After month-long COVID-19 pause, USC men’s basketball back in win column
Finally.
COVID-19 has impacted every sports program in the country in some way, shape or form. But in recent weeks, the coronavirus has hit the South Carolina men’s basketball team especially hard. Before Saturday, the Gamecocks hadn’t played since Dec. 5, canceling or postponing five straight games due to positive tests within the program.
Saturday also marked the first time South Carolina was able to play a game on its home court since last season ended in March.
And though the Gamecocks showed some early rust against Florida A&M, they would go on to treat the smattering of socially distant fans at Colonial Life Arena to a 78-71 win.
“I had no idea how our guys had the courage to make the plays to go win the game,” head coach Frank Martin said.
3 observations from USC-Florida A&M
1. Not at full strength
After pausing activities two separate times in the last month, the odds seemed long that the Gamecocks would have their full roster at their disposal once they resumed play. Saturday’s starting lineup was missing two notable frontcourt veterans in Keyshawn Bryant and Alanzo Frink, as well as a number of key reserves.
Sophomore forward Jalyn McCreary and guard T.J. Moss — both frequent rotational players off the bench — didn’t play either. Due to the absences, Martin employed a three-guard starting lineup, inserting senior Seventh Woods at point guard for his first career USC start.
“Just being without our guys, that was all the motivation we needed,” Woods said.
Wildens Leveque stepped in as the other new starter in the frontcourt. Ford Cooper Jr., a sophomore transfer guard who was recently cleared to play thanks to the NCAA’s blanket waiver, also did not make an appearance in Saturday’s game.
With Southeastern Conference play set to begin next week against Texas A&M, the Gamecocks could use reinforcements quickly. Martin said he expects at least one of the missing players to return to practice Monday.
2. Lawson takes over
After going through the NBA Draft process for a second straight offseason, junior guard A.J. Lawson entered this season in the hopes of improving his stock and showing he can produce on a consistent basis.
Before the COVID-19 pauses, Lawson had an up-and-down start to this season, coming out flat along with the rest of the team against Liberty in a season-opening loss.
But Lawson played his best game of the young season Saturday, opening the contest with a 3-pointer from the corner and catching fire from there. The team’s leading scorer last year, Lawson paced the Gamecocks with 25 points Saturday.
“I felt great. It’s been a while since playing,” Lawson said. “Shooting my first shot, it was a 3-pointer and it went in, it just gave me some spirit, some confidence. And my teammates encouraged me the whole game. It just felt great to be out there and finally hoop again.”
3. First action for Ja’Von Benson
With his options limited, Martin gave 6-foot-7 freshman forward Ja’Von Benson his first minutes on a collegiate court. The lone freshman on South Carolina’s roster after Patrick Iriel unexpectedly withdrew from school before the season, Benson scored six points and tallied four rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes.
Benson showed some flashes of being a productive player for the Gamecocks, including scoring on a 3-point attempt from the top of the arc, although long-range shooting doesn’t figure to be a major part of his game moving forward.
Martin praised Benson’s scoring touch after the game, adding that the freshman still needs to work on fundamentals.
Next game
Who: South Carolina (2-2) vs. Texas A&M (5-2)
Where: Colonial Life Arena
When: 9 p.m. Wednesday
Watch: ESPNU
This story was originally published January 2, 2021 at 3:00 PM.
