Why Frank Martin, USC basketball was the right choice for LSU transfer Josh Gray
New South Carolina center Josh Gray seems more grown up than the average second-year college student — and not just because he’s scraping 7-feet tall.
There’s a maturity in his self-assurance, in the way he knows himself. He’s figured out that he’s more on the introverted side of the personality spectrum, and he’s at peace with it, because he knows he’ll open up to his new Gamecocks teammates the more he spends time with them. He knows what’s good for his body, knows that “health is wealth” and hasn’t eaten a bite of fast food in four years.
Perhaps most importantly, he understands where he belongs — and where he doesn’t. After playing just 33 minutes across 10 games in his freshman season at LSU, Gray realized the Tigers’ system wasn’t the right fit for him. He needed to find some place to play that would allow him to play to his strengths.
“(LSU) just wasn’t the right fit for a person of my stature,” Gray said. “And I did a lot of homework on South Carolina coming in, and I feel like it’s the exact opposite. I feel like this is the right fit for me, the way I play. And I feel like I’m going to be able to thrive in this system that Frank has.”
Frank Martin and the Gamecocks coaching staff tried to sign Gray out of Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut, where the Brooklyn native played high school ball, but Gray chose the Tigers. After seeing limited action under head coach Will Wade in his first season, Gray entered the transfer portal, and it wasn’t long before he received a call from Martin.
“We recruited him real hard out of high school, and as soon as we called him (this offseason), it was like done,” Martin said. “It was like, ‘Man, I should have come here to start with.’”
Signed on July 1, Gray is the sixth and most recent transfer Martin and the Gamecocks brought in during a chaotic offseason that also resulted in seven Gamecocks entering the transfer portal. The 6-foot-11, 255-pound center is a rare intraconference transfer who took advantage of the new SEC rule allowing transfers to play immediately. With his massive frame, Gray provides physicality and a finishing ability near the rim that the Gamecocks sorely lacked a year ago.
Beyond Gray’s size, what drew USC to him out of high school was his surprising quickness and effort in running the floor, with Martin saying, “He could be as good of a runner as we have on our team.”
“There just aren’t enough human beings walking the Earth that look like him,” said associate head coach Chuck Martin, who led Gray’s recruiting out of high school. “When you see a 17-, 18-year-old kid that looks the way Josh looks and runs the way he runs, you get excited. Now, he’s raw and he’s young, and he’s got to continue to develop and get better. But he’s big and he’s got tons of potential.”
Gray figures to compete for front-court minutes with Wildens Leveque and Tre-Vaughn Minott, both of whom flashed late in the season and have drawn praise from Martin through early workouts. Gray understands he’s not a finished product as a player. He said what he likes most about Martin’s system is how he utilizes big men on pick and rolls and on the fast break, but both Martin and Gray said he’ll need to improve his game in the low post and become a more refined and versatile scorer.
How much Gray plays in his first season with USC will likely depend on his evolution in those other facets of his game.
“I feel like I could be a great two-way player,” Gray said. “I can make a living off of getting my motor up and running the floor, getting the quick five or six points.
“But also in the half-court, it’s working on a face-up game, working more on reading defenses, working on the-mid range shot, because you can’t dunk everything — even though I’d like to dunk everything.”
The Gamecocks roster situation
New to the roster for 2021-22
- C Josh Gray (transfer)
- F Brandon Martin (transfer)
- F A.J. Wilson (transfer)
- G Chico Carter Jr. (transfer)
- G James Reese (transfer)
- G Erik Stevenson (transfer)
- G Devin Carter (signee)
- G Jacobi Wright (signee)
- F TaQuan Woodley (signee)
Back from last season
- G Jermaine Couisnard
- G Mike Green
- G Ford Cooper Jr.
- F Keyshawn Bryant
- F Wildens Leveque
- F Ja’Von Benson
- F Tre-Vaughn Minott
Departures
- G AJ Lawson (NBA Draft)
- G Trae Hannibal (transfer)
- G T.J. Moss (transfer)
- F Jalyn McCreary (transfer)
- F Justin Minaya (grad transfer)
- F Trey Anderson (transfer)
- F Alanzo Frink (transfer)
- G Seventh Woods (transfer)
This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 8:10 AM.
