Frank needed more aggression from Frink. How he delivered in win over Georgia
At the start of the week, South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin said the barometer of Alanzo Frink‘s play simply came down to aggressiveness. When the sophomore forward played with it, his game has some flow — and when he doesn’t, things get choppy.
Two nights later, Frink played with that, but it wasn’t Martin‘s words that got him there.
“His teammates are the ones on him right now,” Martin said. “His teammates are all over him because he’s got to help us.”
The game against Georgia featured a style that could throw him off kilter or let him thrive. The Bulldogs play small by nature, which means his challenges in space and guarding the perimeter are amplified.
But it also meant that with the right focus and crispness to his game, he could pull off a bull-in-a-China-shop routine.
“Prepared in practice, working on throwing the ball inside,” Frink said. “Just finishing, getting fouls, trying to get and-1s.”
The Bulldogs tried to put someone between him and the entry passer, and he calmly caught lobs and finished again and again. He notched 18 points in the first half and a career-high 22 in the game on 10 shots, giving himself a chance for a trio of three-point plays.
He even conquered one other running issue.
“I got to make my free throws,” Frink said.
The 52.9% free-throw shooter connected on 6 of 9 attempts, including a 2 for 2 trip in the final five minutes of regulation.
This season has been an inconsistent one for the powerfully-built forward from just outside New York City.
His minutes have bounced up and down, often with defensive issues putting him on the bench. He started the first four games of the season as well as the past six since Justin Minaya was injured.
But his coach still likes his offensive ability anchoring things in the post.
“He might be our most talented inside player, offensively,” Martin said. “Really good hands, good footwork, has a feel, when he makes us free throws, he can score points. We just need him to play with more (oomph). That’s on him.”
For now he’s a little bit trapped. Maik Kotsar is a more experienced defender, is more mobile and has an offensive game that has blossomed this season. Between needing him out on the floor, and playing more lineups with combinations of four perimeter defenders, Frink and players in a similar mold as him have been squeezed out at times.
But Wednesday, he showed off some of that promise and how his skill set can come together, even in a game that was going to force him out of his comfort zone.
“It boosted my confidence,” Frink said. “I trust my guards that they’ll throw me the ball, and I’m pretty sure they trust me to catch it and finish.
“So it just boosts my confidence, the things that help me out throughout the season.”
NEXT
What: South Carolina at Alabama
When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Coleman Coliseum
TV: SEC Network
Radio: 107.5 The Game in Columbia area
Box score
GEORGIA (14-14): Camara 3-4 3-4 10, Hammonds 4-9 4-4 13, Edwards 11-22 10-12 36, Harris 1-4 2-3 4, Wheeler 2-8 3-4 7, Gresham 2-5 1-2 6, Peake 1-3 1-2 3, Crump 1-5 0-0 3, Fagan 2-5 0-1 4, Brown 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 28-67 26-34 90.
SOUTH CAROLINA (17-11): Bryant 6-14 4-5 16, Frink 8-10 6-9 22, Kotsar 8-14 3-4 19, Couisnard 3-7 6-8 13, Lawson 2-9 4-10 10, Bolden 0-5 0-0 0, Moss 1-6 0-0 2, McCreary 5-5 0-1 10, Hannibal 0-0 0-0 0, Leveque 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 34-71 23-37 94.
Halftime—Georgia 42-40. 3-Point Goals—Georgia 8-29 (Edwards 4-11, Camara 1-1, Hammonds 1-2, Gresham 1-4, Crump 1-5, Wheeler 0-1, Peake 0-2, Harris 0-3), South Carolina 3-16 (Lawson 2-7, Couisnard 1-4, Moss 0-2, Bolden 0-3). Fouled Out—Camara, Hammonds, Harris, Wheeler, Frink, Lawson. Rebounds—Georgia 40 (Hammonds 9), South Carolina 40 (Bryant, Kotsar 10). Assists—Georgia 13 (Edwards 4), South Carolina 22 (Kotsar, Couisnard, Lawson, Moss 4). Total Fouls—Georgia 30, South Carolina 26. A—11,613 (18,000).
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 10:29 AM.
