middle game of the skid (Florida) with a back strain, returned against Tennessee and scored 15 points, 11 more than Bolden and Lawson combined.
Carolina’s sixth man — for now — leads the team in assists (2.6) and is fourth in scoring (9.0).
“He can bring more aggression at (point guard),” said redshirt freshman guard T.J. Moss. “He’s a pretty strong guy. He got downhill a lot against Tennessee.”
That was by design as Martin wanted Couisnard to take advantage of his defensive matchup against Charleston native — and former five-star recruit — Josiah-Jordan James.
“(Martin) saw that I was attacking the rim,” Couisnard said, “and then he just drew up stuff for me to keep attacking the rim because they didn’t want to foul.”
Couisnard finished with a career-high 17 field goal attempts.
“Jermaine’s not running away from a single challenge,” Martin said. “He’s not. And I’m not saying that the other guys run away from it. I just need them to be more aggressive at running to the challenge rather than standing there and hoping somebody else does. If guys were running away from it, we wouldn’t be that close. We wouldn’t have done some of the good that we’ve already done this year.
“But we got too many guys standing around, hoping somebody else does it. And Jermaine doesn’t care. Jermaine’s like, ‘Where are we going? There? Come on, let’s go.’ And whatever’s coming, coming, and he’s ready to deal with it.”
Reaction to negativity
A loss to Kentucky (12-3, 3-0) would bring the Gamecocks to 0-3 in SEC play for the first time since 2013-14, Martin’s second season.
Naturally, the recent results have frustrated South Carolina’s fan base. Not that Martin’s gone on social media to read for himself.
“I don’t read chat rooms, I’m not into gossip,” Martin said. “Tell me one positive thing that comes out of social media. So why do you worry about it? You have a job to do: interview me and interview players. Why are you listening to people who have no idea what we go through? Why don’t you go call the people who were positive three games ago when we just beat Virginia? Call them or email them. Send them a tweet and see what they have to say. Can you imagine if those people actually coached or played? The ones that quit with 17 games left in the season?”
Martin then added this team’s “that close” to turning it around and pointed to the one-point loss to the Volunteers in front of 19,000 opposing fans as Exhibit A.
‘I’m ecstatic’
The Miami Heat have decided to scrap Chris Silva’s two-way deal with the G League and award him a three-year contract to remain fully on the Heat.
The Miami Herald reported the news about the rookie and South Carolina star Monday morning.
“I’m ecstatic,” Martin said. “No one deserves it more than Chris because of how much he cares, the human being he is, the amount of work he’s put in and how he has sacrificed to help others.”
Silva, who went undrafted, is averaging 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 30 games this season.
NEXT
What: Kentucky at South Carolina
When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Colonial Life Arena
TV: SEC Network
