Hometown freshman gone from Frank Martin’s Gamecocks just months after joining team
Freshman forward Patrick Iriel has decided to withdraw from school and will not play for the South Carolina men’s basketball team this season, a team spokesperson said Wednesday.
The decision comes after multiple meetings with head coach Frank Martin this week.
Iriel, a three-star prospect in 247Sports Composite rankings, is a Columbia native and starred for A.C. Flora High, helping to lead the school to the Class 4A Lower State championship last season. The 6-foot-10, 248-pound forward averaged 13 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals a game as a senior.
Along with fellow freshman Ja’Von Benson, from nearby Ridge View, Iriel was expected to compete for minutes in South Carolina’s frontcourt behind veterans like Alanzo Frink and Wildens Leveque.
South Carolina started official preseason practices Oct. 14. The 2020-21 schedule has not been released but is expected to begin with a Nov. 25 game.
In Martin’s most recent availability with reporters on Oct. 13, he complimented Iriel for the way he was practicing.
“Pat’s as strong as an ox,” Martin said. “I mean, he runs. He had a great play at Saturday’s workout, a real competitive play. He was on defense. He made the defensive rotation to stop a basket. And then he turned around and outran everyone down the court and caught a hard pass for a layup.
“It got all the experienced guys jumping on him because they know what he just did. That’s an impressive play for somebody so young to make. So I’m excited.”
Iriel signed with the Gamecocks in November 2019, after fielding offers from Butler, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Southern Cal and others. The big man was a late bloomer who didn’t start drawing significant recruiting interest until spring of his junior year.
“It means everything,” Iriel said on signing day. “I’ve been working my whole life to get to this point, and I’m really happy to be here.”
A.C. Flora head coach Joshua Staley compared Iriel to former Duke star and NBA center Mason Plumlee and credited Iriel’s work ethic and grinding mentality for his rise in recruiting rankings.
“Pat is one of the best post players in the country,” Staley said in April. “I think his humbleness, his meekness, his willingness to accept coaching and his discipline is what is going to separate him down the road. He is blessed with the size, athleticism and ball skills.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 7:30 PM.
